Janacek Philharmonic Ostrava

The cycle of symphonic concerts will open with an inaugural evening conducted by the new chief conductor, Daniel Raiskin. At the start of the season, Brahms’s Violin Concerto will be performed by Alena Baeva, the orchestra’s resident soloist. Cellist Johannes Moser, who performs here regularly, will return to Ostrava. The program will also feature pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet. The concert series dramaturgy will include Karol Szymanowski’s Violin Concerto No. 1 with Alena Baeva. Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, conducted by Aziz Shokakhimov, will commemorate the 200th anniversary of the composer’s death.

The Symphonic Cycle B presents four evenings that bring together outstanding artists with music of the 19th and 20th centuries. Pianist Anna Vinnitskaya will perform Bartók’s energetic Piano Concerto No. 1, while violinist Vadim Gluzman will appear in Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 1. The program will include Brahms’s Hungarian Dances as well as his lyrical Symphony No. 3, Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances, and a new composition by Haštal Hapka. The season will conclude with a festival-style vocal-orchestral evening featuring Magdalena Kožená and Daniel Matoušek, with music by Janáček, Berg, and Szymanowski, conducted by Daniel Raiskin.

Concert Series C is conceived as an informal musical meeting between the audience and the symphony orchestra. It welcomes both experienced listeners and those who are only just beginning to explore the world of classical music, as well as young audiences who have outgrown the family concerts of Series D. Here, you can hear your favorite musical pieces and selections. The program is curated with each concert’s theme in mind, creating combinations that may seem unusual at first glance. These evenings are guided by Ostrava-based actor Vojtěch Johaník and conductor Chuhei Iwasaki. Their commentary takes the form of a friendly dialogue filled with lightheartedness and gentle humor. The aim is not to educate or instruct, but to spend an enjoyable evening together, filled with great music in the company of outstanding musicians. The interaction between the audience and performers is also highly personal—designed so that listeners feel as if they are among good acquaintances, or even friends. That is exactly the spirit we hope to share in this concert series: one great concert after another. All the best to all of us!

A concert series for our youngest listeners, aged three and up, and their companions. A musical “series” in which children can meet musical instruments in person—and even more personally, the musicians of the Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava. Each concert focuses on one group of instruments of the symphony orchestra. We begin with the string instruments in the front rows, followed by the wind instruments in the middle, and then move all the way to the percussion section at the back. And the choir? That usually stands behind all the musicians—or above them. These musical encounters are full of playing instruments, experimenting with them, singing, dancing, and joy. The concerts are guided by Lenka Jaborská together with the musicians themselves.

Concerts designed for families with children as a shared Sunday experience full of music, stories, fun, and moments for reflection. They are prepared so that truly everyone can enjoy them—children from the age of five, their parents, and grandparents alike. The popular guides will be actor Michal Sedláček in the role of Vláďa, together with Kamila Janovičová as his quirky cousin. This duo clearly shows how important it is for a family to stick together, helping and supporting one another—especially in this season, when a great symphonic adventure awaits them, full of challenges, mysteries, and dramatic situations. Our Sunday concerts will thus transform into exciting stories reminiscent of those we know from film and television. And it is certain that, thanks to humor and their unrelenting enthusiasm, everything will turn out like a fairy tale. They will be supported by the entire symphony orchestra, led by conductor Adam Sedlický, and last but not least by you, our dearest audience. You can look forward to entertainment filled with music, gentle humor, and a warm family atmosphere.

The Elán of Youth series provides a platform for the emerging generation of performers, for whom appearing with the Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava is often their first experience with a large symphony orchestra. The soloists will be young musicians selected through a performance competition focused this year on wind instruments and voice. The programs include a new composition by Adam Závodský, concertos by Grøndahl, Weber, and Vaughan Williams, as well as selections from operatic and song repertoire. The series is overseen by mezzo-soprano Bella Adamova, while all concerts are accompanied by commentary from Anna Bangoura.

The Leoš Janáček International Music Festival is one of the oldest and most important classical music festivals in the Czech Republic. Its history dates back to 1950. Over the years, the festival has undergone significant development and, thanks not only to its scope but above all to its high artistic quality, it has become one of the leading cultural and social events in the city of Ostrava and the Moravian-Silesian Region. It enjoys high prestige, positive media coverage, and a strong international reach. The festival regularly features top Czech, European, and world performers, including leading symphony orchestras.

