His musical talent saved him from working in the mine
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Zdeněk Pukovec was born on 18th November 1946 in Příbor in Nový Jičín region. His father Bedřich Pukovec, like the other men in the family, was an amateur musician and performed with the Eagle Music. They found their livelihood in a small bakery, which had been built in Příbor by Zdeněk’s grandfather. In 1950, his father had to take over the farm from his father-in-law Josef Štivar when his son - an RAF pilot - gave up the family property. In 1951, Zdeněk’s mother died, leaving her husband and four sons alone. Zdeněk was a self-taught musician, following the example of his older brothers, and began playing the clarinet. However, because of his father’s negative attitude towards the socialization of the village, he was not allowed to study at his dream conservatory. Eventually, however, he graduated and got a job at the Janáček Philharmonic in Ostrava. He was still working there at the time of the interview in 2022 and still lived with his wife in Příbor.
