Interviews
One of the few positives of the otherwise tormented musical year 2020 is the unusually rich Czech jazz harvest: sixty (!) albums and projects either purely jazz or significantly affected by jazz were released last year. Many of the most highly acclaimed ones are connected to Brno in various ways – for example, the debut Bigbandová elektronika (Bigband Electronica) by the increasingly prominent Cotatcha Orchestra and the ensemble’s second album Dust in the Groove, testing the boundaries of classical music and jazz through refined improvisation. more
More than twenty years ago, the Harafica cimbalom ensemble was founded at the Primary School of Arts in Uherské Hradiště. For most music fans, it is known for its unusual arrangements of folk songs, excellent performances of musicians, sold-out concerts, but also unusual fusions of genres. And it was about their latest cross-over project that I talked with the musical director and cimbalom player of Harafica music, Peter Gablas, from whose pen all the musical arrangements can be heard in it. It is their new album, which is called Harafica Symphonic. Connecting traditional folk music with the powerful sound of the Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava with the Brno conductor Robert Kružík. You can hear old texts from the collections of František Sušil, Janáček motifs and the singing of two interesting guests. more
The album Folk Swings of the Brno-based B-Side Band is being vividly discussed on social networks. Can a big band take the liberty of to playing the "sacred" songs of Czech folk? And what if these compositions are sung along with the band directly by their authors such as Jaromír Nohavica, Vlasta Redl or Slávek Janoušek? However, while the above might have been able to have their say concerning the arrangements, Karel Kryl, Zuzana Navarová or Wabi Ryvola could no longer make any comments regarding the makeovers of their songs… We talked to Petr Kovařík and Pavel Zlámal, members of the orchestra, about how the album was created, why Ryvola's song 'Tereza' sounds like a Cuban dance, and why 'Podvod' ('Scam') by Honza Nedvěd is played only as an instrumental piece. The two guys have actually created new arrangements for widely famed as well as less well-known folk songs, which now appear on this album. more
The newly built church in Brno Lesná suburb provided inspiration for the flautist Martina Komínková for her album Resonance. The CD cover art features photos of the church ceiling, which glitters with all the colours of the rainbow. The album itself is colourful in a similar way; the musician uses several different types of flute on it. more
Shortly before the outbreak of the coronavirus crisis, the Brno-based group Plum Dumplings released a new album. As opposed to their official debut L'épitaphe des papillons (The Epitome of Butterflies, 2014), sung in French, the band went for Czech lyrics this time. We are talking to the band's vocalist, who presents herself as Adéla Polka. more
After Easter, an official statement that ruined every folklore lover's day appeared on social networks and in the media. The folklore festival in Strážnice will not take place this year. The reasons are well known to everyone. Yesterday, another wave of coronavirus lockdown easement began, and this was not the only reason why we talked to Martin Šimša, director of the National Institute of Folk Culture (NÚLK) in Strážnice. Well, is there really a reason for mourning? What can we look forward to in the immediate future? And when is the best time to visit the castle park and the open-air museum in Strážnice? These questions, and not only these, will be answered in the following interview. more
The double album Hrubá Hudba, which was jointly created by producer Jiří Hradil (Lesní zvěř, Tata Bojs, Kafka Band and others) and the Horňácká muzika band of Petr Mička, is an extraordinary musical achievement that puts together genuine Horňácko singing (the CD Hlasy starého světa [Voices of the Old World]) and folklore shifted to modern musical expression (the CD Hrubá hudba [Rough Music]). In an extensive two-part interview, we talked to the two fathers of the project, Jiří Hradil and Petr Mička, about their long-term cooperation, their path to Hrubá Hudba and finally about the double album itself and the possible continuation of the project. more
Trumpet player Jiří Kotača is the leader of a young, but very interesting and healthily ambitious big band named Cotatcha Orchestra. While this Brno-based orchestra is still waiting for its first album, Kotača recently released a CD with his smaller ensemble – the international Alf Carlsson/Jiří Kotača Quartet. The album is entitled Journeys. more
The singer Lizz Wright was born in 1980 to the family of a pastor. From childhood, gospel music was close to her, she used to sing in a choir and later began to adore additional originally Afro-American genres, such as soul, blues and jazz. In November 2019 at the Blues Alive festival in Šumperk she performed with her own band, but in Brno she will be accompanied by the Brno Philharmonic along with a trio of Prague jazz performers (David Dorůžka – guitar, Tomáš Baroš – double bass, Daniel Šoltis – drums). The concert will take place on 3 May in the Janáček Theatre as part of the JAZZFESTBRNO 2020 festival. more
