Michal Kosut introduced himself in the concert halls of his native city in the late seventies while being a student of composition with Ctirad Kohoutek at the Music Faculty of the Janacek's Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (1973 - 1978). In the eighties he earned his living as coach at the Dance conservatory in Brno. Since 1991 he has become a lecturer on music theory and composition at the Department of Music Education at the Pedagogic Faculty of Brno Masaryk University in Brno (1994 - 1998 the head of the Department). Since 2002 he has also been teaching composition at the Faculty of Music at the Janacek's Academy of Performing Arts in Brno. Kosut has written so far more than 60 works including chamber music compositions (e.g. Ciaccona for violin, Five Waka for soprano and cello, Sonata for piano), music for stage (the ballet Mimicries, the electroacoustic opera Iphigenia), orchestral works (Jan Santini Aichel, Via sotteranea - Symphony No. 2), as well as elektroacoustic and film music). Soon after completing his compositional studies Kosut wrote several highly acclaimed works, e.g. the cycle of compositions for piano inspired by the paintings of Jan Zrzavy Svět Jana Zrzavého (The World of Jan Zrzavý). One of his more recent compositions, Requiem. Hommage à Jean Ockeghem (inspired by the Renaissance vocal polyphony), was performed at the overview of contemporary music in Prague "Prague Premiere 2005", and was highly acclaimed both by the public and critics.

Awards

1978 - 2nd prize in the National Composer's Competition of Ministry of Culture
1979 - 3rd prize in the National Young Composer's Competition CR 'Generation'
1994 - Musica nova '94 (Mimickry)
1998 - Musica nova '98 (Flautato)
1999 - Musica nova '99 (Shakuhachi)