Nominated for Gramophone’s 2022 ‘Orchestra of the Year’, the 127-year-old Czech Philharmonic gave its first concert – an all Dvořák programme conducted by the composer himself - in the famed Rudolfinum Hall on 4 January 1896. The Orchestra is acknowledged for its definitive interpretations of Czech composers and recognised for its special relationship to the music of Brahms, Tchaikovsky, and Mahler, who conducted the world première of his Symphony No. 7 with the Orchestra in 1908. It is currently recording the complete cycle of Mahler symphonies with Chief Conductor and Music Director, Semyon Bychkov for Pentatone.

The Czech Philharmonic’s extraordinary and proud history reflects both its location at the very heart of Europe and the Czech Republic’s turbulent political history, for which Smetana’s Má vlast (My Homeland) has become a potent symbol. 2024 is the Year of Czech Music, a major celebration of Czech music launched on the bicentenary of Smetana’s birth and celebrated across the Czech Republic every 10 years. The Czech Philharmonic will mark Smetana’s bicentenary with a series of concerts at the Smetana Litomyšl Festival including a rare concert performance of his opera, Libuše, conducted by Principal Guest Conductor, Jakub Hrůša.. Also in recognition of the Year of Czech Music, the Czech Philharmonic and Semyon Bychkov will take Dvořák’s final three symphonies, and the concertos for piano, cello and violin on tour to South Korea, Japan, Spain, Austria, Germany, Belgium and France.

Throughout the Orchestra’s history, two features have remained at its core: its championing of Czech composers and its belief in music’s power to change lives. From as early as the 1920’s Václav Talich (Chief Conductor 1919-1941) pioneered concerts for workers, young people and voluntary organisations, a philosophy which is equally vibrant today. 

Alongside the Czech Philharmonic’s Youth Orchestra, Orchestral Academy and Jiří Bělohlávek Prize for young musicians, a comprehensive education strategy engages with more than 400 schools bringing all ages to the Rudolfinum – some travelling as long as four hours - to hear concerts and participate in workshops. An inspirational music and song programme led by singer Ida Kelarová for the extensive Romany communities within the Czech Republic and Slovakia has helped many socially excluded families to find a voice. In addition to an annual education exchange with the Royal Academy of Music in London, over lockdown the Orchestra gave seven benefit concerts which were live streamed in 4K to international audiences, raising funds for hospitals, charities, and healthcare professionals.

An early champion of the music of Martinů and Janáček, the works of Czech composers - both established and new - remain the lifeblood of the Orchestra. Instigated by Semyon Bychkov at the start of his tenure, nine Czech composers and five international composers - Detlev Glanert, Julian Anderson, Thomas Larcher, Bryce Dessner and Thierry Escaich – were commissioned to write for the Orchestra.

This season’s Artist in Residence is Sir András Schiff who will have the dual roles of pianist and conductor of the Orchestra at the Dvořák Prague Festival; will perform with the Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra as part of the Czech Chamber Music Society’s season; and will join Semyon Bychkov for subscription concerts in Prague and on tour in Vienna, Hamburg and Munich. 

source: Czech Philharmonic

The Prague Philharmonic Choir was founded in 1935 by choirmaster and teacher Jan Kühn. Entering its 90th season, it is the oldest Czech professional choir. However, the choir has garnered international acclaim as a prominent ensemble as well. Recently, it has received particular recognition for its interpretation of its oratorio and cantata repertoire. Since 2007, the choir has been led by principal choirmaster and artistic director Lukáš Vasilek. Lukáš Kozubík serves as the second choirmaster.

Under the direction of Lukáš Vasilek, the choir has established itself as a highly respected partner of major orchestras. On the domestic scene, it has long collaborated primarily with the Czech Philharmonic and, in choral concerts, with the PKF – Prague Philharmonia. Internationally, its musical partners include the Berlin and Essen Philharmonics, the Vienna Symphony, the North German Radio Symphony Orchestra Hamburg, and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.

The Prague Philharmonic Choir has gained valuable experience from its work with distinguished conductors, which recently has included Semyon Bychkov, Jakub Hrůša, Sir Simon Rattle, Daniel Harding, Zubin Mehta, and Christoph Eschenbach. It also regularly participates in renowned music festivals such as Smetana’s Litomyšl, Prague Spring, Dvořák Prague and Prague Sounds. In recent years, the choir has played an active role on the international stage, serving as the resident choir for the Bregenzer Festspiele opera festival.

