Vadim Petrov
(*1932), Czech Republic
Lifetime achievements
Czech musical composer, pianist and music teacher Vadim Petrov was introduced to music as a young child. He started to learn the violin at the age of six, later adding piano and organ. After completing secondary school, where he sang and later also directed the school choir, he studied composition and piano at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. After graduating he became the head of the People’s Entertainment department at the Prague Municipal House of Culture, where he also founded the People’s Conservatory (now Jaroslav Ježek Conservatory) in 1958. In 1976–1992 he also taught com position and music theory at the Prague Conservatory. Vadim Petrov’s extensive oeuvre of nearly 1,400 titles includes the music for cartoons, theatre, television and radio productions, and children’s films. He wrote the scores for the Adventures of Little Mole, the Legends of Krakonoš, and Spejbl and Hurvínek. His acclaim has extended beyond the borders of the Czech Republic, and he has received international awards in Japan, Canada, Bulgaria, Spain and Germany.
