Tomas Hurnik

Tomas Hurnik was born in Ostrava, Czech Republic. He received his masters at the academy of Music in Prague.

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While studying, Tomas was an active performer, playing and recording as a soloist with various orchestras and as a member of chamber groups for Czech radio and concerts both in Czech and abroad (Germany, Austria, Japan and France).

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In 1998 he was hired as the principal cellist for the Malaysian Philharmonic in Kuala Lumpur with which he played for four years. He then returned to Europe to study Baroque cello in Frankfurt with Rainer Zipperling. He has performed with an array of period instrument groups such as Musica Florea, Capella Regia Prague and Solamente Naturali with which he toured around Europe.

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He continues to be passionate about Baroque period instrument playing. He actively organizes and performs in concerts, workshops and master classes across New Zealand with a trust he helped establish; The Baroque Music Community and Educational Trust of New Zealand.       

 

Concerts include South Island concert tour in 2010 with Edita Keglerova (harpsichord), concert tour in 2011 playing solo Bach, concert tour in 2013 – “Music for a While” with D. Mews, P. Becker, Sh. Wilkinson and J. Le Cocq, concerts with ensemble Baroque Brilliance, concert tour in 2015 Trio Sonatas and workshop with two European renowned musicians Szabolcs Illes from Hungary and Edita Keglerova from Czech Republic. Recent South Island concert tours include 2019 "Bach Oboe d'amore" with guest artist Brandon Labadie from USA and 2020 with the newly named ensemble,  Southern Baroque Ensemble, featuring Edita Keglerova from Czech Republic on solo harpsichord and Szabolcs Illes on violin. Covid times made concerts more difficult to put on, so instead of bringing musicians from overseas, through the Baroque Community and Educational Trust of New Zealand, Tomas turned to working with New Zealand emerging artists and featured Rakuto Kurano's own Baroque composition performed by New Zealand young artists in a very well received and successful concert tour in 2021.The most recent tour, Baroque Arias 2024, featured Pepe Becker and the Southern Baroque Ensemble.

 

Through the trust, Tomas cooperates with The Champion Centre (a charity for disabled children) giving concerts for children (infants to age 8). Responses have been overwhelming; parents reported children dancing for the first time, crawling for the first time and even sleeping better after hearing the music.