Karel Plíhal

Karel Pl├¡hal (born August 23, 1958 in P┼[]erov) is a Czech folk and jazz musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. He graduated from the Industrial College of Engineering and then worked as a designer and boilerman in the Olomouc theatre, finally becoming a singer (even though he had no formal musical education). He has played the guitar since he was 15 year old. First, he played in various underground country-swing bands in Olomouc: Hu─ìka, Fale┼ín├¡ hr├í─ìi and Pl├¡harmonyje. He produced his first solo album in 1983. Between 1985 and 1993, Pl├¡hal worked with Emil Posp├¡┼íil, and from 1995 to 1999 he produced music with Petr Freund. He has also won four Porta folk music awards as of 2006. His 2005 album Karel Pl├¡hal in Olomouc was recorded in his home town in Moravia in a 2004 concert. Pl├¡hal has composed music for numerous productions at the Moravian Theatre in Olomouc, among others Zlatovl├íska, Sluha dvou p├ín┼», Utrpen├¡ Dona Perlimpl├¡na, Manon Lescaut, Cyrano, Zimn├¡ poh├ídka, Pa┼íije and Girofl├®-Girofl├í. He has set music to a few of Josef Kainar's poems, and he has directed recording for albums by artists such as Jarek Nohavica, Petr Fiala, Eben brothers and Bokomara band.