Born in 1977 in LitomeŢice in northern Czechoslovakia, he studied piano and composition at the Conservatory in Teplice (1991-97). He subsequently enrolled at the Academy of Music and Drama in Prague, where he has continued composition studies with Svatopluk Havelka. Recently he completed his diploma piece, a chamber opera based on Witkacy's play The Madman and the Nun. It was premiered last year at the 'Inspirace' Theatre in Prague.
He is a prizewinner of the 'Generace' Competition for Composers in Ostrava (First Prize in 1999 for the song cycle 'Awakening'; Second Prize in 2000 for Descent into the Depth of Silence). He participated in the Darmstadt Courses of New Music in 2000. In 2001 he received a commission from the Donaueschinger Musiktage and the other one from the Foundation of the Friends of 'Warsaw Autumn' (financed with funds from the Ernst von Siemens Musikstiftung, Munich).
As a pianist, Nejtek frequently appears with agon Orchestra or with his own ensemble (led jointly with Miroslav Pudlak), as well as in a duo with a cellist, in jazz trios and quartets, and in rock groups. He also performs 19th and 20th-century chamber music with the clarinettist JiŢ' Mráz.
His works have been performed at the 'New Music Marathon' Festival in Prague (2001), the 'Warsaw Autumn' (2001), the New Music Exhibition in Brno (2002) and 'Avuimśsica' in Barcelona (2001) by such ensembles as 'Mondschein' and agon, the symphony orchestras in Teplice and Marianske Lazne and the Orchestra of Pilzno Theatre. His piece Ballo Nella Notte for clarinet, baritone saxophone and orchestra represents the Czech Republic at this year's International Composers' Rostrum in Paris.
Michal Nejtek also teaches music theory, composition and improvisation at the Conservatory in Teplice.

Selected works: In C, three etudes for piano (1992-94), Six Pieces for Solo Flute (1994), Modal Sonata for Piano (1994-95), Tři muškeyři (The Three Musketeers) for clarinet quartet (1995), Fantasy for Violin and Piano (1995), Adagio and Allegro gaudioso for piano (1995-96), Sextet for Clarinet, Electric guitar, Marimba, Harpsichord, Double-bass and Percussion (1995-96), Three Pieces for Clarinet and Piano (1996-97), 1+2+3, concertino for piano and chamber ensemble (1997), Divertimento for Orchestra and Piano (1997-98), Two Girls in the Space with Objects, music for a pantomime, for flute, clarinet and piano (1998), 'Procitáni' ('Awakening'), five songs to poems by Bohuslav Reynek for soprano and chamber ensemble (1998), Some Strange Bird for oboe and clarinet (1998-99), Music for 18 Strings for electric guitar and string trio (1999), Foucaltovo kyvadlo (Foucault's Pendulum) for tape (1999), Sestup na hlubinu ticha (Descent into the Depth of Silence) for violin, cello and piano (1999), Present Music for viola and piano (2000), Alenka..., music for children's ballet based on motifs from Lewis Carroll's book, for 10 instruments and singer (1999-2000), Grand Rock Brillant for bass clarinet, cello, electric guitar, synthesizer, electric piano and percussion (2000), The Madman and the Nun, chamber opera after Witkacy's play, for five singers, two actors and chamber ensemble (2000-01), String Quartet (2001), Distress Sonata for ensemble and video projection (2001-02).

Distress Sonata is a piece about feelings. Even though it is not a programmatic composition, it relates to my feelings at a certain period in life, my worries, the chaos. In the score one can find a harmonic theme hidden beneath the noise of the world. There is also a two-minute silence (where there is already nothing to say), there is a chaotic mixture of thoughts, as in a distracted mind. A film to this composition was created by my friend, Bohus Ziskal. He made it after the music was completed. The piece is not, therefore, 'film music'. A videoclip shows what I already hinted at - the problems of a young composer. I would like to thank Bohus for his creative ideas and energy.
The work was commissioned by the 'Warsaw Autumn' Friends' Foundation and financed with funds from the Ernst von Siemens Musikstiftung, Munich.
Michal Nejtek