Biography:

Alena Veselá, married Štěpánková, (7 July 1923 – 11 May 2025) was a Czech organist and music teacher.[1]

Career

In 1951, Veselá studied organ at the Faculty of Music of the Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts (JAMU) in Brno.[2] From 1952, she worked for almost fifty years at the Academy (where she was the head of the Department of Keyboard Instruments from 1986 to 1990 and rector from 1990 to 1997) – notable pupils taught by Veselá include Věra Heřmanová, Kamila Klugarová, Petr Kolař, Zdeněk Nováček, and David Postránecký.[3]

She was the chairwoman of the Association for the Construction of a Concert Hall in Brno and participated in the organization of the Brno International Music Festival. She played a significant role in completing the reconstruction of the Besední dům in Brno.

She gave concerts in Czechoslovakia and abroad, including the USA. She managed to discover organ compositions by old Czech composers in European archives.[4]

Veselá died on 11 May 2025.[5]

Credits: