Who
We Are
Martinů Strings Prague is a twelve strong string ensemble, bearing the name of one of the twentieth century's greatest composers. It was founded in 2012 by its director, the violinist Jaroslav Šonský. The ensemble benefits from the professionalism and artistic enthusiasm of its players who have experience of solo playing and membership of the top Czech symphony orchestras and chamber groups.
Performances by Martinů Strings Prague are notable for the high quality of playing and their carefully crafted programes. The warm atmosphere of their concerts has ensured a loyal and enthusiastic home audience and a burgeoning reputation abroad.
Thanks to Jaroslav Šonský, who worked in Sweden for several decades, the ensemble also has works by interesting and lesser-known Scandinavian composers in its repertoire.
The ensemble is proud to dedicate itself to the legacy of Bohuslav Martinů, a composer of unmistakable style who spent most of his life in voluntary exile. His embrace of world citizenship along with a warm love of the music
Since 2025, The Martinů Strings Prague Quartet has also been establishing itself very successfully. The quartet features Dana Truplová, Radek Trupl, Mikoláš Čech, and Kristýna Bělohlávková, who are also permanent members of the twelve-member ensemble.
Our
Music
Amongst the ensemble's notable performances was a 2018 UN gala concert in Geneva for seven hundred diplomats to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of the founding of the Czech and Slovak Republics. The following year they gave concerts in Versailles and Paris.
In 2024 Martinů Strings Prague represented their country with a concert in Luxembourg during a state visit by the President of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel. The concert was attended by both heads of state.
The ensemble has won plaudits for its precise, sensitive and emotional interpretations. Much credit for this is due to the dedication of the group's founder and director Jaroslav Šonský who worked for many years in Sweden and has enriched the ensemble's repertoire with works by interesting but lesser-known Scandinavian composers.
The ensemble is proud to honour the name and legacy of the Czech composer Bohuslav Martinů who spent most of his life in voluntary exile producing works of unmistakable style. His embrace of world citizenship along with a love of his homeland's music was the inspiration for Jaroslav Šonský's choice of name for the ensemble.
The Baroque refectory of the Dominican Monastery in Jilská Ulice, Prague, has been the home stage of Martinů Strings since 2015. The ensemble has its own series of concerts there called "Music without Borders" which is organized in cooperation with the Czech Roots Association and the Dominican Monastery. The content of their programes seeks to promote music as a "language of communication" between nations and at the same time helps shape Czech national identity. The group also focuses on the music of Czech composers who work or worked out with their homeland.
Support
Us
Mudr. Martin Jan Stránský, patron of the ensemble
Spolek České kořeny
MČ Praha 1
MČ Praha 8
Nadace Život umělce Klášter dominikánů Praha
Tomislav Vašíček (Vienna)
Kubík & Partners a.k.
Reviews / written about us :
Czech TV - live report from the Nordic concert 4. 11. 2025
https://www.ceskatelevize.cz/porady/1097206490-udalosti-v-kulture/225411000121104/?fbclid=IwY2xjawOc71xleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEefWdgxGa96tM7n8o5mqicKgdZQCXzmKZg43eZ7LZoBgh376rwBon4FV4PLog_aem_JYJqZhtL7R2IAXv4AJg4eQ&brid=e3ukCWU5hc2ukZqb0pItlw
Klasika Plus about "Nordic concert" 4.11. 2025
https://www.klasikaplus.cz/severska-romantika-podle-martinu-strings-prague/
…We hereby thank you for your always professional and empathetic way of leading Martinů Strings Prague, for the care you show for our special needs, and for maximizing our concert experience.
There is something very special in the way this ensemble plays. There is a density, a texture. We do not dare to describe it in other words, because we lack the musical knowledge needed to express it precisely. I only know that when we listen to Martinů Strings Prague, we feel that they do not sound like a run-of-the-mill ensemble… They always captivate you, take you into their musical embrace, and cleanse your mind of thoughts and worries, as in a healing meditation…
Ana Villacampa and Fernando Navarro, 2024
Viennese Free Papers on the Prague Concert 4 April 2023
https://photos.app.goo.gl/YrnxWz9ZeRB9pxwz5
…I would very much like to thank you for organizing the concert "New Year with Haydn" with its very interesting dramaturgy. For the opportunity to hear not only a selection of chamber music across the centuries, but above all the wonderful Haydn Cello Concerto No. 1 in C major. The very precise and compelling performance by the Martinů Strings Prague ensemble, together with the absolutely exceptional soloist Tomáš Jamník, was not only a surprising and truly extraordinary experience, but also an excellent conclusion to last year's concert season. The exceptional nature of the concert was evidenced (even in these crazy times) by a completely full hall and the thunderous applause of the audience, demanding encores. I hope that you will be able to organize further concerts this year, and I am already looking forward to them.
Jaroslav Kolář, 2022
Thank you very much for the invitation to the beautiful venue… The music was beautiful as well, especially the Martinů. I must buy his Serenade for Strings—it really captivated me…
Jana Koubková, jazz singer, 2020
…A perfect recording of my composition: it is an excellent performance by conductor J. Šonský and likewise a deeply felt rendition by the orchestra. I would like to express my strong emotion and my congratulations on this interpretative gem…
From a letter by composer Ján Valach (Antwerp, Belgium), 2018
…A very beautiful concert, with professionalism both artistically and organizationally. Thank you very much for a lovely evening.
Renata Sabongui, Cultural Commission of Prague 1 Municipal District, 2017
The perfect coordination of the orchestra and the performances of all the players are admirable. A perfect experience. Beautiful and interesting music in a lovely setting. I cannot recall ever having heard a concerto for solo double bass…
Petr Kubánek, music editor of Czech Television, 2016
…Although belatedly, I would nevertheless like to thank you for the invitation and above all for organizing an excellent concert. … It was truly a beautiful experience. I then spoke briefly with Mr. Šonský, and we would be very pleased if you were interested in further cooperation.
fr. Filip Boháč OP, Dominikánská 8, 2015
…Unified phrasing and perfect intonation, together with an enthusiasm for playing and for creating a compact yet chamber-like transparent sound, characterized the entire dramaturgically demanding evening. Within its framework were heard the Allegro from Schubert's Quintet Death and the Maiden in Mahler's arrangement for string orchestra, Barber's Adagio for Strings, and, to conclude, Shostakovich's Chamber Symphony Op. 110, dedicated to the victims of World War II—a work of admirable depth and impact, to which Martinů Strings owed nothing; on the contrary, it became the culmination of the evening. Immediately afterward, the orchestra set off on a tour to the Swedish cities of Norrköping, Linköping, and Stockholm.
Jana Vašatová, music journalist, Czech Radio Weekly, 2012