Jaroslav Svěcený might not be a name a lot of Americans know, but in his native Czech Republic, he's kind of a big deal.
He's a nationally-recognized violinist with 44 CDs to his credit and the first Czech violinist ever signed to Sony's classical label.
And Thursday, he's performing in Las Vegas.
Svěcený gives two concerts Thursday at the Winchester Cultural Center with pianist Vaclav Macha - one at 2 p.m. and the other at 7 p.m.
He told KNPR's State of Nevada his music career started at the age of 5. His grandfather was a violinist and composer.
Svěcený's solo career began at age 22, after studying in a master class under Nathan Milstein.
Svěcený credits his teachers for his choice to pursue classical music professionally. He says a quality music education and quality teachers are paramount to a successful music career.
Paganini was one of Milstein's favorite composers, and he passed that love on to his student, as is evidenced by his self-written performance piece "Paganiniada." Svěcený played "Paganiniada" in the KNPR studio.
In addition to performance and composing, Svěcený is also a music historian. His concert project, "Violino," showcases violins from creators of the 17 th through 21 st centuries.
And we would be remiss if we left out the fact that Svěcený is also a colleague in the field of radio. As a big proponent of classical radio to introduce young people to the genre, he hosted a weekly classical music program in the Czech Republic, Night Mikroforum by Czech Radio Dvojka.
Jaroslav Svěcený, violinist/composer