This season, the choir will be presenting three exclusive choral concerts. They were curated with a main focus on demanding and lesser-known choral pieces, such as a cappella or with instrumental accompaniment. Traditionally, it performs at concerts organised by Prague-based orchestras, but has been known to also visit other venues such as Ostrava. Internationally, the choir has performed in cities such as Dresden, Baden-Baden, Hamburg, and Bregenz.

In addition to its regular concert activities, the Prague Philharmonic Choir is engaged in educational projects. For young audiences, it has prepared a series of educational concerts specifically tailored for both schools and families with children. Their programme places strong emphasis on ensuring an enjoyable and actively engaging experience for children. Organised for voice students, the Prague Philharmonic Choir Academy offers a unique platform for young singers to engage in professional ensemble performances, participate in major musical projects, and gain experience working with leading artists.

The choir’s vocal qualities are evidenced, among other things, by its rich archive of recordings, which continues to grow with each season. The discography includes albums released by various record labels such as Pentatone, Decca Classics, Sony Classical, and Supraphon. The Prague Philharmonic Choir has also garnered recognition for its recording activities, receiving awards from the British Gramophone magazine and BBC Music Magazine, as well as the prestigious Diapason d’Or de l’Annèe award. The first gramophone recording, conducted by Václav Talich in 1952, featured Dvořák’s oratorio Stabat Mater; the most recent CDs, released in 2023, includes Mahler’s Symphony No.2 with the Czech Philharmonic and Semyon Bychkov and the choir’s own album entitled Stravinsky, Janáček, Bartók: Village Stories.

The Prague Philharmonic Choir received the 2018 Classic Prague Award for Best Vocal Concert, the Czech Television Classics of the Year Award, and in 2022 the Antonín Dvořák Award for outstanding artistic merit, promotion, and popularisation of Czech music. 

source: Prague Philharmonic Choir

Lukáš Vasilek is entering his 16th season as the principal choirmaster and artistic director of the Prague Philharmonic Choir. He applies his intricate talent for choral music in interpreting both a cappella repertoire and large cantata and oratorio works with instrumentation. In conducting the choir, he collaborates with renowned orchestras and conductors, both Czech and international.

With the Prague Philharmonic Choir, he has earned recognition especially for his excellent interpretations of extensive works by Mahler, Dvořák, and Janáček. The highlights of the choral concerts include Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem and Francis Poulenc’s Stabat Mater. His daring approach to concert dramaturgy is evident in the incorporation of unconventional choices, such as jazz spirituals in the programme.

He studied conducting at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague and musicology at Charles University. He mainly returns to his original field of orchestral conducting in concerts of various choral series, where he has been working closely with the PKF – Prague Philharmonia for the past three years. He has conducted members of both the Czech Philharmonic and the Kiev Symphony Orchestra.

Lukáš Vasilek gained his first experience with choral singing as a member of the Boni pueri boys’ choir. His subsequent artistic journey led him to serve as the choirmaster of the Foerster Chamber Choir and later the National Theatre Choir. In 2022, he was a guest conductor of the French choir Accentus. In addition to the Prague Philharmonic Choir, he works with the vocal ensemble Martinů Voices, which he founded in 2010. With this ensemble, he primarily interprets chamber choral music spanning from the 19th to the 21st centuries. He is also a teacher at the Academy of Performing Arts, where he teaches choral conducting.

As a conductor and choirmaster, he has made a lasting impact through numerous recordings produced for major record labels such as Decca Classics and Supraphon. In recent years, his recordings of Bohuslav Martinů’s choral works have garnered international acclaim, earning awards from prestigious magazines such as Gramophone, BBC Music Magazine, and Diapason. His most recent CD with the Prague Philharmonic Choir was recorded in 2023. The album entitled Stravinsky, Janáček, Bartók: Village Stories encapsulates the rediscovered magic of folk songs and rituals in the compositions of these three 20th century masters. 

source: Prague Philharmonic Choir

"She's different, immediately recognisable, and exceptional: she has a free and expressive vocal style, playing with its expansiveness in space, enjoying the freedom of creating in the present moment." (Michaela Vostřelová, Aktualně.cz)

Mezzo-soprano and improviser Bella Adamova navigates through various musical periods, genres, and cultures with natural ease, but the focal point of her artistic interest is the song. Her repertoire ranges from the baroque to contemporary pieces (including works specifically written for her), encompassing German Lieder and Russian romances. With deeply and thoughtfully crafted song recitals, she has performed on significant stages and festivals such as Prague Spring, Heidelberger Frühling, St. Wenceslas Music Festival (SHF), Music is… Festival, and Villa Senar, the Swiss residence of Sergei Rachmaninov.

