Jan Ostrý was born in Prague, where he studied at the Conservatory. From 1992 he studied at the Conservatoire National de Région de Versailles with grants from the Czech Musical Fund and A. Dvořák Foundation. In 1995 he was unanimously awarded the First Prize (Gold Medal) and with a French government award studied at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Lyon, where he was unanimously awarded the First Prize. He was also a member of the Atelier of XX. Century at CNSM Lyon. He continued his studies under the direction of H. Schmeiser from the Musikuniversität in Vienna. Prizes include success in the Concertino Praga, the Prague F.X. Dussek Competition, and the Competition of Czech Conservatories. He also participated in a number of distinguished master-classes.
As a soloist or a member of chamber ensembles Jan Ostrý has performed in Linz, Lyon, Bonn, Vienna, Paris, Stuttgart, Oslo, and Prague, and in various festivals, including the Lyons Chamber Music Days, Young Prague, Mozartiana Iuventus Prague, Concentus Moraviae, Week of Pierre Boulez in Lyon, West Bohemian Haydn Festival, Czech Season in France 2002, Neuberger Kulturtage, and the Pierre Boulez Festival in St. Etienne.
His recordings include works by Anton Reicha, and a prize-winning release of music by Dussek. Since 2001 he has been regularly teaching at master-courses of the European Flute Academy in Fiss and from 2003 at the Kulturtage in Neuberg. In the 1999/2000 season Jan Ostrý served as principal flautist in the Orchestre National de Lyon, and he collaborated as the solo flautist with the Orchestre des Pays de Savoie. In the 2001/2002 season he was the solo flautist in Den Norske Operaen in Oslo. From 2003 he has taught at the State Conservatory in Pilsen and from 2005 at the State Conservatory in Prague.