Antonín Dvořák

Antonín Leopold Dvořák was born on September 8, 1841, in Nelahozeves, the son of a butcher and innkeeper. Playing viola in the Provisional Theatre orchestra under Smetana, Dvořák won international acclaim when Johannes Brahms championed his Moravian Duets.

Appointed Director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York (1892–1895), Dvořák immersed himself in African American spirituals and Native American chants, composing his monumental Symphony No. 9 'From the New World'. Returning home, he composed the beloved fairy-tale opera Rusalka, crowned as a global giant of romantic music.