A lyric baritone with a beautiful timbre and a wide vocal range, he was one of the leading Czech singers of the postwar generation.
[2] Born in Tisá, Zítek studied singing privately with E. Matoušková, M. Linka, D. Levytský, and Zdeněk Otava.
He eventually left Ústí nad Labem for that house, singing as a leading baritone at the National Theatre from 1969 through 1991.
[2] Among Zítek's signature roles are several parts in operas by Bedřich Smetana, including Kalina in The Secret, Tomeš in The Kiss, Vladislav in Dalibor, Lord Vok in The Devil's Wall, and Přemysl in Libuše; the latter of which he sang for the reopening of the Prague National Theater in 1983.
He is also known for the role of Prince Vasilij Šujský in Antonín Dvořák's Dimitrij and for several Janáček heroes, including Stárek in Jenůfa, Forester in The Cunning Little Vixen, and Baron Jaroslav Prus in The Makropulos Affair.