Karel Havlíček

Karel Havlíček is a Czech composer and multi-instrumentalist, and one of the most sought-after Czech authors of film and stage music. He has written music for HBO series (In Treatment, Mamon), for films (Brothers – nominated for the Czech Lion, Silent Secrets, Ghoul, Lion Ark, Carpe Noctem), and for a number of trailers, including HBO’s miniseries Penguin (starring Colin Farrell) and the documentary Brothers after War, produced by Gary Sinise. His compositions have also featured in commercials and television idents for Czech Television (Události, ČT24), as well as for Nova TV and Prima TV. Before his solo career, he performed and composed with the band Southpaw. After several years in Los Angeles, he now works from his Prague-based studio Kabelovna. His debut album Spoken (2020) is a personal statement expressed through piano and full orchestra, which he presented live with the symphonic orchestra Stro.my Ensemble at the Faculty of Law foyer and at Prague’s O2 Universum. In 2024 he released the unique project Pregnancy Music, created for expectant mothers. Spanning over 40 minutes, it offers ambient and orchestral textures designed to evoke calm, safety and meditative harmony. In 2025 he followed with the double album It’s Never Late To See The Light, which remains faithful to his cinematic style – blending orchestral grandeur with delicate piano playing and sensitively layered electronics. At a time when classical music in the Czech Republic is still largely associated with orchestras and canonical repertoire, Havlíček represents a different direction: modern, film-inspired composition that draws on classical forms while embracing electronics, ambient soundscapes and original albums. Much like internationally acclaimed artists such as Max Richter, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Hildur Guðnadóttir or Ólafur Arnalds, Havlíček combines compositional depth with immediacy and emotion, opening up “new classical” music to audiences who might not otherwise encounter it. Karel Havlíček is also an ambassador for the Czech piano maker Petrof. Together with his brother Maxim, he introduced the upright piano model Petrof Gemini.

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