The young singer has won numerous awards at international competitions: together with pianist Malte Schäfer, they are laureates of the international Franz Schubert and Modern Music competition in Graz in the Lied duo category. She has also received the top prize in the International Robert Schumann Competition (2021), the Walter and Charlotte Hamel Prize at the Bundeswettbewerb Gesang in Berlin, the Czech Song Prize at the Emmy Destinn Awards in London, and the Bohuslav Martinů Foundation Prize at the International Antonín Dvořák Competition. The BBC Music Magazine recently featured her as a rising star.

Bella sings and improvises in a duo with pianist Michael Gees, with whom she released their first joint album, Blooming in 2019. Their second CD titled There is home (2023) explores the concept of searching for home and defining this notion or feeling. The album introduces an unconventional concept where songs by Pavel Haas, Benjamin Britten, Gustav Mahler, and Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky freely intertwine and are organically interspersed with improvisations on selected poems.

Bella also dedicates herself to operatic and oratorio repertoire. In 2022, she won the main prize in the oratorio category at the International Vocal Competition in 's-Hertogenbosch. This season she will sing the alto solos in Mahler's 2nd Symphony with the Prague Symphony Orchestra (FOK) and Tomáš Brauner, de Falla’s El amor brujo with the Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic and Robert Kružík, and Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass. On the opera stages, she appears at Theater Bielefeld in Carmen as Mercédès, and at the National Theatre in Prague as the Third Woodsprite in a new staging of Rusalka (directed by the SKUTR duo/conductor Tomáš Netopil).

Bella Adamova was born in Grozny and grew up in Prague. She completed her musical studies in London, Cologne, Basel, and Hanover and received additional training at the Tanglewood Music Center, Royaumont Foundation, and Lied Basel. Bella had the privilege of learning from, amongst others, Anne Sofie von Otter, Christoph Prégardien, Thomas Hampson, Simon Keenlyside, Jan Philip Schulze, Dawn Upshaw, Christian Immler, and Kateřina Knežíková.

source: Makropulos

One of the most exciting tenors Britain has to offer today, David Butt Philip is quickly becoming a firm favorite on the major international stages. An alumnus of the Jette Parker Young Artist Programme, his recent debuts in roles such as Stolzing Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg at Wiener Staatsoper; Florestan Fidelio and Prince Rusalka at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; Bacchus Ariadne auf Naxos at the Edinburgh International Festival and Bayerische Staatsoper and title roles of Der Zwerg and Lohengrin at Deutsche Oper Berlin, have earned him major critical and public acclaim.

In the 2023-24 season, Butt Philip continues to make eagerly awaited appearances with his debut as Apollo in Richard Strauss Daphne at the Wiener Staatsoper and at the Staatsoper Berlin; a new production of Lohengrin and a return as Stolzing both at Wiener Staatsoper; Don José Carmen and Lohengrin at the Deutsche Oper Berlin; Florestan Fidelio at the Bayerische Staatsoper and a role debut as Canio Pagliacci at Opera Holland Park. On the concert platform, Butt Philip joins the Staatskapelle Dresden for Mahler Symphony No.8 under the baton of Christian Thielemann; the Berliner Philharmoniker for Dvořák Stabat Mater conducted by Jakub Hrůša and makes his debut at the Bergen International Festival.

Engagements of the previous season included a triple appearance at the Wiener Staatsoper as Laca Jenůfa, Stolzing in Keith Warner’s new production of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg and Don Jose Carmen. He also made his company and role debut at the San Francisco Opera as Der Kaiser in David Hockney’s production of Die Frau ohne Schatten conducted by Sir David Runnicles and returned to the Royal Opera House as the Prince in a new contemporary staging of Rusalka by Natalie Abrahami and Ann Yee. His concert appearances included Stolzing Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg for his debut at the Spring Festival in Tokyo and Schönberg’s Gurre- Lieder with the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Edward Gardner.

Recent engagements include his Metropolitan Opera debut as Grigory Boris Godunuv and in the American premiere of Brett Dean’s Hamlet as Laertes; Boris in a new production of Katya Kabanova at the Salzburg Festival and in Glyndebourne; the title role in Brett Dean’s Hamlet, this time in a new production by Matthew Jocelyn in Cologne; his widely acclaimed role debut in the title role of Der Zwerg in a new production by Tobias Kratzer, and as Lohengrin at Deutsche Oper Berlin; Bacchus Ariadne auf Naxos at the Bayerische Staatsoper; the Prince in Christof Loy’s new production of Rusalka, Froh Das Rheingold and Essex in Sir David McVicar’s new production of Gloriana, all at Teatro Real and Erik Der fliegende Holländer at Opéra de Lille; Florestan Fidelio at the National Theatre in Prague and subsequently at the Royal Opera House in Tobias Kratzer’s coveted production, replacing an ailing Jonas Kaufmann. The performance starring Butt Philip and Lise Davidsen was subsequently aired on BBC4 and was met with great acclaim.