On Friday 14 February, the Sono Centre in Brno hosted a genre-diversified festival, which was also a celebration of three decades of activity of three publishing branches, which we associate with the original simple name Indies Records. Over the years, Indies Records has divided itself into three separate labels with three distinct edition catalogues – Indies MG, Indies Scope and Indies Happy Trails, which are operated by the personalities of Miloš Gruber, Milan Páleš and Jaromír Kratochvíl. more
On the next day after the powerful experience I had gotten from the performance of Requiem by the Armenian composer Tigran Mansurian, I had the opportunity to meet its creator. The fragile, gentle and sincere music thus foreshadowed me of its author, with whom I spent a few precious moments in the director's lounge of the Besední dům in Brno in a very friendly conversation. more
The Prophet and the Wind is a multi-genre performance by flute player Martina Komínková. She created it in Italy and after its Italian premiere it will be presented in Brno for the first time. The Czech premiere will take place at Brno's Divadlo na Orlí Theatre on Sunday 3 November. The evening show starting at 7:00 pm is already sold out, but you can still buy tickets for the afternoon performance scheduled at 2:00 pm. more
Doctor Fligg talked to us about one of the most talented composers and musicians of the first half of the twentieth century – Gideon Klein. He is at the same time one of the organizers of the project Gido‘s coming home, which commemorates a flat one hundred years from the composer’s birth. more
Only rarely one single song is the main topic for an interview. In the case of the cellist Josef Klíč, the concert master of the National Theatre in Brno, this was offered. It does not happen every day that a Czech composer and his song reach the finals of a worldwide competition. However, there were more reasons for our talk – memories of the late Jaroslav Erik Frič, Josef's contract at the Janáček Theatre and the upcoming new album. more
The group Nebeztebe (a pun containing both "Not without You" and "Heaven from You) literally shone in the Brno scene a few years ago. The five-member line-up, with its marked rhythms, seemingly above styles, celebrated victory at Porta and headed for the giant multi-genre festivals. Under bandleader Štěpán Hulc seemingly the band went to sleep and only returned this year with a brand new, three-member line-up. The new Nebeztebe is made up of guitar, violin and mandolin and has not given up on taking a multi-genre approach. Once more they are giving concerts and are coming out with the concept album Zásobování duše (which might be translated as Supplying the Soul). more
Moravian Autumn, organised by the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra, has long been one of the most important musical events of the autumn season. For the third time it also included the student project New World of Moravian Autumn – living proof that the connection between academia and professional practice can yield stimulating and deeply artistic results. This project, which originated at JAMU as an experiment within the course in practical dramaturgy, has evolved into a fully-fledged and respected part of the festival programme over the past few years. more
22 September this year marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis (1875-1911) - Lithuanian artist, composer, painter and choirmaster, founder of Lithuanian national music and a representative of Symbolism and Art Nouveau. The concert entitled Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis - MKČ 150, which clearly referenced this anniversary, took place on Thursday 23 October at Besední dům. The programme combined Čiurlionis’s compositions with works by František Chaloupka, who also collaborated on the project as dramaturge. The concert was given the umbrella title Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis / František Chaloupka: Moje cesta (My Journey), a nod to one of Čiurlionis' pictorial triptychs. Chaloupka's work, however, does not follow directly on from Čiurlionis. It follows its own path, but connects with him through inspiration in mythology, where it sees a strong reflection of the present. more
The concert evening by PhilHarmonia Octet Prague with guest baritone Roman Hoza brought a programme conceived with curatorial sensitivity - with emphasis on the continuity of the classical tradition and its later metamorphoses. more
The Brno staging of Janáček's Jenůfa at the Moravian Autumn Festival once again proved that even after many years, an original directorial concept can still reveal new dramatic and musical nuances when refreshed through a partly renewed cast and interpretive inventiveness. Martin Glaser’s direction remains firmly grounded in a realistic reading of the work, yet in combination with Robert Kružík’s musical leadership the production feels alive, gripping, and emotionally genuine. more
The chamber music programme of the 53rd Moravian Autumn International Festival on Thursday featured songs by Franz Schubert arranged for guitar and voice by the duo María Cristina Kiehr (soprano) and Pablo Márquez (romantic guitar). The evening, entitled Longing, took place in Brno’s Besední dům. more
