Jiŕi Valenta (1955) studied the bass playing in the Kromeriź with Miloslav Gajdoš and later at the Prague Conservatoire with František Pošta. Under the leadership of Zdenik Benda he graduated from the Academy of Music in Prague.
In 1978 he won the first Fr. Gregory Double bass Competition in Kromériź. Since 1985 he is member of one of world most remarkable orchestra - Czech philharmonic orchestra. He is a co-founder of the Basetti Boemi Bass Quartet (with collegues from Czech phil.) and Virtuosi di basso (unusual ensemble of 8 cellos and 2 double-basses), with who he performs on european and japanese stages. His solo performance includes not only the works of the traditional bass repertoire (e.g. Vaohal, Kusevickij, Bottesini, Mišek) but also transposed compositions for other instruments. (e.g. Handel, Schubert, Kreisler, Rachmaninov, Bruch etc.). He cooperates with chamber ensembles, especially with the Suk quartet. Beside his artistic activities, he has been a teacher at the Prague Conservatoire since 1995. He is often a member ofjuries at bass competitions and regularly he teaches at the Brno International Bass Courses and International masterclasses of chamber music Ameropa. In 2006 he recorded sonatas by Adolf Misek for Czech broadcasting company and performed solo recital at Prague Rudolfinum (residence of Czech philharmonic orchestra) in chamber cycle "Professors of Prague conservatory".