Jiří Trtík (aka Trtini) is a Czech composer, conductor, artistic director, and founder of STRO.MY Ensemble. In 2021, Jiří received the OSA Award for the most successful Czech composer of classical music outside of the Czech Republic.
His compositions stand out due to their thematic focus on nature (e.g., "Concert for Forest", "Vltava Recomposed", "Cantico delle creature"), spirituality, and mental health (e.g., opera Kafka’s Letter to His Father). This blend of classical foundations with contemporary approach creates a distinctive sound that sets him apart from other composers.
Jiří is a founder and artistic director of STRO.MY Ensemble which focuses on innovative approach to classical music and site-specific performances, often incorporating visual and performative elements. Their work is characterized by a combination of acoustic instruments and electronic elements, creating a unique sonic backdrop. STRO.MY Ensemble regularly performs on festival stages and is recognized both domestically and internationally as an innovative force in the field of contemporary classical music.
Jiří has received a number of commissions from world-class performers and institutions, such as Kremerata Baltica, National Theater of Prague, Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava, Columbus Symphony Orchestra, Grammy Award-winning Cleveland Chamber Symphony, Kühn Mixed Choir, the principal cellist of The Cleveland Orchestra Mark Kosower. His works have been performed across Europe, The United States of America, or Japan.
Jiří is also a film music composer, he wrote music for Eating the Future (Katy Jenkyns), Wolves on Borders (Martin Páv), The Hunch (Nina Mikesková), Zelená Vdova (Luboš Kučera), Jdi dál (Martin Páv).
Jiří is the author of the successful crowdfunding campaign Concert For Forest. In the summer of 2021, he managed to raise funds for the premiere of a site-specific composition in a forest environment and the creation of a new professional music ensemble based in Prague called STRO.MY. The project also attracted an international audience and people from all over the world contributed to the premiere of this non-traditional composition.
Jiří has earned his Master of Music at the Cleveland Institute of Music. He has also studied composition and conducting at the Prague Conservatory, and philosophy at the Charles University. He is a recipient of 2nd prize (1st was not given) and Special Prize for The Best Czech Composition at the International Composition Competition Generace 2019 at the Janáček International Music Festival in Ostrava. He also received first-prize at the Cleveland Composers Guild Fifth Annual Collegiate Composition Competition 2018, and won the WCSMS 2018 Promising Young Composers Competition. In 2018, Jiří Trtík was honored to receive the 2018 Donald Erb Prize in Composition.
Jiří publishes his music at the Czech Radio Music Publishing House.
Jiří joined the faculty of the International Conservatory of Prague in 2020.