The crossover concerts at Gong are among the most popular and sought-after events in our program. The industrial setting lends these evenings a distinctive atmosphere and creates space for projects that go beyond the framework of a traditional concert. An orchestral-visual production inspired by Alfons Mucha’s *Slav Epic* will combine symphonic sound with acrobatics and stage imagery. Symphonic arrangements of songs by Michael Jackson will offer a fresh perspective on the work of one of the greatest icons of global pop music. The third concert will pay tribute to Věra Špinarová, a singer closely associated with Ostrava, featuring her songs in new orchestral arrangements. Cycle G is aimed at audiences seeking a musical experience with added depth—evenings in which the symphony orchestra հանդիպs theatre, light, visual art, and popular music, creating concerts meant not only to be heard, but to be intensely experienced.

Shortened concert programs in an approximately one-hour format offer a selection of highlights from the most interesting evenings of Symphonic Cycles A and B. The repertoire includes well-known and popular symphonic works—from Brahms’s *Hungarian Dances* and Symphony No. 3, through Rachmaninoff’s *Symphonic Dances*, to Beethoven’s famous “Fate” Symphony. Jörgen van Rijen, principal trombonist of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, will appear as a soloist. These one-hour concerts are an ideal choice both for those who are just beginning to explore classical music and for listeners seeking an intense musical experience without a long evening program.

The Chamber Series will offer four evenings featuring diverse instrumental combinations and a dramaturgy that connects Baroque, Classical, and 20th- and 21st-century music. The program will include the French elegance of Couperin and Rameau, contemporary reflections by Thomas Adès and Toshio Hosokawa, as well as major chamber works by Prokofiev and Pärt. The program will also be complemented by Beethoven’s chamber music, commemorating the 200th anniversary of the composer’s death. The JFO’s resident soloist Alena Baeva will return to Ostrava with her husband, pianist Vadym Kholodenko. The series will also feature trumpeter Tine Thing Helseth, the Trio Incendio ensemble, and members of Camerata Janáček.

As early as September, within the St. Wenceslas Music Festival, pianist Lukáš Vondráček will perform under the baton of Andrey Boreyko. Both artists are frequent and welcome returnees to Ostrava. December will feature a festive Christmas concert with Jakub Jan Ryba’s Czech Christmas Mass. The New Year’s concert will welcome back one of the world’s most sought-after pianists, Jan Lisiecki, who—following his successful recital—will appear before the Ostrava audience alongside the orchestra in Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2, conducted by chief conductor Daniel Raiskin. The series concludes with the ZUŠ Open project, in which talented students from elementary art schools join members of the orchestra.

In the acoustically and atmospherically exceptional space of the Church of St. Wenceslas in Opava, three symphonic evenings will be performed, offering focused listening and close contact with the orchestra. The programs connect music from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries - from the meditative world of Pētēris Vasks and the French spectral concerto of Marc-André Dalbavie through the romantic peaks of Robert Schumann, Antonín Dvořák and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky to current Czech work. The performers will be flutist Zofia Neugebauer, cellist Bryan Cheng, violinist Roman Patočka and conductors Geoffrey Paterson, Jiří Habart and Daniel Raiskin.

Symphonic Cycle P brings together the best of Cycles A and B in three exceptional Friday evenings with the Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava. It is designed for listeners who wish to end their working week in a relaxed atmosphere, without haste, and with a high-quality musical experience. The first concert, conducted by chief conductor Daniel Raiskin, will feature Brahms’s Violin Concerto with Alena Baeva and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 15. In March, audiences will hear Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 2 performed by Vadim Gluzman, alongside Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8. The series concludes with a special festival evening featuring Magdalena Kožená and Daniel Matoušek, with music by Janáček, Berg, and Szymanowski, conducted by Daniel Raiskin.

Four piano recitals will bring outstanding personalities of today’s piano scene to Ostrava, offering a diverse perspective on the piano repertoire from Classicism to the present day. Piotr Anderszewski will appear with a deeply focused program of Schubert and late Brahms. Conrad Tao will combine Gershwin, jazz, improvisation, and Schoenberg in a distinctive, author-driven evening. The young Russian talent Roman Borisov will present a program ranging from Beethoven to Rachmaninoff, while Leipzig Bach Competition winner Jan Čmejla will conclude the series with a contrast of Baroque, Romantic, and 20th-century music.

The Janáček May Festival, the St. Wenceslas Music Festival... these are just two prestigious Czech festivals where music-loving audiences can enjoy the performances of the JPO. The pleasant atmosphere of these festivals is enhanced by the charm of a classical music concert. The also orchestra regularly plays in other cities of the region – most often in Orlová and Nový Jičín, but also in Karviná, Havířov, Frýdek-Místek and Opava.

Every year we perform concert series in Europe, Asia and North America for a number of promoters. The orchestra is especially superb in the world-famous Czech symphonic repertoire such as Dvořák`s symphonies or Smetana`s and Janáček`s opera overtures, and also in opera gala programs. Recent destinations include New York, Seoul, Paris, Beijing, Wien, Hamburg or Munich .