Eyes of Brno: Behind the mirror with Jana Kosíková

The latest concert in the Exposition of New Music festival, held yesterday at Brno’s Besední dům, was devoted entirely to piano music. It took listeners into the fascinating world of spectral music, the instrument’s internal acoustic structures and the phenomena of resonance. To bring the instrument’s hidden transformations of sound and natural inharmonicity fully to the fore, two different types of piano stood in the centre of the hall: a standard grand and a modified piano, with rubber inserts and beaters placed among the strings.  more

A deep dive into the world of spectral music, acoustic experimentation and free improvisation awaited audiences at a concert held on Tuesday at Brno’s Besední dům as part of the 38th Exposition of New Music festival, subtitled Ars Spectrum. The evening brought together three works exploring the limits of listening, the inner structure of sound and the interplay between the concert hall and the world outside. A defining feature of the concert was the unconventional use of space: rather than sitting on stage, the musicians were positioned in the middle of the hall, surrounded by the audience, microphones and loudspeakers.  more

As part of the 23rd edition of the early music concert series Barbara Maria Presents, a chamber concert devoted to Dvořák’s early songs took place on 1 October. The Brno audience had a unique opportunity to encounter Antonín Dvořák from a different perspective – not as the mature master of the great symphonies, but as a composer who, in the 1870s, was still experimenting and searching for his own musical language, while also exploring the foundations of effective Czech declamation. Soprano Martina Janková and harpsichordist, organist and fortepianist Barbara Maria Willi presented a programme of songs complemented by piano miniatures by Robert Schumann.  more

Brno Philharmonic opened its 2026/2027 concert season on Sunday 20 September at the Janáček Theatre. The orchestra was joined for the occasion by guest conductor Petr Altrichter, its former chief conductor. Under the motto All Roads Lead to Brno, this season’s repertoire brings together composers and musical events with connections to the city and its rich cultural life. The opening concert therefore featured Johannes Brahms’s Symphony No. 2, a particularly fitting choice given that Brahms performed as a pianist at Brno’s Reduta in 1867. The programme opened with César Franck’s symphonic poem Psyché, for which the orchestra was joined by the Czech Philharmonic Choir Brno under the direction of Petr Fiala.  more

The tenth edition of the international opera and music festival Janáček Brno 2026 will take place from 13 October to 17 November 2026. With Janáček’s complete operatic output at its heart, alongside a programme of concerts and accompanying events, the festival offers a unique celebration of the composer’s work on an international scale. As part of the festival preview, National Theatre Brno is presenting four operas by Leoš Janáček (1854–1928) ahead of the festival itself. The series began on Saturday, 5 September, with The Makropulos Affair, which also opened Brno’s 2026/27 opera season.  more