Iva Kenaz

Iva Bittová (born 22 July 1958) is a Czech avant-garde violinist, singer and composer. She began her career as an actress in the mid-1970s, appearing in several Czech feature films, but switched to playing violin and singing in the early 1980s. She started recording in 1986 and by 1990 her unique vocal and instrumental technique gained her international recognition. Since then, she has performed regularly throughout Europe, the United States and Japan, and has released over eight solo albums.

Singer and violinist Iva Bittová is one of the few artists from the Czech Republic to enjoy an international career. Her irresistible charm, original use of voice, and fondness of melodies that sit on the border of avant-garde and playground nursery rhymes won her devoted fans around the world, although the core of her audience resides in Eastern Europe.

Neither the Škampa Quartet, who have established a firm position among the world’s finest chamber ensembles, nor the phenomenal musician Iva Bittová needs any introduction. Both names relate to several groundbreaking projects (including a singular conception of Janáček’s Moravian Folk Poetry in Songs, Supraphon SU37942). The genre-genre-bending Škampa Quartet invited Iva Bittová to participate as a composer in their new project. Yet the majority of the pieces have been written by Pavel Fischer, formerly the ensemble’s first violin, whose Moravian musical roots and years with the Škampa Quartet have resulted in remarkable accomplishments.