Karel Vrtiška was born in Prague in 1990, where he studied at the Ilja Hurník Elementary Arts School under Prof. Tomanová and at the Prague City Music School under Prof. Toman. In 2010 he had successfully completed his Bachelor of Arts studies at the Academy of Music, Drama and Fine Arts with associate professor B. Krajný, and was admitted to a Master of Arts course at the Hochschule für Music in Nuremberg in a class led by Prof. W. Manz.
Karel Vrtiška won his first competitive prize in 1999, when he obtained 1st Prize in the Prague level of the Elementary Arts Schools competition and 2nd Prize in the "Prague Junior Note".
This is a summary of prizes won in piano competitions in subsequent years:
2010 Laureate at the Novák international piano competition in Kamenice nad Lipou
2009 Laureate, Beethoven Hradec international competition
2008 2nd Prize international Smetana piano competition, Pilsen
2005 1st Prize and outright winner of the Prague level of Elementary Arts Schools
1st Prize and Special Prize for Interpretation, national level of Elementary Arts Schools, Pardubice
1st Prize in the Ústí nad Labem "Virtuosi per musica di pianoforte" international piano competition
2nd Prize, laureate and Special Prize for the best performance of a contemporary composition, "Carl Czerny" international piano competition
2002 1st Prize in the national Elementary Arts Schools competition, Pardubice
2nd Prize in the Ústí nad Labem "Virtuosi per musica di pianoforte" international piano competition
2nd Prize in the national "World of Young Musicians 2002" competition
Stanford Prize for his interpretation of the "Fireworks" by Claude Debussy.
2001 1st Prize Brno "Amadeus" international piano competition
1st Prize "Prague Junior Note"
1st Prize and laureate of the "Carl Czerny" international piano competition
Czech Radio Prize, Prague
2000 1st Prize "Prague Junior Note"
1st Prize "Carlsbad Rose"
2nd Prize in the Ústí nad Labem "Virtuosi per musica di pianoforte" international piano competition
In 2003 he performed with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Paul Freeman in the Spanish Hall of Prague Castle (Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, KV466).
In 2003 he also performed for the public with this orchestra and conductor Libor Pešek in the Rudolfinum (Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major, op. 15)
He received an invitation to record for Czech Radio and Czech Television. In 2003 he played the role of the young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in a television film for BBC Television.