FULL BIOGRAPHY

Victoria Priester was born in Slovakia in 1987. She studied classical piano and composition at the Conservatory in České Budějovice, Czech Republic. During her classical piano studies in 2006, she won the second price at the “International Piano Competition” in London. In 2007 she won a scholarship to participate in the California Summer Music Festival in Pebble Beach (USA). After graduating from classical piano, she studied classical composition and in 2009 switched to the Conservatory of Jaroslav Ježek in Prague, where she continued in her composition and jazz piano and improvisation studies.

As a composer, she has been educating herself in many different genres - classical music for orchestra, choir, string quartets, film and theatre music, soundtracks, folklore, jazz, pop, progressive rock and more. In 2011 her composition “White Horse” and “Archangelos Lucifer” were recorded by the Czech main radio station for classical music, both pieces played by herself. In the same year, her first piece for symphony orchestra was performed live by “The West Bohemian Symphony Orchestra Mariánské Lázně.” Also in 2011 she composed her first two soundtrack albums for the Sprint Music Library. Later in 2013 she wrote the music for the successful theatre piece “Dangerous Liaisons” for the Prague Conservatory, that ran for 2 years. In 2014 she wrote the score for the Czech movie “Intitmity”, screened in Czech cinemas. More recently she scored for south african horror movie "Parable" (2022) and TV series "Taktiek" (2023).

Besides her piano and composition experience, she has also devoted herself to performing in several bands. She has lead many bands of different genres, since she was 13 years old. Starting with a grunge rock band as a singer, moving towards art rock as a singer and keyboardist and later as also a composer in her own extravagant progressive rock band Tritonus Priest.

The Czech guitar legend Michal Pavlicek featured this band in his nationally broadcast show at the Prague Congress Hall. Later she formed a swing band with her sisters - The Priester Sisters- which has enjoyed regional and international success - appearance in many TV shows, playing at International Memorial Air shows, festivals and more. With The Priester Sisters, in 2016, she played a role in the Czech movie “Promised Princess”, for which she also recorded the soundtrack, and the same year with the same band she also performed at the theatre awards “Thalia” live streamed by Czech Tv Channel CT1.

Since 2013 she is collaborating with the Pink Floyd Tribute Band in Prague, with whom she has performed at several big stages and concert halls as the lead keyboardist.

Back in 2012, she collaborated with Casio as an official ambassador of their new hybrid synthesizers for Czech and Slovak republic, due to her knowledge of sound creating and synthesis.

Victoria has devoted her life to singing and performing. Today she plays several instruments - piano, accordion,  synthesizers and hammond organ, guitar and ukulele. She is the leader and singer of The Priest from the East - performing traditional folklore from all over the world, and psychedelic rock band Transcendecadence performing her original songs, and last but not least she is one of the The Priester Sisters  - an alternative pop band with her two sisters.

As a singer she collaborates also with Berlin-based well known bands such as the Balkan Beats Sound System, Django Lassi and Fanfara Kalashnikov.

As a pianist she has been performing solo or in jazz groups. In the years 2011-2016 she was a house pianist of the Hotel Hilton in Prague. For years she has been collecting her experiences at many venues, concerts or private events and built up her performing skills.

Victoria has also teaching experiences, and has been teaching children since her studies, not only as private lessons but also in collaboration with the International School in Prague, from 2018 till 2021 she was teaching voice lessons at Werk 9 in Berlin, since 2022 she is teaching piano at two Berlin's public schools Hans-Werner-Henze-Musikschule and Joseph-Schmidt-Musikschule. She has also extenden experiences in leading workshops and bandcoaching. In 2020 she has lead a singing workshop on Johanna Eck Schule, in 2021 an international music workhshop for bands in collaboration with French Institute Berlin, in 2022 a singing workshop for Stiftung SPI in Berlin and since 2022 she is bandcoaching at Isaac-Newton-Oberschule in Berlin.

HIGHLIGHTS

2023

- music for a south-african TV series "Taktiek" for Nagvlug Films (PTY) LTG

- Festival de L'Archipel in Ploubazlanec, France, performing original and folklore songs in a duo with Roland Satterwhite

- "Come Together Experience" (The all new Beatles themed festival, Hamburg) - performing as a duo with Roland Satterwhite

- reccording accordion for an ablum of Berlin's artist Jörg Holdinghauser

- recording voice on a live video recording for the band "Der Blum" (Berlin)

2022

- music for a south-african horror "Parable" for Nagvlug Films (PTY) LTG

- italian tour with The Priester Sisters, vol.II

- live video recording with The Priester Sisters for Das Hotel Radio, Berlin

- concert with The Priester Sisters for the Jazz Radio Berlin in Schloss Ribbeck

- started singing with original modern balkan band Mr.Žarko, festivals in Germany

- started performing as a guest singer with traditional balkan group Stenga, Berlin

-  singing workshop for Stiftung SPI (Sozialpädagogisches Institut Berlin)

2021

- concert with Balkan Beats Sound System in cooperation with Goethe Institut Berlin in Belgrad, Serbia

- leading a bandcoaching workshop "Weimarer Dreieck: Deutsch-französich-polnischer Musikaustauch" in a collaboration with the French Institute in Berlin

- releasing christmas video "Santa Baby" with The Priester Sisters

- concert with The Priester Sisters for the Jazz Radio Berlin at Schloss Ribbeck