František Chaloupka composes mainly instrumental music and scores for classical instruments, chamber and symphony orchestras, opera and multimedia works.
After finishing his studies of composition at the Janáček conservatory in Ostrava, he went on to study a degree in Composition at Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Brno where he finished his PhD in composition. He was studying composition at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague with Louis Andriessen, Clarence Barlow, Martijn Padding and Richard Ayres. In 2012 he studied composition at Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien and California Institute of the Arts in Los Angeles.
His pieces were commissioned and performed by internationally renowned ensembles e.g. Klangforum Wien, Ensemble Modern & Péter Eötvös, New Century Players Los Angeles, Aleph Gitarrenquartett, IEMA International Ensemble Modern Academy, Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra, ONO Orchestra, Ostravská banda, Trio Accanto, Oxbridge Singers, Prague Modern, BERG Orchestra, Prague Singers Choir, South Bohemian Philharmonic, Hradec Králové Philharmonic, VENI Academy, Ballet of National Theatre Brno, Solaris3 among others.
Festivals and venues such as Musica Viva Munich, Musikprotokoll Graz, Czech Centre in New York, Wien Modern, Ostrava Days of New Music, Prague Spring, Gaudeamus Muziekweek Utrecht, Autumn Chamber Music Days Riga, Contempuls Prague, NODO New Opera Days Of Ostrava, Autumn Introspection Prague and many others.
He worked with conductors Peter Eotwös, Lucas Vis, Anu Tali, Jakub Hrůša, Petr Kotík, Jiří Rožeň, Jurij Galatěnko, Marko Ivanovič, Pavel Šnajdr and others. He worked also with Michal Pavlíček, Iva Bittová, David Koller, organist Kateřina KATTA Chroboková and other various artists.
In May 2011, he was invited to Frankfurt for a workshop with Ensemble Modern (Frank Zappa, Heiner Goebbles, etc.) and conductor-composer Peter Eötvös. Within the project “Myths-Nation-Identities” he composed a piece called Mašín Gun (Seven Rituals for purging the Czech Lands from the Spirit of Communism) premiered by Ensemble Modern and Peter Eötvös at Musica Viva festival in Munich in 2012. The concert was recorded and broadcasted live at Munich Broadcasting.
In April 2011, he founded Dunami Ensemble and performed his opera-installation Eve and Lilith at NODO festival New Opera Days of Ostrava 2012. Ensemble consists of recognized Czech jazz, classical and experimental music players, composers and improvisers. In 2016, Dunami Ensemble performed another opera-installation composed by Chaloupka called Chata v Jezerní kotlině at festival MusicOlomouc. In 2022 ,Dunami Ensemble performed his techno-optimistic flash-mob opera “Bachelor Party” for four saxophones and two sopranos.
He participated in international courses for composers and percussionists in Trstěnice 2004 and 2005 and was given scholarship for both international festival Ostrava Days of New Music 2005 and 2007. In 2007 and 2009, the festival premiered his orchestral pieces An Ancient Calligraphy and Smooth The Heavens both performed by Janáček Philharmonic and conducted by Petr Kotík.
His composition Allegory of the Cave II nominated by Czech Radio has succeeded at the 70th edition of the International show Rostrum of Composers 2024 and was ranked among the nine most outstanding in its category works recommended for world broadcasts and concert performances.