Liane Sadler and Elias Conrad bring an intimate synthesis of Renaissance flutes and lutes to Brno. They adapt polyphonic compositions, various dance forms and airs de cour for their instruments, using historical improvisation techniques such as diminution or bastarda. Sadler & Conrad is an ensemble included in the prestigious pan-European S-EEEmerging project focused on the professional and sustainable development of young early music ensembles. They come to Brno at the invitation of the Concentus Moraviae festival, which is one of the twelve partners of this project. As part of their residency, they will perform at a concert in the series "Barbara Maria Willi presents..." on 7/10 at 7 pm in the Convent of the Brothers of Mercy. more
The prologue of the annual Lednice-Valtice Music Festival took place in Brno's Reduta Theatre on Saturday 20 September 2025. The festival’s opening evening featured the Brno chamber Ensemble Opera Diversa with conductor Gabriela Tardonová. The 10th anniversary year of the festival is subtitled From the New World, which is probably why the dramaturgy focused on young artists - pianist Ayla Bárta and violinist Matteo Hager, as symbolical representatives of the future world. more
With Sunday's opening concert, Filharmonie Brno embarked on its seventieth anniversary season and also its eighth led by conductor Dennis Russell Davies. The Kantiléna children's choir is celebrating the same anniversary as Filharmonie Brno, and so the two ensembles coming together for the opening concert of the season was the perfect choice. At the Janáček Theatre this conjunction was provided by Gustav Mahler's monumental Symphony No. 3 in D minor. The aforementioned performers were complemented by mezzo-soprano Kateřina Hebelková and the Czech Philharmonic Choir of Brno. more
Jelena Popržan is a viola player. Born in Serbia, she studied in Austria, where she now lives, and this year she will be a guest at the Brno Music Marathon Festival. On Sunday, 10 August, she will perform in the courtyard of the House of the Lords of Kunštát as part of the Balkan Soirée. We are talking to Jelena Popržan about her path to music, the challenges and joys of playing the viola, the historical perspective of this instrument and the various groups and projects she is involved in. more
This year, more than 41,000 people visited the International Folklore Festival in Strážnice, a record-breaking number. Indeed, a surprising number. Such a vast number of people gathering in one place at a time when the demise of folklore and folklorism had been predicted many times over. What made them do it? This year’s 80th anniversary year certainly helped, but the anniversary alone would not have been enough. What is the charm? Every visitor takes away a different experience, a different memory, a different story. And I will offer you mine now. So, what was my Strážnice 2025 experience like? And did I find the answer to the question of what lies behind its immense appeal? more
The opera King Roger by Polish composer Karol Szymanowski had its Czech première at the Janáček Theatre. The title character was played by Jiří Brückler, the king's consort Roxana was portrayed by Veronika Rovná, Roger's right hand man, the sage Edrisi, was played by Vít Nosek, while Petr Nekoranec appeared as the Shepherd and the main source of Roger's trouble. The role of the High Priest was performed by David Szendiuch; Jana Hrochová appeared as the Deaconess and the soprano and tenor solos were performed by Eva Daňhelová and Pavel Valenta. In addition to the soloists, the Janáček Opera NdB Choir and Orchestra conducted by Martin Buchta and the Brno Children's Choir with choirmaster Valeria Mat'ašová also performed. It was directed by Vladimír John, with set design by Martin Chocholoušek and costumes by Barbora Rašková. The lighting design was by Martin Kroupa and the choreography by Jan Kodet and Michal Heriban. Robert Kružík, who also directed the première performance, took over the musical direction. more
The international Concentus Moraviae music festival, which sees world-class performers and leading figures in the world of artistic music flock to more than twenty towns in Moravia and Lower Austria every year, kicked off its 30th anniversary on Saturday 31 May at Porta Coeli in Předklášteří. It was an evening of polyphony from the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries performed by the Graindelavoix ensemble under the direction of conductor, writer, filmmaker and anthropologist Björn Schmelzer. more
The sixth concert of the Philharmonic at Home subscription series, entitled Beethoven, "Czech Beethoven" and Martinů, took place on Thursday 22 May at the Besední dům. As the title suggests, the programme included works by Jan Václav Hugo Voříšek, Bohuslav Martinů and Ludwig van Beethoven. This time, the Filharmonie Brno was led by conductor Alena Hron and in the first half of the concert the orchestra was accompanied by Trio Bohémo, consisting of Matouš Pěruška - violin, Kristina Vocetková - cello and Jan Vojtek - piano. The entire evening was dedicated to the recently deceased Prof. Alena Štěpánková Veselá, Brno organist, former Rector of JAMU and one of the most prominent figures on Brno's cultural scene. more
He made an indelible mark in the history of Czech and thus Czechoslovak ethnomusicology with his in-depth research into folk music and songs in Horňácko and elsewhere, and also with the range of songs he recorded. In addition, he laid the foundations for study into the Romani Holocaust. On 25 April this year, Horňácko-born ethnographer and singer Dušan Holý would have celebrated his 92nd birthday. He left us forever in January, but he left behind a body of work that deserves to be remembered. more
