File 13 - Jan Matejcek

Jan (Vladimir) Matějček was born in Hamburg to Czech parents on December 29, 1926 and passed away in Toronto, Ontario on September 23, 2017. He received his law degree from Charles University in Prague, before going on to pursue musicology. His positions included foreign relations secretary for the Guild of Czechoslovak Composers (1954-1961); manager of the Prague Symphony Orchestra (1961-1962); head of the music department at Divadeln a literarní agentura, the Czech theatrical and literary agency (1962-1964); and, general manager (1964-1966) and director general (1966-1968) of Panton. In 1969, he emigrated to Canada where he became a consultant to the Canadian Music Centre; served as executive secretary of the Ontario Federation of Symphony Orchestras (OFSO, 1970); was the first executive director of the Ontario Choral Federation; acted as a member of the steering committee and founding board of the Association of Canadian Orchestras (ACO, 1971); and, joined CAPAC (Composers, Authors and Publishers Association of Canada Limited/Association des compositeurs, auteurs et éditeurs du Canada Ltée). In 1977, Matějček became the assistant general manager of PROCAN, then general manager (1980) and president (1984). In 1985, PROCAN, under his leadership, was involved in the formulation of the Society for Reproduction Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers of Canada Inc. (SODRAC). When CAPAC and PROCAN merged in 1990, Matějček was appointed its first chief executive officer.