Bassoonist Tomáš Františ studied at the Brno Conservatory under Jiří Nykodým and at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague under Jiří Seidl and František Herman. He won several performance competitions (Kroměříž 1994, Chomutov 1995, Olomouc 2000) and became a laureate of the Prague Spring International Competition in 2002. With the Fagotti Brunenses bassoon quartet, he won 2nd prize at the International Bassoon Quartet Competition in Potsdam in 1995.
Since 1993, he has served as principal bassoonist with the Brno Philharmonic. He has held the same position with the Prague Philharmonia since 1994 and has also been a member of the Czech Philharmonic since 2013.
He performs as a soloist with leading domestic orchestras and participates in numerous ensembles - besides the aforementioned Fagotti Brunenses, he plays in Trio Aloe, Trio BDF, and the Czech Philharmonic Chamber Ensemble. Additionally, he co-founded the Prague Modern ensemble, the Haná International Music Festival, the Czech Double Reed Society, and the Summer Bassoon Academy in Rataje nad Sázavou. Since 2007, he has been teaching at the Prague Conservatory.
