Jana Jonášová with Bendlová and then at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague with Teodor Šrubař. She made her professional opera debut in 1965 at the Liberec Theatre as Konstanze in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's "The Abduction from the Seraglio". That same year she became involved with the Chamber Opera Prague. She remained committed to the Liberec Theatre through 1970 and then joined the National Theatre in Prague where she initially sang minor roles and worked in the opera chorus. In 1973 Jonášová was promoted to principal sopranos at the National Theatre and she quickly became one of the house's most important
Frank Porretta next fourteen years, performing such roles as Alfred in "Die Fledermaus", Alfredo in "La traviata", Apollo in "L'Orfeo", Belmonte in "The Abduction from the Seraglio", the Duke of Mantua in "Rigoletto", Edgar Linton in "Wuthering Heights", Frederic in "The Pirates of Penzance", Lucentio in Vittorio Giannini's "The Taming of the Shrew", Jolidon in "The Merry Widow", Luigi in "Il tabarro", Nanki-Poo in "The Mikado", Pinkerton in "Madama Butterfly", Ralph Rackstraw in "H.M.S. Pinafore", Rinuccio in "Gianni Schicchi", Sam Kaplan in "Street Scene", the Sleepwalker in "Louise", Steve in "The Cradle Will Rock", and Vladimir in "Prince Igor" among others. He