A self-described “Slavic cosmopolitan”, Lada Valešová was born in the Czech Republic to a Russian mother and a Czech father. She began her musical training at the age of six in Moscow, continuing her studies at Prague Music Academy, the Prague Music Conservatoire, and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, where she is now based. Acclaimed for her work as Music Director and Pianist in Ivo van Hove’s production of Janácek’s Diary of One Who Disappeared (2018-), she now balances a portfolio career as pianist, conductor and vocal and language coach.

Valešová’s musical interests reflect her dual heritage. As conductor and assistant conductor to Sian Edwards (Iolanta, Opera Holland Park 2019), she has focused on the operas of Tchaikovsky. In 2020 she will be conducting the Opera Holland Park Young Artists performances of Eugene Onegin and John Ramster’s production of Eugene Onegin at Opera West Green House. In the 2020/21 season she will be working with Scottish Opera as an assistant conductor. As pianist, chamber musician and recording artist, she has curated programmes focusing on the music of Pavel Haas ( CD Fata Morgana nominated for the BBC Music Magazine Award ), exploring the history of the Dumka in works by Balakirev, Dvořák, Liszt, Lysenko, Martinů and Josef Suk, and surveying twentieth century Czech repertoire for solo piano. New releases include Arion: The Voyage of the Slavic Song with soprano Natalya Romaniw.

As vocal and language coach, Valešová has worked for the Royal Opera, London, Kungliga Operan, Stockholm, Staatsoper Hamburg, Norwegian National Opera, Oslo, New Zealand Opera, Scottish Opera, Opera Holland Park, Garsington Opera and Glyndebourne Festival Opera. Recent and forthcoming engagements in this role include working with Vladimir Jurowski on Claus Guth’s new production of Jenůfa at the Royal Opera, London, and with Ivor Bolton on Christof Loy’s production of Rusalka at the Teatro Real, Madrid. Her conducting training began after years of working closely in opera and participating in masterclasses in London and Moscow, and has been overseen and supported by Sian Edwards, Vladimir Ponkin and Miriam Němcová. She has also undertaken a year of Continued Professional Development at the Royal Northern College of Music, working with Mark Heron and Clark Rundell in the RNCM Conducting Department.