Libor Pešek
Libor Pešek KBEh (22 June 1933 – 23 October 2022) was a Czech conductor. He was among the most famous conductors of his time, working regularly across Europe as chief conductor of orchestras in Prague, but also for ten years with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. His career spanned more than 70 years during which he won awards from Great Britain and others.
Also recorded as Libor Pesek
Libor Pešek

che (Please credit as "Petr Novák, Wikipedia" in case you use this outside Wikimedia projects.) · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Name
- Libor Pešek
- Born
- 22 June 1933
- Birthplace
- Prague, Czechoslovakia
- Died
- 23 October 2022
- Place of death
- Prague, Czech Republic
- Occupation
- Conductor
- Awards
- Czech Medal of Merit
- Nationality
- Czech Republic.
- Fields
- music and conducting.
- Education
- Academy of Performing Arts.
- Teachers
- Václav Smetáček and Karel Ančerl.
- Honours
- Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, Czech Medal of Merit, 1st class, honorary citizen of Prague, honorary citizen of Litomyšl and honorary citizen of Pardubice.
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Libor Pešek. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
World of VALÉORINE
Documentary connections
Only confirmed graph relationships appear here. Images are shown only when their identity and reuse rights both pass the documentary gate.
Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q930809 · wikipedia · Libor Pešek
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
The documentary record
Statements marked “Documentary record” are set in the article beside the passage they confirm. Each is read from the authority records of the institutions named here; select “Prove” to see the record it was read from, where in that record, and when.
Institutions cited
Bibliothèque nationale de France · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Complete reading chain (JSON)In this article
Biography
Biography
He conducted Czech music by composers such as Vítězslav Novák, Josef Suk and Pavel Josef Vejvanovský better known by performances and recordings.
Libor Pešek studied at Academy of Performing Arts. Training under Václav Smetáček and Karel Ančerl is recorded. The recorded working language is Czech, Slovak and English. The field of work recorded is music and conducting. Places of work recorded in the authority are Liverpool. Distinctions recorded are Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, Czech Medal of Merit, 1st class, honorary citizen of Prague and honorary citizen of Litomyšl.
Documentary record
Libor Pešek was born in Prague, Czech Republic, according to the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek and the Bibliothèque nationale de France. The death is recorded by the Bibliothèque nationale de France and the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Libor Pešek • Honorific Suffix — KBE • Born — 22 June 1933 • Birthplace — Prague, Czechoslovakia • Died — 23 October 2022 • Place of death — Prague, Czech Republic • Occupation — Conductor • Organizations — * Czech National Symphony Orchestra • Royal Liverpool Philharmonic • Awards — Czech Medal of Merit
Documentary record
Libor Pešek was a conductor and musician, born on 22 June 1933 and died on 23 October 2022 in Prague, Czech Republic.
Life and career
Life and career
Pešek was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia, on 22 June 1933. He attended a grammar school, where he established his own jazz band. He then studied conducting, piano, cello and trombone at the Academy of Musical Arts, with Václav Smetáček and Karel Ančerl among his teachers. Pešek worked at the Plzeň Opera and the Prague National Opera. From 1958 to 1964, he was the director of Prague Chamber Harmony, which he founded. In the seventies, he directed orchestras in Leeuwarden and Enschede, Netherlands. He also formed the Sebastian Orchestra. Pešek was chief conductor of the Slovak Philharmonic from 1981 to 1982, and from 1982 to 1990 was conductor-in-residence of the Czech Philharmonic. He served as the conductor at the inauguration of Václav Havel in December 1989. In the UK, Pešek was music director of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic (RLPO) from 1987 to 1998, and held the title of conductor laureate then, which included an annual concert. His work with the RLPO included leading the premiere of Anthony Powers' Horn Concerto, with Michael Thompson as the soloist. He led the orchestra in 1993 to open the Prague Spring festival, the first foreign orchestra to be invited. He also took the group on its first tour of the United States. During his time with the RLPO, it was dubbed "the best Czech orchestra outside Prague". Beginning in 2007, Pešek was the chief conductor of the Czech National Symphony Orchestra. He stood down from this position at the close of the 2018–2019 season. Pešek was best known for his interpretations of Czech music. He was a champion of lesser known Czech composers, particularly Josef Suk and Vítězslav Novák. His recordings included music of Pavel Josef Vejvanovský. On 23 October 2022, Jan Hasenöhrl, a Czech trumpeter, announced Pesek´s death, Pesek was 89.
Documentary record
Place of activity recorded by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek: Liverpool.
Identity
Identity
Libor Pešek is recorded with the occupation répétiteur. Recorded with the occupation trombonist. Recorded with the occupation conductor. Recorded with the occupation musician. Recorded as conductor, musician, trombonist and répétiteur.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1933
Libor Pešek was born on 22 June 1933.
2022
Libor Pešek died on 23 October 2022.
Primary material
Documents and archives
scholarly publication
- Pešek, Libor, Oxford Music Online, 2001
Scholarly · Crossref registry · 2001
reference work
- “Libor Pešek”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q930809: Libor Pešek
General reference · Wikidata
Awards and honours
Pešek was appointed an Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in 1996, on the occasion of Queen Elizabeth II's state visit to Prague. He was conferred the First Grade of the Czech Medal of Merit by Václav Havel one year later. In recognition of him selling 635,000 records, Pešek was given a diamond record by Supraphon in 2013.
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Libor Pešek, revision 1354453409 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
scholarly publication
Pešek, Libor, Oxford Music Online, 2001Crossref registry
Institutional witnessreference work
Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
Further particulars
Held on the record
Further particulars
Open the remaining particulars
The authorities additionally record the heading Libor Pesek. His recorded languages were Czech, Slovak and English. Other recorded relations include Jiří Macháček. Pešek received Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, Czech Medal of Merit, 1st class, honorary citizen of Prague, honorary citizen of Litomyšl and honorary citizen of Pardubice.
Identity and origins
Recognition and collections
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Music memorabilia
44,023 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Liberato Firmino SifoniaPerson
- Liberty DeVittoPerson
- Liberty GroovesOrganisation
- Liberty RecordsOrganisation
- Libuše DomanínskáPerson
- Libuše MárováPerson
- Licco AmarPerson
- Licia AlbanesePerson
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own a work by Libor Pešek?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.