Jana Skarecky is a Canadian contemporary classical composer of vocal and instrumental music for solo instruments, chamber ensembles, choir, and orchestra. Born in Prague, Czech Republic, on November 11, 1957, she immigrated to Canada with her family in 1968. She earned a Bachelor of Music (Honours Composition) from Wilfrid Laurier University, studying composition with Barrie Cabena, piano with Erhard Schlenker, French horn with Felix Acevedo, and organ with Nixon McMillan and Jan Overduin. She is also an Associate of the Royal Conservatory of Music in piano performance. In 1987, she received a Master of Music in composition from the University of Sydney, Australia, studying with Peter Sculthorpe.
Jana’s compositions are noted for their expressive lyricism and the integration of influences ranging from Gregorian chant to Czech folksong. Her works have been performed across North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. Highlights include Australian Images, premiered by the Lehner String Quartet in 2021; Presences, premiered by mezzo-soprano Maria Soulis in 2022; and New Year Carol in 2024. Other notable works include the monodrama The Path before Me, the orchestral piece Streams, and choral works such as Song of Life and Back to Babylon. Jana also composes for solo voice, setting poetry to music, including works by P.K. Page.
She is an Associate Composer of the Canadian Music Centre, former Chair of the Association of Canadian Women Composers, and has served on the National Council of the Canadian League of Composers. Jana is also a visual artist and photographer, often creating in parallel with her music. She teaches piano and music theory, examines for the Royal Conservatory of Music, and has sung with the Contemporary Singers (Sydney) and the St. Mary Magdalene’s Gallery Choir (Toronto). She recently translated The Foundations of Modern Harmony by Karel Janeček from Czech into English (WLU Press, 2024).
Many of Jana’s compositions are available through the Canadian Music Centre. For more information, visit www.JanaSkarecky.com
Australian Images – String Quartet by Jana Skarecky
Jana Skarecky’s string quartet, Australian Images, is a tribute to her teacher and friend, Peter Sculthorpe, and draws inspiration from the majestic landscapes of Australia, where she lived for a year and returned to visit later. The four movements reflect Jana’s experiences of four culturally and spiritually significant sites cared for by the Aboriginal people for millennia.
I. Kata Tjuta – Known as “many heads,” this formation of 36 red dome-shaped mountains in central Australia is sacred to the Anangu people. Walking along the Walpa Gorge trail, visitors are reminded to tread lightly and hold the sacred nature of the place in their hearts.
II. Uluru – The iconic red sandstone monolith, rising 348 meters and over 9 km around, is also sacred to the Anangu. Jana captures both the glowing red sunrise and a rare desert thunderstorm, with its cascading waters and the chorus of frogs that follow.
III. Ubirr – Located in Kakadu National Park, this site features rock shelters adorned with Aboriginal paintings thousands of years old. The movement opens with a quotation from Peter Sculthorpe’s 10th String Quartet and incorporates material from Jana’s piano Elegy, composed in Sculthorpe’s memory.
IV. Karrimurra Waterfall (Florence Falls) – In Litchfield Park near Darwin, this segmented waterfall drops thirty meters into a serene plunge pool amidst lush monsoon forest. The Wangait people describe it as a spiritual place of solitude that nourishes the mind and soul.
Through Australian Images, Jana Skarecky evokes the powerful connection between landscape, culture, and memory, creating a work that is both personal and universally resonant.