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On the Trail of Antonín Dvořák is the traditional prelude to our festival, and this year it will take us to Brno. Between 1876 and 1897, the composer made multiple visits to the Moravian metropolis. It was Leoš Janáček who played a pivotal role in shaping Dvořák’s connection with the city. The two composers first met during Janáček’s studies at the Prague Organ School and their friendship endured until Dvořák’s death. Janáček greatly admired the older master, and with unwavering persistence and dedication, introduced his instrumental and vocal works to the Brno audience, cultivating a genuine devotion for Dvořák in his hometown. Janáček even conducted the world premiere of The Wild Dove symphonic poem in Brno. At a time of heated national disputes, Dvořák’s visits to Brno were viewed by the local Czech minority not only as remarkable musical events, but also as expressions of patriotism, reflecting the maturity of Czech culture. Naturally, those visits where the composer himself performed his works elicited the most enthusiastic response. Engaging in dual roles as conductor and pianist, Dvořák presented his symphonies and symphonic poems, and he also actively participated in the interpretation of his own chamber pieces, including the famed Dumky piano trio.
The roots of the Brno Philharmonic go back to the 1870s, when the young Leoš Janáček was advocating the creation of a Czech symphony orchestra in the city. Incidentally, the music of that great 20th-century composer is the most important item in the repertoire of the orchestra, which is still regarded to this day as the authentic interpreter of his music.
The present-day Brno Philharmonic was founded in 1956 by the merger of a radio orchestra and a regional orchestra, and since then it has been a top Czech orchestra in terms of its size and importance. On tour, it has given nearly a thousand concerts in Europe, the USA, Latin America, the Far East, and the Near East. The orchestra is a regular guest at foreign and domestic festivals, where it often joins artistic forces with the Czech Philharmonic Choir of Brno.
Robert Kružík belongs to the youngest generation of Czech conductors. He currently works as the chief conductor of the Zlín Philharmonic (from the 2021/22 season), the permanent conductor of the Janáček Opera NdB (from the 2015/2016 season) and the permanent guest conductor of the Brno Philharmonic (from the 2018/19 season). From the 2025/2026 season, he will become the new chief conductor of the Janáček Opera in Brno. He also worked as a conductor of the Moravian-Silesian National Theater in Ostrava. He is the laureate of the Jiří Bělohlávek prize, which is awarded to young Czech artists under the age of thirty who have achieved extraordinary success in their field and are taking care of the tradition of Czech music at home and abroad.
The Czech Philharmonic Choir of Brno choir represents the absolute pinnacle of choral artistry not only domestically, but also in a worldwide context. The conductors, orchestras, and soloists the orchestra has collaborated with speak of the choir in superlatives. Music critics primarily acclaim the compactness of sound and the wide range of expressive resources at their disposal. The Czech Philharmonic Choir of Brno (founded in 1990) appears at all prestigious European festivals and at important concerts, and the ensemble is always able to thrill audiences with its extraordinary musical feeling.
JOEL HÁNA is a graduate of the Brno Conservatory and the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts. As a conductor he has collaborated with leading Czech orchestras and cultural institutions (PKF – Prague Philharmonia, Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic, Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava, Moravian Philharmonic Olomouc, National Theatre Brno, National Moravian-Silesian Theatre, etc.). He is the chief conductor of the Police Symphony Orchestra. As a musician, he plays organ and piano and forms a duo with his wife, flutist and singer Hana Hána. Together, they perform concerts both in the Czech Republic and abroad. His other professional activities include directing audiovisual recordings, live broadcasts of concerts and operas. He records mainly for the Czech Philharmonic, Czech Television, but also in Slovakia and internationally. Since 2023, he has been the second choirmaster of the Czech Philharmonic Choir Brno.
Pavlína Švestková built her singing foundations with Anna Mikšátková, under whose guidance she won many singing competitions. In 2006, she won the Bohuslav Martinů National Competition in Prague. In the same year, she graduated from the Pedagogical Lyceum in Brno with a specialisation in musical arts. She graduated from the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts in Brno under the guidance of Associate Professor Jaroslava Janská. She also studied singing with Professor Tatiana Teslia. In 2012, she was a visiting student at The University of Malta in a singing class taught by Professor Claire Massi and Dr. John Galea.
After completing his studies at the Prague Conservatoire with Zdeněk Jankovský, he continued private instruction with Václav Zítek. During his studies, he became a member of the vocal group Dobrý večer kvintet. His concert activity has been extensive, particularly in projects featuring a Baroque and classical repertoire, with performances on concert stages in Japan, Austria, Norway, Italy (including renditions of Dvořák’s Stabat Mater in Rome and Pisa), Germany, France, and Spain. He has collaborated with renowned conductors such as J. Bělohlávek, Ch. Mackerras, O. Dohnányi, S. Baud, G. Albrecht, and T. Netopil, among others.
Baritone Roman Hoza studied in Brno and Vienna. He is a graduate of the prestigious Young Singers Project at the Salzburger Festspiele and completed his opera studies at the Opera National de Lyon and Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf.
In 2015, he made his debut at the National Theatre in Prague as Figaro in The Marriage of Figaro, and has been a regular guest there (Don Giovanni, Dandini, Mamma Agata, Harlequin) ever since. Since September 2016, he has been a member of the solo ensemble of the National Theatre Brno, where he has performed many key roles in the baritone repertoire (Don Giovanni, Guglielmo, Rossini’s Figaro, Belcore, Escamillo, Danilo, etc.).
Miriam Zuziaková comes from a musical family. She began devoting herself to playing the piano at age five. At the Brno Conservatoire, she studied piano in the studio of Hana Pelikánová, and after graduating she continued her studies at Brno’s Janáček Academy of Performing Arts under Prof. Inessa Janíčková. Since 1990, she has been employed by the Czech Philharmonic Choir of Brno as a répétiteur, singer, and pianist. Since 1993, she has also been teaching at the Brno Conservatoire.
Kento Satsuma was born in 2002 in Japan. He started playing piano at the age of three and violin at the age of eight. From 2017 to 2020, he studied conducting, piano and violin at the Kyoto Horikawa Conservatory, where he received notable opportunities such as conducting the Kyoto Civic Philharmonic and the Kyoto Horikawa Music High School Orchestra. He has won numerous piano competitions, including the Japan Classical Music Competition. Since 2020 he has been studying piano with Professor Jan Jiraský and conducting with Professor Rostislav Hališka and Associate Professor Jakub Klecker at the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts.
Besední dům is one of the most important buildings in Brno’s historic center. This cultural shrine was, among other things, the workplace of an extraordinary composer and conductor Leoš Janáček. Janáček´s name draws to Brno his music admirers from around the world.