Brno City Theatre's latest production is Big Beat, originally a film musical from the 1950s, based on short stories by writer Petr Šabach. The film Big Beat was directed by Jan Hřebejk and accompanied by the songs of Ivan Hlas. In 1993, it was the first film to win the newly established Czech Lion award in four categories. It was only a matter of time before the theatre would pick it up, in 2001 in Plzeň. And the musical Big Beat has been touring the country ever since. more
Editorial
A world-class early-music star heads to Moravian Autumn: Orchestra & Choir of the Age of Enlightenment
Tomorrow brings one of Moravian Autumn’s musical highlights. Britain’s Orchestra & Choir of the Age of Enlightenment arrives in Brno with conductor John Butt. Their performance at the Janáček Theatre will feature Georg Friedrich Händel's oratorio Solomon. more
A brand-new work has been created for this year’s Moravian Autumn festival - the ballet Under the Surface. It's a joint project by Brno artists, tailor-made for a specific dance company and orchestra. The story draws on motifs from Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid. Many of the performers are associated with the Veveří Elementary Art School, which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year and has produced many active artists over the decades. Most of the performers are pupils and students under 10 years of age. more
NdB Ballet explores the Kafka phenomenon
The National Theatre Brno Ballet opens the new season today with the première of the ballet Kafka. In dance form, it will pay tribute to the literary genius whose centenary of death we marked last year. Kafkaesque themes are still relevant in modern society, as evidenced by the fact that artists constantly return to them. Choreographer Markéta Pimek Habalová, also the creator of the popular Cinderella, is crafting a contemporary ballet for NdB. more
Jakub Hrůša receives a state honour
Brno native Jakub Hrůša has been awarded the Medal of Merit in the field of culture. He received the award today, Tuesday 28 October 2025, from the President of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel. more
Ensemble Opera Diversa Night Prayers
Night Prayers are part of the ensemble’s church concerts, a series in which Ensemble Opera Diversa has been bringing contemporary sacred music to fitting venues for fifteen years. This concept has featured several world and Czech premières – this programme is no exception. It includes the world première of a work by Brno composer Pavel Zemek Novák and the Czech premiere of Giya Kancheli’s Night Prayers for soprano saxophone, strings and tape. more
Tickets go on sale for the jubilee festival Janáček Brno 2026
The Janáček Brno 2026 festival enters its 10th anniversary year with an extremely ambitious programme. Its centrepiece is a complete presentation of Leoš Janáček's operatic works - from his early compositions to his masterpieces. Such a comprehensive showcase of the composer’s legacy is unique on a global scale and underlines the festival’s singular status among international music events. The jubilee edition bears the motto "Roots", reflecting the sources of Janáček’s inspiration – folk and sacred music – their reach into contemporary creation, and a dialogue with works by other composers. more
Ensemble Opera Diversa and their varied autumn programme
This year's autumn with Diversa will offer a busy programme in which all Ensemble Opera Diversa’s components are equally represented. The autumn programme will begin with a day-long happening to mark the 130th anniversary of the birth of the prominent architect Bohuslav Fuchs. As part of its series of concerts, the ensemble will perform at the Lednice-Valtice Music Festival and the Moravian Autumn, as well as making a guest appearance in Žďár nad Sázavou. more
A pre-première sneak peek at the opera Aida
The performance of the new production of Verdi's Aida will feature a meeting with members of the production team and soloists as well as a musical preview of the opera. The pre-première sneak peek will take place at the Janáček Theatre and can also be watched online. more
Soňa Červená would have celebrated her 100th birthday today. The NdB has prepared an e-exhibition to mark this jubilee
Today, opera singer Soňa Červená would have turned 100. Her early days as a singer are linked to the Brno Opera, to which she also returned in the last years of her life. To mark the anniversary of her birth, the National Theatre Brno has put together an e-exhibition that can be visited online from today until 7 May 2026. more
Jakub Hrůša takes up his new role as head of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in London today
Brno-born Jakub Hrůša will embark on his new career in London today with an opera performance of Puccini's Tosca directed by Oliver Mears. The main roles will be played by Anna Netrebko alternating with Aleksandra Kurzak, as well as Freddie De Tommaso and Gerald Finley. During his new engagement, Hrůša will also be working with soprano Kateřina Kněžíková, who will also perform at this year's Janáček Brno Festival, and tenor Pavel Černoch. more
