Milan Křížek
Milan Křížek (; 9 March 1926, Lišov – 15 February 2018, České Budějovice) was a Czech composer, music teacher and viola player. Life. After graduating from the secondary grammar school in Tábor (1937–45), he studied musicology, music education and history at the Faculty of Arts of Charles University in Prague (1946–51). He privately studied composition under Jaroslav Řídký (1946–50). In 1959 he passed the state examination in violin. Křížek became Doctor of Philosophy at Palacký University, Olomouc, 1971: his postgraduate research was undertaken externally at the Institute of Musicology of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences (1966-1972; awarded Candidate of  Sciences in 1975). After finishing his university studies, he taught music education at the Pedagogical Grammar School in Znojmo (1950-1951). On his return from compulsory military service he moved to České Budějovice, where he started to teach at the Music School (1953–56), then at the Pedagogical School (1956–58). He also helped to popularise music generally. In 1959 he became assistant professor at the Department of Music of the Faculty of Education. In 1991 the faculty became one of the founding constituent parts of the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice. He continued working in the Department of Music  until his retirement in 1986. After the political changes of 1989 he was appointed associated professor (1990). During 1990-2001, Křížek taught the theory of music and composition at the Conservatoire in České Budějovice. Until 1992 he was also employed as violist in the Opera Orchestra of the South Bohemian Theatre, in the South Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and in several other chamber ensembles. His compositions have their roots in neoclassicism. His later works explore new compositional techniques. His works incline to the synthesis of the means of modern musical language. The South Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra performed the premiers of  Variations on a theme of Alban Berg (1985), "Concerto for orchestra" (1988), "Concerto for 14 string instruments" (1998) and other works. A selection of his works has often been included in the Days of Contemporary Music in Prague: "Sonata for viola solo" (1996), "Sonatina danzante for flute and clarinet" (2000), "Seven sequences for clarinet and percussions" (2002), "Capriccia for soprano, flute, viola and percussion on verses of Konstantin Biebl" (2005), "Largo desolato for violin, viola and violoncello" (2010) and "Collage IV for 3 violoncellos" (2012). His music scores are deposited in the archives of the Czech Music Fund, at the  Museum of South Bohemia, in the archives of the South Czech Philharmonic and at the Conservatoire in České Budějovice. Selected works. Literary works. Book Other