Patricia Burda Janečková (18 June 1998 – 1 October 2023) was a Slovak coloratura soprano. At the age of 12, she was the winner of the Czech–Slovak television show Talentmania [cs] in November 2010[2] and gained international recognition through the broadcasting of CNN television shortly after winning.[3][4]
Early life
Janečková was born in Münchberg to Slovak parents Martin Janeček, double bassist and Zuzana Janečková who used to play the violin.[5] Shortly after, her family moved to Ostrava in the Czech Republic.[6][7] She started singing at four years old.[5] After graduating from primary school, she began studying voice at the Janáček Conservatory in Ostrava [cs].[5]
Professional career
Rossini: Petite messe solennelle, Crucifixus
Janečková first performed publicly at the Antonín Dvořák Theatre, accompanied by the Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra.[5] Subsequent to this, she went on to win the Talentmania competition in 2010, at age 12, having received over 1 million votes.[8][9]
In 2014, she won the international singing competition at the Concorso Internazionale di Musica Sacra in Rome.[5][10]
Janečková was noted for her passionate and emotive performances, and is known for receiving a standing ovation while performing Ennio Morricone's theme song from Once Upon a Time in the West at the Rudolfinum in Prague.[9] She continued to perform in public while studying privately with Czech soprano Eva Dřízgová-Jirušová [cs].[11]
In 2017, she performed the role of Galatea in Handel's Acis and Galatea with Collegium Marianum as part of the Janáček Music Festival.[12]
Janečková released her self-titled début album in 2011, at age 13.[5] She went on to collaborate with Czech oboist Vilém Veverka on a Christmas album in 2022.[5]
Personal life
Janečková married actor Vlastimil Burda in June 2023.[13]
Cancer diagnosis and death
On 10 February 2022, Janečková announced on her Instagram page that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and would take a career hiatus for an undetermined length of time.[14][15] A fundraising concert was hosted in January 2023 by Radio Čas [cs] to support her treatment, featuring the well-known artists Čechomor, Martina and Lukáš Vlček [cs], Hana Fialová [cs] and Tomáš Krpec.[16] Janečková returned to stage, 15 December 2022, performing the role of Esmerelda in the comic opera The Bartered Bride. Despite early signs of a successful treatment, Janečková died from the illness on 1 October 2023. She was 25. She is buried in Ondrejský Cemetery in Bratislava. [16][11]
