Classical Music
News
Filharmonie Brno cancels tonight’s concert: María Grand & Maya Keren
The concert organised by Filharmonie Brno has been cancelled as one of the soloists is ill. A replacement date is being arranged. more
The National Theatre Brno launches an online exhibition: In the Role of Kostelnička
The National Theatre Brno invites audiences to explore its online exhibition IN THE ROLE OF KOSTELNIČKA, tracing 120 years of Brno interpretations of one of the most renowned operatic roles. more
BCO's Šestinozí bohatýři - Six-Legged Warriors: Two world premieres and two Czech premieres in Židenice
The theatre hall of Dělnický dům (Workers’ House) in the Brno district of Židenice has, for more than a century, been a place where the worlds of people and beetles meet. Concerts and theatre performances alternate here with entomological fairs and gatherings of lovers of beetles, butterflies, bees and other insects. It is for this reason that the Brno Contemporary Orchestra will present the concert Šestinozí bohatýři (“Six-Legged Warriors”), offering a meeting point between the structured, pragmatic sound world of insects and the chaos, freedom and democratic spirit of human music. The concert will feature two world premieres, two Czech premieres, and one revival of a work originally written for the BCO in 2018. more
News: Petr Štědroň Appointed New Director of the National Theatre Brno
Brno City Council has appointed Petr Štědroň the new Director of the National Theatre Brno. He will take up his post on 1 August 2028, succeeding the current director Martin Glaser, who will step down on 31 July 2028 and move to lead the National Theatre in Prague. more
Two Awards for NdB at the Prestigious International Opera Awards 2025
The National Theatre Brno is celebrating an exceptional international success – it has received two awards at the prestigious International Opera Awards 2025 for Janáček Brno and for the production of The Excursions of Mr. Brouček. more
Alcina with Magdalena Kožená in the title role
Händel’s Alcina, prepared musically by Václav Luks with Collegium 1704 and staged in Jiří Heřman’s lavish production, returns to the Janáček Theatre stage for just four performances. In the title role, Magdalena Kožená will make a rare appearance. more
Amadeus: Europe’s finest young pianists perform together in Besední dům
Now in its 32nd year, the international Mozart-themed competition Amadeus, open to young pianists up to the age of 15, is a prestigious platform showcasing rising talent. While there is no lower age limit, the upper one is set at fifteen. Amadeus will see 87 children from ten countries compete. The concert showcasing young piano talents from all over Europe will take place in Besední dům. 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 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
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
Feature articles
The final concert of this year’s instalment of the Barbara Maria Willi Presents series offered a unique project that on 4 December brought together two ensembles in the Convent of the Brothers of Mercy: Cappella Pratensis and Ramillete de Tonos. They showed the audience the many different ways in which one can work with the polyphonic repertoire of the 15th and 16th centuries. The programme intertwined sacred and secular music, and purely vocal, vocal-instrumental and purely instrumental pieces. more
The rediscovery and digitisation of the Brno polyphonic manuscripts BAM 1 and BAM 2 has opened a new chapter in the study and performance of Renaissance music. At the crossroads of historical research, modern technology, and artistic interpretation stands Past Forward, a cross-border project connecting institutions from the Netherlands, Belgium and the Czech Republic. At its artistic core are two musicians whose approaches complement each other: Tim Braithwaite, artistic director of Cappella Pratensis, and Kateřina Maňáková, lutenist, teacher of early plucked instruments at Janáček Academy of Performing Arts and guarantor of the entire initiative. In this conversation, they discuss working with previously overlooked sources, the challenges of historically informed performance, the promises of international collaboration, and their vision for the future of early-music interpretation. more
The concert by Filharmonie Brno under Dennis Russell Davies on Thursday 6 November in Besední dům offered a fascinating programme combining the work of two contemporary composers from the former Soviet Union. The performers included Armenian baritone Aksel Daveyan, violist Julian Veverica, percussionist Lukáš Krejčí, and the Austrian Hard-Chor Linz choir under choirmaster Alexander Koller. more
Brno-born pianist and Director General of the Czech Philharmonic, David Mareček, is appearing together with cellist Václav Petr on a concert tour in South Korea. During the first week of November, the duo is presenting Czech repertoire on prestigious stages, including the Seogwipo Arts Center, Yongin Poeun Art Hall and Daegu Concert House. 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
How to make an opera? Workshop for the second grade of elementary and high schools
Where did opera originate? What is a libretto? Who is a stage manager? And what does a set designer need to know? You will learn this and much more at our workshop. Participants will learn about the opera genre, the process of creating a production, the operation of the theatre and the professions that work in the theatre. It also includes a taste of opera singing. Participants will experience several activities that will give them a glimpse into the workings of an opera theatre, the opera genre and its demands. The workshop also includes a short tour of the Janáček Theatre.
