Jan Valta composer / arranger

JAN VALTA (1977) is a graduate of the Teplice Conservatoire where he studied both violin and conducting. He is also a graduate from the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (violin). Since 2005, Jan works extensively as an arranger and composer. He is also a skilled music director and editor.

Currently he is working on the soundtrack for the upcoming RPG game Kingdom Come: Deliverance, which is developed by the Warhorse Studios, Prague.

Jan's compositions contain works for symphony orchestra, wind orchestra, songs and chamber music as well as big band charts and music for television series, among others. Most notably, he composed a symphonic soundtrack to an imaginary film "FULCANELLI" based on his own story, which he also recorded as a conductor. Besides his compositions, Jan has created hundreds of arrangements spanning from chamber ensembles through symphony orchestra up to big band, musical and crossover projects.

Since 2010, Jan co-operates regularly with Editions Marc Reift in Switzerland, a publishing house for which he writes both arrangements and new compositions. For this publisher, Jan works also as a publishing editor. Through the co-operation with the concert agency Nachtigall Artists, Jan had the opportunity to create symphonic arrangements for some of the most shining stars of the opera world, such as Thomas Hampson, Ildebrando D'Arcangello and Simon Keenlyside. Jan also co-operates widely with China.

Jan worked as an orchestrator for the Hollywood film composer Atli Örvarsson for the film Colette. He also composed music for the chinese TV series "Warm Days" and co-arranged Czech musical named "Lucie". Together with Alexius Tschallener, he composed soundtrack for the Czech TV series Called "On The Water".

As a violinist, Jan became a member of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra for two seasons at the age of nineteen. As a soloist, he performed in Europe and in Japan; notable was the Spain tour of the Herold Chamber Orchestra in 2006, where Jan acted both as an artistic leader and soloist (he also arranged some of the repertoire for this tour).

He co-founded the Herold Quartet in 1998. The ensemble toured many european countries including venues such as Wigmore Hall in London, Sendesaal in Frankfurt, l'Auditori in Barcelona, Palau di Musica in Valencia or Philharmonie Luxembourg Auditorium. Besides Europe, the Herold Quartet has also performed in Australia, Brazil, Japan and Hawaii. In 2001, the Herold Quartet was awarded the Czech Chamber Music Society Prize. The Quartet has recorded five CDs; it has also created recordings for Czech Radio, ABC Classic FM Sydney, Hessischer Rundfunk and the prestigious Czech label Supraphon. The Quartet was honoured to perform with possibly the most appreciated Czech instrumentalist, Josef Suk (grand-grandson of the composer Antonín Dvorák), besides other wonderful musicians. In 2014, the Quartet created a CD with the full work of the great Czech composer Luboš Sluka for the string quartet.