Vaclav Zitek

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Václav Zítek (24 March 1932 – 20 December 2011) was a Czech opera singer. A lyric baritone with a beautiful timbre and a wide vocal range, he was one of the leading Czech singers of the postwar generation. He particularly excelled in portraying Janáček and Smetana heroes. His voice is preserved on numerous opera recordings made with the Supraphon record label. Born in Tisá, Zítek studied singing privately with E. Matoušková, M. Linka, D. Levytský, and Zdeněk Otava. Between 1955-1959 he worked on the staff at the National Theatre in Prague and sang in some smaller roles. In 1959-1960 he worked as a principal artist at the Zdeněk Nejedlý Theatre in Ostrava. He then was a leading baritone at the opera house in Ústí nad Labem from l960-1969. While there he also appeared occasionally as a guest artist at the Prague National Theatre. He eventually left Ústí nad Labem for that house, singing as a leading baritone at the National Theatre from 1969 through 1991. Among Zítek's signature roles are several parts in operas by Bedřich Smetana, including Kalina in The Secret, Tomeš in The Kiss, Vladislav in Dalibor, Lord Vok in The Devil's Wall, and Přemysl in Libuše; the latter of which he sang for the reopening of the Prague National Theater in 1983. He is also known for the role of Prince Vasilij Šujský in Antonín Dvořák's Dimitrij and for several Janáček heroes, including Stárek in Jenůfa, Forester in The Cunning Little Vixen, and Baron Jaroslav Prus in The Makropulos Affair. His reco

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