Matej Drlička

Matej Drlička

He graduated in clarinet playing at the Academy of Performing Arts. As an orchestral clarinet player, he has performed in prestigious European orchestras such as the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande in Geneva, the Paris Opera, the Orchestre National in Paris, the Orchestre du Capitole in Toulouse, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo, and for seven years he was a permanent member of the Orchestre de Cannes.
 
In 2005, due to an accident, he had to quit his career as a concert artist and started to work in music management. Since then, he has worked as a creative industry manager, dramaturg, producer and organiser of major cultural and social events.
 
In 2005 he founded the Viva Musica! the festival is currently the largest and most visited summer classical music festival in Slovakia.
 
In 2008, he accepted an offer from Columbia Artists Management International to serve as Project Manager for the Abu Dhabi Classics Festival in Abu Dhabi. In 2010 he made the most of his experience by founding his own art music company, Viva Musica! agency, which realises music productions and projects in Slovakia and abroad.
 
In 2017, he founded the VIVA EVENTS agency and started cooperation with IDAGIO, a global digital streaming platform for classical music. In 2019, he founded and led IXPO: The largest technology festival in Slovakia.
 
From January 2021 to November 2022, he was the General Director of the Slovak National Theatre. He has led the largest cultural institution in Slovakia again since May 2023.