Music in the main role, that's how Dvořák's opera Jakobín could be summed up, because it is precisely it that can change the fate of all the characters in the opera. At the same time, Dvořák created a charming picture of a Czech town from the Enlightenment era populated by quirky figures of the music-loving teacher Benda, his stubborn daughter Terinka in love with the young teacher Jiřík, or the cocky burgrave Filip. Perhaps it was a fond memory of the circumstances of his own youth that brought so many charming, rich melodies, both playful and melancholic, to Dvořák's music, be it the famous scene of the school cantata, the duet "We wandered abroad" or Juliet's lullaby. What better opera to start the season falling under the Year of Czech Music with than Jakobín, which is Dvořák's tribute to Czech music and the people who love it above all else.
IN THE ORCHESTRA: MUSIC AND HISTORY
GEORG FRIEDRICH HANDEL Alexander's Feast, Overture LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 3 in E flat major "Eroica" Op. 55 (selection from the 1st movement - Allegro con brio) AARON COPLAND Lincoln Portrait (selection) DMITRY SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 9 in E flat major Op. 70 (1st movement - Allegro), Symphony No. 10 in E minor Op. 93 (2nd movement - Allegro) BEDŘICH SMETANA Fanfares from the opera Libuše Brno Philharmonic conductor Stanislav Vavřínek moderators Kristýna Drášilová and Vítězslav Mikeš script by Kristýna Drášilová
IN THE ORCHESTRA: MUSIC AND HISTORY
GEORG FRIEDRICH HANDEL Alexander's Feast, Overture LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 3 in E flat major "Eroica" Op. 55 (selection from the 1st movement - Allegro con brio) AARON COPLAND Lincoln Portrait (selection) DMITRY SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 9 in E flat major Op. 70 (1st movement - Allegro), Symphony No. 10 in E minor Op. 93 (2nd movement - Allegro) BEDŘICH SMETANA Fanfares from the opera Libuše Brno Philharmonic conductor Stanislav Vavřínek moderators Kristýna Drášilová and Vítězslav Mikeš script by Kristýna Drášilová
Graduation Concert (Master's Degree)
PETRA BURGETOVÁ / vocals Piano collaboration: dept. as. MgA. MAREK PAĽA Co-performers: ZDEŇKA MALINOVÁ / harpsichord, MATĚJ KOVANDA / cello, ARSENY MENKOV / oboe, ANETA HABŠUDOVÁ j. h. / viola, JAKUB KUB / percussion, BEDŘIŠKA PONÍŽILOVÁ / vocals Program: Johann Sebastian Bach: Weichet nur, betrübte Schatten BWV 202 – aria Sich üben im lieben; Alessandro Scarlatti: Griselda – Griselda’s aria “In voler ciò che tu brami”, “Figlio! Tiranno!”; Edvard Grieg: Suite Peer Gynt, op. 23 – Solveig’s song, Solveig’s lullaby; Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Chi sà, chi sà, qual sia, KV 582; Franz Lehár: The Merry Widow – Hanna’s aria “Vilja Lied”; Claudio Monteverdi: Ciaccona Zefiro torna e di soavi accents; Fernando Obradors: Canciones clásicas españolas, Vol. 1 – selection, Canciones clásicas españolas, Vol. 2 – selection; Jules Massenet: Cendrillon - Aria Cendrillon Ah! Que mes soeurs sont heureuses!; Antonin Dvořák: Armida - Armida's aria "Behind the slender gazelle".
Devil's Wall
Bedřich Smetana originally thought of a comic opera with librettist Eliška Krásnohorská. In the end, while composing his last completed opera, the composer found moments in the romantic text, inspired by an old legend about a wall of stones built by the devil on the river by the Vyšehrod monastery, that gave the whole story a different tone. Smetana's isolation in Jabkenice and his dismal health and depression were reflected in the individual characters, and the comicalness was replaced by the depth of their feelings. The humor did not disappear either, but it is combined with the desire for love, life wisdom, melancholy and devilish temptation, so that the main tone was a celebration of love, loyalty and dedication.
Graduation Concert (Master's Degree)
DAVYD BAHDASARIAN / guitar Piano collaboration: doc. RENATA LICHNOVSKÁ Program: Jeseok Bang: Variations Hommage and Julian Bream; Mauro Giuliani: Rossiniana No. 1; Kevin Callahan: The Red Fantasy; Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Capriccio Diabolico, op. 85; Joaquín Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez.
Graduation Concert (Bachelor's Degree)
KRISTÝNA FÖRDÖSOVÁ / harpsichord Co-performers: ZDEŇKA MALINOVÁ / harpsichord, VERONIKA FÖRDÖSOVÁ, ADÉLA ONDRÁČKOVÁ / French horn Program: Josef Antonín Štěpán: Sonata in B flat major; Girolamo Frescobaldi: Toccata seconda; Georg Friedrich Handel: Suite for two harpsichords in C minor, HWV 446; Alessandro Marcello/Johann Sebastian Bach: Concerto in D minor, BWV 596; Antonio Vivaldi: Concerto for 2 horns, strings and basso continuo in F major, RV 538; Gaspard Le Roux: Suite in D minor for two harpsichords.
