Josef is the studio and orchestra owner and managing director of both.

His professional journey began by following his family’s musical tradition. He studied violin at the Prague Conservatoire and, already during his student years, found his professional home at Smecky Music Studios. As an orchestral violinist, he gained first-hand experience of studio work, musicianship, and the discipline required for high-level recording sessions.

Right after the Velvet Revolution in 1989, Josef partnered up with one of the first international studio clients to arrive in Prague that time, the world-renowned Czech-Canadian composer Milan Kymlička. Through this long-term partnership Josef gained invaluable expertise in orchestra contracting, international film music production, and the practical realities of running large-scale recording projects.

This combination of hands-on orchestral experience and real-world studio knowledge prepared Josef for the next step – in 2006, he became the owner of the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, and in 2012, he acquired Smecky Music Studios. Since then, Josef has continuously invested in the studio’s technical excellence and expansion of the facilities to meet the demands of top-tier international productions.

Thanks to his lifelong connection with orchestral music and his close ties to the local musical community, Josef consistently brings together some of the finest players in the Czech Republic for both studio recordings and concert performances.

Today, his role focuses primarily on high-level strategic, financial, and operational leadership, successfully bridging the gap between artistic vision and business execution while maintaining the studio’s reputation for excellence in orchestral music recording.

Magdalena is your contact number one - from organizing recording sessions at Smecky Music Studios, concert projects with the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra to any other additonal services such as orchestration, copying, session video shootings and simply all that you might need when planning your session or concert project with us.

She coordinates the scheduling, logistics and business aspects for the studio recordings and concerts, acting as crucial liaison between our clients and sound engineers, conductors, orchestrators and orchestra ensemble, ensuring a seamless experience for clients.

Due to Magdalena’s whole life experience in international business and relevant studies in US, Switzerland and Australia, she has a full understanding of what it takes to meet the high standards of our clients from all around the world.

Leigh is an experienced producer, composer and orchestrator. As our on-site session supervisor, his role involves overseeing the recording process, providing ongoing consultation to clients and conductors to share insights, and ensuring the highest possible quality for their recordings. Furthermore, Leigh also helps maintain the pace of session progression and offers general guidance to our clients throughout the recording process. During remote sessions, Leigh runs the Source Live chat; communicates directly with our remote clients and the conductor. Leigh will also help you estimate the required recording session time based on the provided sheet music, if necessary.

Leigh has spent more than two decades collaborating with an eclectic mix of composers, ensembles, and international film-music festivals. His clients range from names like John Ottman, Hesham Nazih, and Laurence Rosenthal to genre icons such as Vince DiCola and Brad Fiedel.

A passionate advocate for classic film-music, he has reconstructed complete scores by legendary composers such as Jerry Goldsmith, Miklos Rozsa, Maurice Jarre, and John Barry.

In recognition of his film-music work, he received a Jerry Goldsmith Award in 2006 and was honoured with the IFMCA Special Award in 2014 for his reconstruction of Goldsmith’s score for “The Salamander” and IFMCA “Best New Recording of an Exisitng Film Score” award in 2025 for Goldsmith’s “The Chairman”.

Jan is our master of sound for past 40 years, his awards (all recorded at Smecky Music Studios with our City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra) speak for themselves:

2014 - Latin Grammy –winner – Best Tango Album – Rubén Blades – Tangos album

2014 - Latin Grammy – nominee - Album of the Year – Rubén Blades – Tangos album

2016 – Latin Grammy – nominee – Album of the Year - Andrés Cepeda - Mil Ciudades album

2017 – Grammy – winner - Album of the Year – Adele – 25 album

2018 – Latin Grammy Awards – winner - Best Classical Album - Claudia Montero - Mágica y Misteriosa album

2019 – Grammy – winner - Best Latin Pop Album – Alejandro Sanz - #Eldisco album

2019 – Latin Grammy – nominee – Best Engineered Album - Ricardo Montaner – Montaner album

As a recording engineer, Vítek ensures the sound quality, oversees technical execution and manages overall recording environment for the studio clients. Prior to the recordings, Vítek
works with clients on preparation and review of the ProTools sessions, ensures that all technical requirements are met and that studio setup and tuning fully correspond to the client's needs. Should the session be held remotely, Vitek provides comprehensive technical guidance and connection details to ensure a seamless and dependable workflow.

Vitek joined Smecky Music Studios in 2000 while still in high school and continued working there as a sound assistant during his university studies. Through long-term collaboration on international projects and under the guidance of senior engineers, he gradually advanced to the role of a senior studio sound engineer.

He specialises in recording music for television, film and games, with more than two hundred credits on his IMDb profile. His experience includes recording symphony orchestras, chamber ensembles, and work on radio and television broadcasts. Since 2020, he has been freelancing, which allows him to work on multiple high-profile projects while continuing his close and regular cooperation with Smecky Music Studios.

Jakub is appreciated by our clients for his high-tech approach and fast problem-solving attitude. With careful attention to technical precision, signal flow, and troubleshooting, Jakub ensures that no time is lost during demanding and costly orchestral recording sessions, delivering flawless and well-organized digital recordings.

Jakub is a graduate of Sound Design for Film and TV at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava, Slovakia. His deep interest in orchestral music quickly led him to hands-on experience recording classical repertoire at the Slovak Philharmonic, followed by work at the Slovak Radio, where he entered the world of orchestral film recording. During his studies, Jakub joined Smecky Music Studios as an intern and continues to work with us today as an integral member of the recording team.

Stanislava is the right-hand person for our international conductors, assisting them directly in the live room as they communicate with the orchestra during recording sessions. She ensures that every comment from the conductor is communicated clearly to the musicians down to the smallest nuance and performance details. Stanislava is fluent in English, German and Spanish and can also help our French speaking clients.

As a violin graduate from Prague Conservatoire, Stanislava collected her player expereiences in both, symphonical and chamber performing. Her cooperation with Smecky Music Studios and City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra in the role of the session interpreteur and session assistant dates back to 1997, which makes her a true professional ready to support our clients needs during the sessions.

Gabriela, a member of our string orchestra, also serves as our concert tour manager and occasionally works as an orchestra session interpreter.

Her excellent organizational skills, practical approach, in-depth knowledge of concert venues, familiarity with concert organizer’s needs, and understanding of how orchestras operate on tour make her an invaluable point of contact for our concert clients on spot.

Gabriela grew up in a family of a violinist and began playing the violin at the age of four. During her student years, she developed her passion for the instrument by studying violin at the Prague Conservatory and at Charles University. While still a university student, she gained her first professional experience at Smecky Music Studios and has remained a valued member of the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra ever since.

Michael is responsible for preparing and maintaining the optimal live room and studio setup for every recording session. His primary role is to ensure that the recording environment is acoustically, technically, and logistically ready before the first note is played, allowing sessions to run smoothly and efficiently.

With more than 40 years of studio experience, during which he has worked in nearly every technical and sound-related role, Michael brings exceptional practical knowledge to his work. Alongside his studio career, he has spent much of his free time playing in bands and arranging music for aspiring musicians.