PRESS RELEASE Brno, April 28th 2026
The Brno Philharmonic is kicking off its 71st concert season with a clear message: All roads lead to Brno. This refers to the composers who left their mark on the city during their visits—Mozart, Brahms, Mahler, R. Strauss—and whose works will be featured in the new season. It also refers to the stars of the world’s stages who are returning to Brno or coming for the first time. “We will once again meet pianist Fazil Say, not only in a concert with the orchestra but also in a recital at Besední dům, where he will combine Beethoven with his own compositions. Also with Laurie Anderson, this time in collaboration with Iva Bittová. I am also very pleased by the return of the phenomenal harpsichordist, organist, and conductor John Butt, who will first perform a solo concert and then appear twice with the orchestra. “Among those coming for the first time, I would particularly highlight cellist Daniel Müller-Schott and violinist Robert McDuffie,” said Marie Kučerová, director of the Brno Philharmonic.
After several decades, the Brno Philharmonic will perform under the baton of David Robertson. “I still remember how this star conductor, then thirty years old, conducted us in 1988. The hall was packed to capacity, and we performed the best Sinfonietta I have ever played,” recalled Marie Petříková, concertmaster of the Brno Philharmonic.
In addition to Robertson, the orchestra will also be led by conductors such as Anna-Maria Helsing, Petr Altrichter, Robert Kružík, and Tomáš Hanus. “I greatly appreciate my colleagues’ enthusiasm for the programming that has established the Brno Philharmonic as a model of innovation and quality, which is reflected in the growing audience both at home and abroad,” said Chief Conductor and Artistic Director Dennis Russell Davies, who is entering the new season at the helm of the orchestra for the ninth time.
The new season’s program is like a map—paths lead to Brno from various corners of the musical world and intersect with the stories of those who were born in Brno or lived and created here. “Our roots naturally include Janáček, Martinů, Kaprálová, Korngold, and Miloš Štědroň. We’re also including greats who once performed or conducted here, such as Mozart, Brahms, Richard Strauss, Mahler, and Ernő Dohnányi. We’ll also highlight Prokofiev, whose ballet Romeo and Juliet had its world premiere in Brno,” noted Vítězslav Mikeš, the Brno Philharmonic’s program director.
In the new season, the Brno Philharmonic is also expanding its experiential formats: it is adding the popular educational concerts “In the Orchestra,” where listeners sit directly among the musicians, as well as the “Breath” project, which combines music with meditation and breathing practices.
Educational programs for children and schoolchildren, which are attended by thousands of young listeners each season, will feature over seventy concerts for young audiences and, as usual, two series for subscribers: the Family Subscription Series and the Chamber Music Family Afternoons.
The Brno Philharmonic also has its traditional festivals ahead: the summer Špilberk Festival with a tribute to Miles Davis or featuring Štefan Margita, the fall and spring Expositions of New Music, the traditional Easter Festival of Sacred Music, and the Mozart’s Children talent festival.
The new season offers nine subscription series with two main cycles at the Janáček Theatre. At the Besední dům, in addition to the orchestral cycle, there will be a chamber music series, jazz and world music concerts, performances by the Philharmonic Children’s Choir Kantiléna, the Young Blood subscription series featuring orchestral academy students, and the two aforementioned subscription series for children.
Season ticket sales begin on Tuesday, April 28; subscribers can renew their subscriptions until May 29, when the week for new subscribers begins. On Monday, June 8, sales of individual tickets and Customized Seasons will begin.
