Jiří Bělohlávek, (; 24 February 1946 – 31 May 2017) was a Czech conductor. He was a leading interpreter of Czech classical music, and became chief conductor of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra in 1990, a role he would serve on two occasions during a combined span of seven years (1990–92, 2012–17). He also served a six-year tenure as the chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra from 2006 to 2012. He gained international renown and repute for his performances of the works of Czech composers such as Antonín Dvořák and Bohuslav Martinů, and was credited as "the most profound proponent of Czech orchestral music" by Czech music specialist Professor Michael Beckerman. Early career Bělohlávek was born in Prague. His father was a barrister and judge. In his youth he studied cello with Miloš Sádlo and later graduated from the Prague Conservatory and the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. After graduation, he studied conducting for two years with Sergiu Celibidache. Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic In 1970 Bělohlávek won the Czech Young Conductors' Competition. He later served for two years as an assistant conductor at the Czech Philharmonic. From 1972 to 1978, he was conductor of the Brno Philharmonic; he was then chief conductor of the Prague Symphony Orchestra until 1989. The Communist authorities prohibited Bělohlávek from touring in Berlin and Israel. Bělohlávek became chief conductor of the Czech Philharmonic in 1990, after the Velvet Revolution. However, in 1991, the orchestra reorganized and controversially voted to appoint Gerd Albrecht its new principal conductor to replace Bělohlávek. Instead of remaining until Albrecht's accession, Bělohlávek resigned from the orchestra in 1992. He subsequently founded the Prague Philharmonia (Pražská komorní filharmonie) in 1993, after the Czech Ministry of Defence had offered funding for training 40 young musicians. Bělohlávek had auditioned musicians for the orchestra, but the ministry withdrew its funding the next year. He subsequently secured private funding for the orchestra, and served as its first music director. After the orchestra's public debut in 1994, he recorded and performed with it in concerts worldwide. He conducted the Prague Philharmonia at its first BBC Proms appearance in 2004, in a televised performance. In 2005, he relinquished his post with the Prague Philharmonia, and subsequently became the orchestra's conductor laureate. He conducted his final concert on 7 May 2017 with the Prague Philharmonia. In 1997, Bělohlávek became Professor of Conducting at the Prague Academy of