Jan Figura comes from a family of musicians. He studied flute at the Conservatory of Music in Zilina in the class of his father, Jan Figura Sr., and finished his studies in 1975.

As a student, his most eminent success was the honourable mention and title of laureate at the International Competition for Wind Instruments in Markneukirchen, Germany, in 1974.

He has been the first flautist and the chief of the wind section of the orchestra since the establishment of the ‘National Chamber Orchestra of Zilina’ in 1974. He has performed as a soloist at many concerts in Slovakia, and also in Belgium, Bulgaria, Great Britain, France, Austria, the U.S.A. and Japan. He was also soloist at The Bratislava music festival (1978, 1981), The Central European Festival of Concert Arts in Zilina (1993), the Haydn-Tage (1996) and Wienerfestwochen (1993, 1994) in Vienna, Le Festival de Bonaguil-Fumel, in France and elsewhere. He also performed with the German Philharmonic Orchestra Suhl, the Milano Chamber Orchestra, the South Bohemian Orchestra Ceske Budejovice, the Symphony Orchestra Podebrady, and the Capella Cracoviensis Poland.

As a soloist he has worked with such prominent conductors as Oliver von Dohnanyi, Leos Svarovsky, Vladimir Valek, Tsugio Maeda , Stanislaw Galonski, Ludovit Rajter and Tomas Koutnik. He has also performed in double concertos with Jiri Stivin, Alzbieta Gajewska and Jana Bouskova.

He is chief of the ensemble Armonia Slovacca and the Wind Quintet of the National Chamber Orchestra of Zilina. He has performed with the Armonia Slovacca in Germany, France, Italy, Austria and Japan.

Mr. Figura also performs in a duo with his wife, pianist Bibiana Figura. He teaches flute at the Zilina Conservatory of Music.

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