British audiences saw him at the Royal Opera House as The Prince Rusalka, Grigoriy Boris Godunov; Narraboth Salome and a Christmas concert conducted by Mark Wigglesworth; at English National Opera as Rodolfo in their Drive & Live production of La bohème, Daniel Kramer’s new production of Britten’s War Requiem, for which he was nominated for an Olivier Award, Don Jose Carmen and Pinkerton Madama Butterfly; at Opera Holland Park as Count Vaudemont in Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta and Folco in Mascagni’s Isabeau; at Opera North as Laca Jenůfa and Luigi Il Tabarro; and at Glyndebourne as Laertes in the premiere of Brett Dean’s Hamlet at the Glyndebourne Festival and then as the title role on tour.

Born and brought up in Wells in Somerset, Butt Philip was a chorister at Peterborough Cathedral. He is a graduate of Royal Northern College of Music, the Royal Academy of Music, and the National Opera Studio and also a Samling Artist, an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music and winner of the prestigious John Christie Award in 2011.

source: MWA management

British bass Brindley Sherratt is one of today’s most respected singers. Revered for his extraordinary vocal and stage presence, he is noted all over the world for roles such as Claggart Billy Budd, Gurnemanz Parsifal, Hunding Die Walküre and Sarastro Die Zauberflöte, a role he has performed over a hundred times.

Highlights of his 2023/24 season include a double appearance at the Bayerische Staatsosper as Rocco Fidelio and as Astradamors in a new production of Le Grand Macabre by Krzysztof Warlikowski; Zebul in Oliver Mears’ new production of Jeptha at Royal Opera House; a highly anticipated return to the Metropolitan Opera as Sarastro Die Zauberflöte; and his role debut as Hagen Götterdämmerung with the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Vladimir Jurowski. He can also be heard in Act 1 of Die Walküre at theTeatro dell’Opera di Roma conducted by Omer Meir Wellber; Mussorgsky Songs and Dances of Death with the Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de España in Madrid; and a recital at Wigmore Hall with pianist Julius Drake.

Last season, Sherratt made his Opéra National de Paris debut as Sarastro Die Zauberflöte, a role which he also reprised at the Royal Opera House. He also appeared as the Doktor Wozzeck in new productions at the Royal Opera House and the Festival d’Aix en Provence and Swallow in Stefan Herheim’s acclaimed production of Peter Grimes at Bayerische Staatsoper. On the concert platform, he was seen as Gurnemanz Parsifal with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Edward Gardner; Harapha in Handel Samson at the BBC Proms with the Academy of Ancient Music conducted by Laurence Cummings; Beethoven Missa Solemnis at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence conducted by Thomas Hengelbrock and Sarastro Die Zauberflöte at the Edinburgh International Festival under the baton of Maxim Emelyanychev.

Further engagements include a hugely acclaimed debut as Gurnemanz in semi- staged performances of Parsifal with the Orchestra of Opera North conducted by Richard Farnes; Hunding in Richard Jones’ new production of The Valkyrie for the English National Opera; Claggart Billy Budd, Sarastro, Sparafucile Rigoletto, Gremin Eugene Onegin, Fafner in The Ring Cycle, Ramfis Aida , Il Commendatore Don Giovanni and Timur Turandot, all at Royal Opera House; Ochs Der Rosenkavalier for the Glyndebourne Festival and the Welsh National Opera; Marke Tristan und Isolde for the Glyndebourne Festival; Sarastro at the Wiener Staatsoper, Hamburgische Staatsoper and for the Dutch National Opera and Glyndebourne Festival; Claggart for the Teatro Réal in Madrid, at the Glyndebourne and Aldeburgh Festivals and at the BBC Proms; Geronte di Ravoir Manon Lescaut for the Metropolitan Opera; Bottom A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence; Doctor Wozzeck at the Lyric Opera of Chicago and Arkel Pelléas et Mélisande for the Opernhaus Zurich, Oper Frankfurt and Glyndebourne Festival. His many roles for the English National Opera include Sarastro, Pimen Boris Gudonov and Fiesco Simon Boccanegra. He has also sung Judge Turpin Sweeney Todd at the Opernhaus Zurich; Banco Macbeth for the Opéra de Bordeaux; Pimen for the Opéra de Nice; Balducci Benvenuto Cellini and Hobson Peter Grimes in Salzburg; Rocco in Seville; Pogner Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg for the Welsh National Opera and Fasolt Das Rheingold and Filippo Don Carlo for Opera North.

