A native of Prague, Czech conductor Bohuslav Rattay is quickly gaining recognition as one of the young upcoming stars of the podium. He has appeared with some of the finest orchestras in Europe, including Prague’s Royal Symphony Orchestra, Russia's St. Petersburg Academic Orchestra and the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, as well as the Parnu City Orchestra of Estonia, where he shared the podium with world-renowned conductor Neeme Jarvi.

Originally trained as a bassoonist, Mr. Rattay was drawn to the podium by a desire to join the forefront of the fight for classical music and bring orchestral music to the often-disenchanted public in new and exciting ways. Particularly interested in attracting young audiences through the use of creative presentations and programming, he has also conducted numerous university and all-state youth orchestras throughout the United States and Europe as part of his personal mission to ensure that the young developing musicians of tomorrow receive the finest in their early artistic education. As well, in his quest to further the interest of the general public in classical music, Bohuslav recently hosted the Colonial Classics radio show on 90.9fm.

A graduate of the Peabody Institute of Music, Rice University, and the Prague Conservatory, Mr. Rattay has studied conducting with many esteemed teachers, including Gustav Meier, Larry Rachleff and Edward Polochick. He has served as the Assistant Conductor for the Peabody Symphony Orchestra and the Peabody Opera Department, and has worked with both Neeme and Paavo Jarvi, Jorma Panula, Alexander Dmitriev, Donald Thulean, JoAnn Falletta, Daniel Lewis, and Carl St.Clair. In 2004, Mr. Rattay attended the Kurt Masur conducting workshop in New York City, while the following year found him conducting the National Symphony Orchestra after he was selected by Maestro Leonard Slatkin to take part in the NSO’s National Conducting Institute.

In the fall of 2006, Rattay began his tenure as the newly appointed Music Director of the Muncie Symphony Orchestra in Indiana. During the first few months of his appointment, he was selected by the American Symphony Orchestra League to participate in its Conducting Fellowship Program.

Mr. Rattay divides his time between the United States and Europe, unrelenting in his quest to find new and innovative ways to make great music an essential part of the lives of people on both continents.