Thursday, June 18, 2026, 7:00 PM

The BONIFANTES Boys Choir
was founded in the year 1999 and has won a place among the cream of the choir ensembles in the Czech Republic in its short life. Talented boys from the age of 4 to 20 years of age work in seven departments of the singing school known as “BONIFANTES School of Arts” with capacity of 350 students. All the singers have solo voice training lessons and many of them play musical instruments. Almost 100 boys visit the concert department alone and the choir takes part in up to 100 concerts and performances each year. Among the successes achieved so far are a number of concert tours (Germany, Great Britain, France, Austria, Belgium, Holland, Spain, Italy, Denmark, Slovenia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovakia and USA) and performances in operas (e.g. Georges Bizet – Carmen, Giacomo Puccini – Tosca, Gioacchino Rossini – Il barbiere di Siviglia) and movies (Napoleon). The choir performs in harmony with many Czech orchestras on an annual basis (e.g. Jan Jirásek – Kouzlo českých Vánoc, Andrew Lloyd Webber – Requiem, Vladimír Wimmer – Apel svědomí, Luigi Cherubini – Missa solemnis, Carl Orff – Carmina Burana, Dmitrij Shostakovich – The Symphony No. 13 „Babij Jar“, Leonard Bernstein – Kaddish). Over the past years of its activity, the choir has taken part in many international competitions at which it has been awarded with dozens of gold medals, several titles of competition prize-winner, and a prizes for outstanding conducting performance for the choirmaster. Between most distinguished successes belong 1st prize “CUM LAUDE” at the European Choir Festival in Neerpelt and the title of overall winner at the Festival of Song 2004 in Olomouc ahead of another 159 competitors. The choir is regularly welcome by prestigious international festivals, including “Smetanova Litomyšl” and „Prague Spring“. Among large range of recordings made by the choir is the world premieres with the Chamber Philharmonic Pardubice (e.g. Luigi Cherubini – Messa Solenne Breve in B-flat Major, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Missa Solemnis in C, Jan Jirásek – Kouzlo českých Vánoc). Artistic guidance is provided to the BONIFANTES Boy Choir by its founder, Mr. Jan Míšek. In 2013 the BONIFANTES made their debut in Asia by performing Gustav Mahler‘s 8th „Symphony of a Thousand“ and a range of individual concerts. Next year the choir made 47 concerts in USA and Canada during the 35 days long trip. In 2016 the BONIFANTES sung for Pope Francis and performed at two concerts with the legendary tenor maestro José Carreras. In 2017 BONIFANTES performed first time in Japan.

Jan Míšek
(born December 4, 1976 in Hradec Králové) is a Czech conductor, choirmaster, teacher, composer, and cultural manager. He is the founder, artistic director, and conductor of the internationally acclaimed BONIFANTES Boys' Choir based in Pardubice. He gained his first musical and choirmaster experience from childhood in the renowned Boni pueri ensemble. He studied conducting at the Pardubice Conservatory under the supervision of Professor Vlastislav Novák. He expanded his knowledge of conducting vocal ensembles at numerous international master classes led by such authorities as Robert Sund and Gábor Hollerung. He also graduated from the prestigious Bachakademie Stuttgart under the supervision of Professor Helmuth Rilling. As early as the 1990s, he successfully led several choral ensembles in Hradec Králové, including: The Men's Choir and the Kantiléna Chamber Choir. In 1999, Jan Míšek founded the BONIFANTES Boys' Choir in Pardubice. Thanks to his unique recruitment method and intensive pedagogical work, he built an ensemble that quickly became one of Europe's leading performing artists. Under his direction, the choir has won dozens of gold medals at prestigious international competitions and has embarked on numerous international tours, performing in countries including the United States, Canada, Japan, and many European countries. In 2010, to provide choristers with a comprehensive education, he founded a private primary artistic school, the BONIFANTES School of Music, where he continues to serve as director. As a composer, Jan Míšek focuses primarily on choral and vocal-instrumental literature. His oeuvre includes cantatas (including "Inter arma silent musae" and "Holčička se sirkami"), sacred works, and arrangements of folk songs. For his work, he received, among other awards, a distinction at the Joseph Dorfman International Composition Competition. Míšek is also a key figure in the choral community in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, as the originator, founder, and editor-in-chief of the industry news portals SBOR.CZ (Czech Choral Database) and ZBOR.SK. These portals constitute the largest and most important integration platforms for the local choral movements.