Assistant Conductor / Language Coach

Lada Valešová

Rusalka

Biography

Czech-British conductor Lada Valešová integrates an extensive background as a music director, pianist, and a vocal and language coach, into her burgeoning conducting career. This is her first production with Irish National Opera. Renowned for her expertise in Slavic repertoire, she won an Off West End Award for her production of Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen with Hampstead Garden Opera. Her recent seasons include high-profile appointments at the Royal Ballet & Opera, assisting Jakub Hrůša on Janáček’s Jenůfa and The Makropulos Case, and Karina Canellakis at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam on Janáček’s From the House of the Dead. Other notable credits include Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin at Opera Holland Park, Smetana’s Two Widows for Birmingham Opera Company, the UK premiere of Ana Sokolović’s Svadba at Waterperry Opera Festival and a Martinů Double bill at the Royal Academy of Music. A champion of neglected composers, Valešová’s discography has earned critical distinction; her album Fata Morgana with music by Pavel Haas received a BBC Music Magazine Award nomination, and Arion: Voyage of the Slavic Soul with soprano Natalya Romaniw was named Sunday Times Best Album of 2020. Before her transition to the podium, her coaching credits spanned major UK and international houses, including Teatro Real, Dutch National Opera, and the Royal Swedish Opera. An alumna of the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Women Conductors programme, she remains dedicated to education, teaching at the Guildhall School and the Royal Academy of Music in London. Upcoming engagements include collaborating with the Bamberg Symphony as an assistant to Jakub Hrůša and conducting Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia at the Royal Academy of Music directed by Paul Carr.

March 2026