Klára Veselá

 is a Czech accordionist, singer, composer, and accordion teacher.

“I love singing and playing the accordion. Giving concerts is my huge passion.”

She studied accordion and singing at Brno Conservatory and the Musicology at Masaryk University. Klára is mostly influenced by Moravian folk, Argentine tango, and by French chanson. She participated in many international and Czech accordion festivals, competitions and workshops led by international artists (Renzo Ruggieri (IT), Frédéric Deschamps (FR), Jytte von Rüden (DK), Rodolfo Mederos (ARG) and so on).

In the past, she has cooperated on concerts and CDs with many bands such as Cymbelín (CD Těba 2005), Tomáš Kočko and the orchestra (CD Těšínské niebo 2004, Poplór 2006, Velesu 2016), Cimbal Classic (CD Malý kousek nad zemí 2009, Betlém), also with a folk band Bezobratři. She has guested for a rock band Alband J. A. Kronka, also for an ensemble specialised in Argentine tango and Nuevo tango called Tango Quartetto Re. Campo. She has cooperated with several theatres in Brno: National Theatre Brno (operas Juliette, Slzy nože/Tears of a Knife, and a ballet Tango), Brno City Theatre (Cabaret, Betlehem) and Husa na provázku Theatre (Goose on a String Theatre, a play Veselka). She has performed with a French chanson singer Joel Bros (CD Avant de partir 2008, a single Vol vers Citadelle 2009), with Zdenek Merta and Zora Jandová (CD Fifty fifty 2008).  She has cooperated on concerts with Světlana Nálepková, Chantal Poulain, Marie Puttnerová, Vlaďka Krčková and a guitarist Adam Tvrdý, and with Diva Baara (CD Debut 2017). Also, she has cooperated with a pianist Zdeněk Král and a mandolin player Martin Krajíček on performing with a string quartet called Indigo Quartet.

Hudba:

In 2012 she released her first CD Vlnohraní (Cimbal Classic) in which we cand find not only accordion songs, but also the first chansons composed by Klára. In 2017 she started to cooperate with a guitarist Luciano Mayaci when she composed her first own album called Hrát a zpívat (Playing and Singing). In 2019 she released with Klára Veselá’s trio her author’s CD Delicia. She has cooperated on a digital EP Hladina (2020) with a legend of a Czech folk music Karel Macálka.

Also, she has cooperated with an accordionist and composer Renzo Ruggieri on a single Qui ed ora (2021), and she is preparing a new CD and videoclips called Tady a teď (Here and now, 2021) on which she cooperates with Luciano Mayaci.

Pedagogika:

She has worked at several music schools in Brno and in the surroundings. Over ten last years, she has taught tens of accordionists at the age of 5 to 18. Also, she has led several accordion courses and seminars for adults for which she created an e-book Manuál pro akordeonisty (Handbook for Accordionists). She has used her experiences from the practice during composing her accordion songs inspired by her students.

In 2018 Klára released a cycle of 17 songs for accordion called Veselý akordeon (Happy Accordion) which she dedicated to her students. Also, she wrote a workbook for teaching the accordion playing which contains the basic information from the theory of music for the smallest children called Veselý akordeon dětem (Happy Accordion for Children, 2019). At the turn of 2020 and 2021 she created for accordionists a video school which is totally unique and where the accordionists can find not only a score of the song but also the instructions how to play it. These video schools were released: Koledy pro akordeon (Carols for Accordion, 2020), Lidové písně 1 (Folk Songs 1, 2020) and a cycle of 12 basic études called Akordeonový rok (Accordion Year, 2021).

Musical cooperation:

Theatre: 

• Bethlehem, Brno City Theater. 
• Cabaret, Brno City Theater. 
• Veselka, Husa na provázku Theater (Goose on a String Theater)
•  Juliette, opera of the National Theater Brno. 
• Slzy nože (Tears of a Knife), opera of the National Theater Brno. 
• Tango, ballet of the Brno National Theater. 

Courses: 

• Jazz Accordion with the Italian jazzman Renzo Ruggieri (Val Tidone summer camp 2008) 
• Interpretation of the Argentine tango with the Argentine bandoneonist Rodolfo Mederos (2009) 
• New Accordion Technique with the French accordionist Frédéric Deschamps (2009) 
• Accordion seminar with the Danish accordionist Jytte von Rüden (2010) 
• Accordion and Jazz – Renzo Ruggieri‘s Seminar (2011) 
• Button Accordion – Jan Meisl’s seminar (2016) 
• Accordion methodology – Jana Halačová’s seminar (2016)

Competitions:

• – 1^st. place at the central round of nationwide accordion competition of Czech music schools (1999)
• – 1^st. place at the central round of nationwide accordion competition and a title of absolute winner at the 1^st. category (2002), 
• – Certificate of merit at the international accordion competition Coupe Jenuesse (2003, SK)
  – 4 ^th. place at the international accordion competition Coupe Jenuesse (2004, SK)
• – 7 ^th. place at the international accordion competition C.M.A (2004, France)
• – 3 ^rd. place at the international accordion competition in Poprad (2005, SK)