Pedagogue

Throughout his artistic career Smetáček was also active as a pedagogue at the Prague Conservatory. From 1945 onwards he led his own oboe class and taught “chamber wind harmony”. In the 1960s he also taught conducting as part of complementary “evening” classes for conductors of military brass bands. In 1946 he was tasked with teaching “chamber wind interpretation” and in 1952 became a part-time teacher of “leading orchestras” and a conductor of the Chamber Orchestra at the Academy of Music in Prague.

Unfortunately his pedagogical work was secondary to his other activities, both due to his extreme workload and perhaps also due to a certain mistrust among those in the field in his pedagogical competence. Still there are a number of notable individuals among his pupils: e.g. oboists Zdeněk Hebda (solo oboist of the Radio Orchestra – SOČR), Luděk Hlava (FOK), Jiří Mihule (solo oboist of the Czech Philharmonic), Josef Shejbal (solo oboist of the CF) and others. As for conductors: Antonín Kühnel (active in Japan), Vlasta Kühnelová–Škampová (until her death in 1989 a successful leader of the Prague Student Orchestra), Jiří Hlaváček (active as conductor in Iceland, now a pedagogue in Canada), Eduard Fischer (chief conductor of the Zlín Symphony Orchestra), Milan Malý (choir master of the Radio Choir), Libor Pešek and others.

With his orchestra FOK he regularly conducted the graduation concerts of the students of the Prague Conservatory and the Academy of Music. Between 1947–1959 he accompanied 12 times the concerts of the winners of the Prague Spring Competition. He invited successful young musicians to collaborate with the Prague Symphony Orchestra FOK and helped them to start their concert career. Years later many of them would think back with gratitude to his sensitive and accurate accompaniment during their artistic debuts.

From the 1930s he systematically educated young audiences through staging of concerts for school youth both as oboist and conductor. He conducted many concerts for young people also during guest appearances abroad, e.g. in Poland, Hungary, Romania, Germany or even Argentina. He always considered these performances to be just as important as his evening performances for the regular concert audience.