Highly in demand on the concert platform, he has appeared at the Bregenz, Edinburgh, Lucerne, Salzburg and Three Choirs Festivals and at the BBC Proms. He works regularly with leading orchestras and conductors and recent engagements have included the Dallas Symphony Orchestra conducted by Fabio Luisi; Orchestra of the Royal Opera House with Pappano; the Philharmonia with Sir Andrew Davis; the Hallé Orchestra with Sir Mark Elder; the Mahler Chamber Orchestra with Harding; the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra with Bicket; the Monteverdi Choir with Gardiner; the Scottish Chamber Orchestra with Nézet-Séguin and the Orchestre des Champs-Elysées and Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen with Langrée.

He has recorded the roles of Polyphemus Acis and Galetea (Nimbus); Somnus/Cadmus Semele and Ariodate Serse (Chandos); Ubaldo in Donizetti’s Imelda de Lambertazzi and Goffredo in Bellini’s Il Pirata (Opera Rara); Rocco Fidelio (Glyndebourne Live) as well as Judas in The Apostles with the Hallé Orchestra and Sir Mark Elder; Beethoven Missa Solemnis with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and John Nelson and Haydn Masses and Bach Cantatas with the Monteverdi Choir and Sir John Eliot Gardiner.

Born in Lancashire into a family of strong singers, he initially studied trumpet at the Royal Academy of Music, and is now a Visiting Professor at both the Royal Academy and the Royal College of Music.

source: MWA management

Since his debut with the Berlin Philharmonic under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle and the Salzburg Festival with Magdalena Kožená, Christian Schmitt has been one of the most sought-after organists internationally. In the 22/23 season he will make his debuts at Carnegie Hall New York under Dennis Russel Davis, with the Dallas Symphony and with the Gothenburg Symphony under Christoph Eschenbach. In 2021/22 he was "Artist in Focus" of the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich as well as curator of the "International Organ Days" there and inaugurated the new organ under the direction of Paavo Järvi. Since 2014 he has been Principal Organist of the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, for which he curates the organ series for the Bamberg Concert Hall.

Recent highlights include his debut at Walt Disney Concert Hall presented by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, performances with the Staatskapelle Berlin conducted by Daniel Barenboim, the Japanese premiere of Toshio Hosokawa's "Embrace - Light and Shadow" with the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra at Suntory Hall, and the release of his most recent recording of Hindemith’s Kammermusik No. 7 with conductor Christoph Eschenbach. Christian Schmitt has played the organs of the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, the Konzerthaus Berlin, the Berlin Philharmonie, the Vienna Musikverein, the Gewandhaus Leipzig and the Maison Symphonique Montréal, and has collaborated with conductors and soloists such as Juliane Banse, Sibylla Rubens, Matthias Goerne, Thomas Hampson, Philippe Herreweghe, Manfred Honeck, Matthias Höfs Jakub Hruša, Marek Janowski, Cornelius Meister and Michael Volle.

Christian Schmitt's discography currently includes around 40 recordings. For Deutsche Grammophon, Schmitt recorded two CDs for the project 'Bach 333 - Die neue Gesamtausgabe'. Equally noteworthy is the album 'Prayer' with Magdalena Kožená, released by Deutsche Grammophon in 2014. In 2013, the organist was awarded an ECHO Klassik for his recording of Widor's organ symphonies opp. 42.3 and 69.

A passionate educator, Christian is a guest lecturer at universities worldwide. Since the winter semester of 2021, he has been teaching at Codarts University Rotterdam as Organ Professor and successor to Ben van Oostens. Christian Schmitt studied organ with Daniel Roth (Paris), Leo Krämer (Saarbrücken) and James David Christie (Boston).

He is an expert consultant for organ renovations and new construction of organs in Berlin, Nuremberg, Zurich, Lucerne and Brno. His latest project is a digitally sampled version of the organ of the Philharmonie Essen for concerts with and in orchestra’s. The digital version of the famous organ, created in cooperation with a Dutch acoustics company, is transportable and easily adaptable to hall size and needs. Christian Schmitt has been a member of numerous international music competition juries and is involved in the music education project Rhapsody in School.

source: Dorn Music