Jakub Pustina

The baritone Jakub Pustina graduated from the Secondary Technical School of Chemistry in Pardubice and began university studies in the field of chemistry simultaneously in Pardubice and at Charles University in Prague. Since the age of twenty he has devoted himself completely to his vocal and operatic career. He has taken part repeatedly in vocal master classes under Peter Dvorský, as well as many other courses (Anna Barová – Czech Republic, Christian Mihailescu – Romania, Alain Nonat – Canada). From the start of his vocal career, he has been under the tutelage of the baritone Václav Zítek.

In 2004 and 2005 he was the overall winner of the international singing competition Pražský pěvec (Prague Singer) held under the patronage of the National Theatre in Prague. At the Antonín Dvořák International Vocal Competition in Karlovy Vary, he won first prize and the Vilém Zítek Prize. He also won first prize at the Imrich Godin International Vocal Competition (Slovakia) and second prize at the Mikuláš Schneider-Trnavský International Vocal Competition, also in Slovakia. In April 2006 he was a finalist in the Ferruccio Tagliavini International Singing Competition in Deutschlandsberg, Austria.

Among the roles in his operatic repertoire are Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, Enrico (Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor), Escamillo (Bizet: Carmen), Germont (Verdi: La traviata), Valentin (Gounod: Faust), Belcore (Donizetti: L’elisir d’amore) and Mercutio (Gounod: Roméo et Juliette). He appears most frequently at the State Opera in Košice, Slovakia and at the Moravian Theatre in Olomouc, Czech Republic.
He gives frequent concert performances, having appeared in Australia, Denmark, France, Belgium, Germany, Poland, Hungary, Austria and New Zealand. He also is engaged in managerial work. Among his most important projects have been the International Vocal Competition for Operatic Singing held for 35 countries, and the travelling festival “Jakub Pustina and his Guests”. For his artistic, managerial, promotional and charitable activities, in 2008 he earned the highest honor bestowed by Vysočina Region.