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.
The National Theatre Brno has achieved a remarkable triumph at the prestigious International Opera Awards 2025, often dubbed the "opera Oscars". It won two major awards – in the Festival category for the Janáček Brno 2024 International Festival, and in the New Production category for the Janáček Opera of the National Theatre Brno production of The Excursions of Mr. Brouček. This production was created as a co-production of the Janáček Opera of the National Theatre Brno with Teatro Real Madrid and Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin, directed by Robert Carsen with musical direction by Marko Ivanović. It was Carsen’s staging that opened the festival’s 9th edition, Janáček Brno 2024, with a festive premiere on 1 November 2024 at the Janáček Theatre, before being presented at Staatsoper Unter den Linden in March 2025.
In the face of strong competition from institutions such as Opéra national de Paris and the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the National Theatre Brno succeeded and confirmed its place among the world’s opera elite. In the Festival category, Janáček Brno surpassed, among others, the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music, the Munich Opera Festival and the Rossini Opera Festival.
This year’s award marks a historic milestone for Janáček Brno. Not only is it the only Czech festival to win, but it has also achieved victory for the second time – the first triumph came in 2018. The festival has now joined the ranks of global giants such as the Salzburg Festival and the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, the only other festivals to have won this award more than once. Tickets for the 10th anniversary edition of Janáček Brno 2026, which will run from 13 October to 17 November 2026, are on sale now. This edition will be the longest and most extensive, both in duration and the number of productions. Audiences can look forward to an exceptional line-up of top performers (Corinne Winters, Štefan Margita, Kateřina Kněžíková, Adam Plachetka, Bella Adamova, Julius Drake, and others), world-renowned conductors (Jakub Hrůša, Tomáš Hanus, Tomáš Netopil, Vasily Petrenko, Christopher Ward, etc.) and prestigious international orchestras and ensembles, including Bamberger Symphoniker, Bayerische Staatsoper and ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien. The programme will also include the award-winning production of The Excursions of Mr. Brouček, presented on 7 October 2026 as a festival preview and again on 15 October 2026 as part of the festival’s main opera line, with Nicky Spence in the title role.
The National Theatre Brno’s success at the International Opera Awards is not unprecedented. In 2024 it was nominated for Here I am, Orlando in the World Premiere category, and in 2022 with The Greek Passion in the New Production category (both directed by Jiří Heřman). Thanks to this year’s double victory, the National Theatre Brno has firmly secured its position among the most important artistic institutions on the global opera scene.
The International Opera Awards (IOA) are one of the world’s most prestigious opera awards. Founded in 2012 by British philanthropist Harry Hyman. Its mission is to raise awareness of opera, recognise outstanding achievements and support young talent through the Opera Awards Foundation, which provides scholarships to emerging artists worldwide. Awards are presented annually in roughly twenty categories, covering singers, conductors, directors, opera houses, new productions, festivals and recordings. The public may submit nominations, while winners are selected by an expert jury of critics and specialists from across the world. The awards ceremony takes place each year in a different world city – in past years in London or Madrid; this year in the Stavros Niarchos Hall in Athens. The prestige of the International Opera Awards is underscored by the broad international participation of leading opera houses, festivals and artists.
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