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.
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, ukulele, synthesizers and hammond organ. She is the lead singer of the Balkan Beats (Berlin), The Priest from the East - performing traditional folklore from all over the World, and psychedelic rock band Transcendecadence performing her original songs. She also sings with and writes for The Priester Sisters.
As a singer she collaborates also with Berlin-based well known bands such as 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. Since November 2018 she has been teaching voice lessons to adults and youth at Werk 9 in Berlin.
Years
2020
- leading of vocal-workshop at the school "Johanna Eck Schule" in Berlin
- the release of the first music video "Second Hand Man” by The Priester Sisters
2019
- became the lead singer and co-writer of the Band “BalkanBeats SoundSystem"
- founded the band "The Priest from the East", playing the folklore songs from the whole world
- Concert for the Ministery of Germany with the Duo Viktor&Victoria
- Live video recording - piano for the duet with Roland Satterwhite at the “Moon Session” in Berlin
- Live video recording with the The Priester Sisters for "BaSys" in Prague
2018
- Concerts with the The Priester Sister and Younak in Europe
- started teaching vocals at the Werk 9 in Berlin
- Concerts with the Fanfara Kalashnikov as a signer and accordionist
- Tour with “Tolyqyn” in Switzerland as a guest keybordist
- founded the Duo Viktor (guitar) and Victoria (vocal, piano)
- produer and leader of the “Music Room” for the Cultrute Room withint the Hackathon, Berlin
- her own band “Transcendecadence” founded, that plays her own compositions
2017
- starting a new project "Punkulele" along with "Victoria Priest" project
- Musik for the new circus "Younak” - Akkordeon, Singing, Fujara
- Tour with The Priester Sisters and ACR (Czech Military Orchestra)
- Italien tour with the Priester Sisters
- Concerts with the famous Berlin band Django Lassi as a guest sing
2016
- moved to Berlin
- played in a czech movie "Slíbená princezna" (Promised princess) as one of the princesses.
- recorded soundtrack for a czech movie "Slíbená princezna" (Promised princess).
- performed at "Thália Awards" in National Theater in Prague, live streamed by Czech Tv Channel CT1.
- The Priester Sisters featured by Django Lassi (gipsy swing, Berlin) in their song "Heap"
2015
- The Priester Sisters founded - performing with the band at the Air shows, tv channels, theatre awards, festivals and more...
-The Priester Sisters awarded with the "Golden Gander" for the best Live Act at the Festival "Kremnické Gagy" in Slovakia
2014
- soundtrack for movie NTIMITY (dir. Ivo Macharáček, premiere on 23.10.2014 at the Premiere Cinemas in Prague)
2013
- music for the theatre inscenation of "Dangerous Liaisons"(dir. Michael Tarant, premiere on 29.11.2013, Theatre of the Prague Conservatory "Na Rejišti")
- performing with "The Best of Pink Floyd and Roger Waters" (concerts in Hybernia Theatre in Prague and many other shows afterwards within next years - till nowdays)
- collaboration on the album "Tabula Rasa?" of czech poetist Milana Prince - songs "Vločky" (Snowflakes) and "Noc a Den" (Night & Day) - with special guest Michal Pavlíček
2012
- the official presentator of new hybrid synthesizers for Casio in Czech Republic and Slovakia
- soundtrack "Farmer's Garden" for Sprint Music Library (album American Frontier)
- the band Tritonus Priest as the opening guest for the czech guitar rock legend Michal Pavlíček within his concert "Symphony rockin' " at the Congress Centre in Prague. The concert was live streamed by Czech Tv Channel CT1.
- singing the duet "Veliké Lalulá" with Michal Pavlíček within his concert at the Congress Centre in Prague, live streamed by Czech Tv Channel CT1.
2011
- the house pianist of Hotel Hilton in Prague, untill 2016- the premiere of symphony "Crucifiction", performed by "The West Bohemian Symphony Orchestra Mariánské Lázně"
- compositions "Archangelos Lucifer" for violin and piano and "The White Horse" for piano were recorded for Czech Radio Vltava. Victoria Priester - pianio, Lucia Priester - violin
- soundtracks "Deep Inside" and "Rebirth" for Sprint Music Library (album Secret Drama)
- founded the band "Tritonus Priest" playing her original music
2007
- schoolarship for participating in California Summer Music Festival in Pebble Beach (CA/USA) - piano
2006
- the second prize in International piano competition Anglo-Czechoslovak Trust in London
During her studying she collaborated with many differnt music groups, artists or publishers:
- "African nocturno" - a night of poetry with original music (performing her composition "Stars don't cry")
- The poetric group "Pavilon 4" - she composed her original music for their poems (compositions "White Horse", "The Devil's Cry", "Nocturno" and many more...)
- Quartet "Quadra" - the group was performing her unusual compositions for voice, vibrafon, guitar and piano
- The publishing house "Balt-East"
In her 15, she founded her first rock band M.O.R., later they changed their name to M.O.R.tronics and specialized their repertoir for artrock music of Frank Zappa, Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Czech/Japanies composer Daniel Forrró.