Anna Betka is a dynamic pianist, vocal and opera coach, and one of two Czech diction
specialists in North America who is a native speaker of the language. In North America,
Dr. Betka has performed in diverse venues such as Toronto’s Roy Thompson Hall and
Heliconian Hall, Lincoln Center’s Rose Theater in New York, and the National Sawdust
in Brooklyn. Dr. Betka has also performed in Germany, France, the Czech Republic, the
Netherlands, and the UK.
Dr. Betka’s work as a Czech diction specialist has taken her to Prague, Pardubice, and
Brno in the Czech Republic, where she worked at Prague Castle and the Lobkowicz
Palace, gave master classes at the Conservatory, studied at the Janáček Academy of
Music and Performing Arts, and performed with Jakub Čepický of the award-winning
Wihan Quartet. Other Czech musicians she has worked with include Jan Jiraský, Jiří
Skovajsa, Ivan Klánský, Antonín Kubálek, and Alena Vlasáková. At the International
Smetana Piano Competition, she was awarded an Honorary Mention for her
exceptional interpretation of Bedřich Smetana’s Czech Dances. As an extension of her
expertise in this area, she is researching and compiling an anthology of Czech vocal
music by women composers; this initiative has been graciously and generously
supported by the Canada Council for the Arts. An Instagram reel she made about
female composer Clara Schumann received over 103,000 views.
As a chamber musician, Dr. Betka has premiered and recorded many contemporary
works at venues in New York, Indiana, Colorado, and Alberta, and her performances
have been broadcast on the nationally syndicated WFMT Radio Network and on WKCR
in New York. Her playing is featured on composer Mark Applebaum’s album Speed
Dating (Innova Recordings). At the Banff Centre for the Arts, she gave the Canadian
premiere of American composer Elliot Carter’s last work, Epigrams. A founding
member of Trio Mondial, she was a quarterfinalist with the ensemble at the Fischoff
National Chamber Music Competition. Over the years, Dr. Betka has had the privilege
of collaborating with many living composers, such as Anthony Korf and Kamala
Sankaram.