The Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava (JPO) is offering the next generation of composers two opportunities: the GENERACE 2027 International Composition Competition and Symphonic Laboratory, and an open call for a new orchestral work. Held as part of the Leoš Janáček International Music Festival, GENERACE 2027 combines a competition with practical experience through rehearsals and a composition seminar. The composer selected through the open call will have their new work performed by the JPO at a subscription concert in the E/Youth and Enthusiasm series next concert season. Applications for GENERACE close on 31 December 2026, while the deadline for the open call is 31 October 2026.

“For an emerging composer, hearing their own music performed by a live orchestra and being able to discuss it with the musicians and conductor is essential. Rehearsals are precisely where they can discover how their ideas work in practice. We want to offer young composers this experience and give them the space to develop their music further and bring it to audiences,” says Jan Žemla, Director of the Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava.

GENERACE 2027: from the score to working with an orchestra

The GENERACE 2027 International Composition Competition and Symphonic Laboratory, organised by the JPO in cooperation with the Ostrava Creative Centre, is open to composers in two age categories. The under-30 category focuses on orchestral writing and direct collaboration with musicians, while the under-21 category offers younger composers an opportunity to explore chamber music.

Up to five composers will advance to the orchestral category final in Ostrava. They will attend rehearsals of their works with the Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava and conductor Pavel Šnajdr. Their compositions will be performed at the final concert as part of the Leoš Janáček International Music Festival, scheduled for 2 June 2027 at the Concert Hall of the University of Ostrava’s Faculty of Fine Arts and Music. Alongside the main jury prizes, there will also be orchestra and audience awards. The first three prizes in the under-30 category carry cash awards of €2,000, €1,000 and €500 respectively.

The final will be followed by the Symphonic Laboratory in Hukvaldy, scheduled for 3–5 June 2027. Under the guidance of Ondřej Adámek, Sam Wigglesworth and Vito Žuraj, all finalists, regardless of their competition results, will develop concepts for new orchestral works prepared in advance. One of them will subsequently receive a commission to complete a work for a future edition of the Janáček Festival.

Ondřej Adámek, Chair of the international jury and Artistic Director of the Symphonic Laboratory, adds: “I am very much looking forward to working with young composers. I see helping them discover the possibilities of the orchestra as my mission; I have devoted my entire life to working with orchestras.”

The under-21 category accepts works for solo instruments and chamber ensembles. The best compositions will be performed at the Hudební současnost festival in Ostrava in autumn 2027. Their composers will have the opportunity to attend rehearsals, collaborate with performers and take part in a composition seminar. The first prize carries a cash award of €1,000. Details of both categories and the application process are available at generace.net.

Open call: a new composition for the Janáček Philharmonic

Another opportunity to work with the orchestra is offered through an open call for composers, launched by the JPO in cooperation with Czech Radio’s publishing division. The selected composer will create a new work of up to ten minutes for a symphony orchestra with standard Classical and Romantic instrumentation. Its premiere will take place in spring 2028 as part of the E/Youth and Enthusiasm subscription series, which showcases the next generation of soloists, conductors and composers.

The call is open to composition students in their third year or above at Czech conservatoires, students at music academies in the Czech Republic, and graduates of these programmes. Czech citizens studying composition abroad, or who have graduated from a composition programme abroad, are also eligible. Applicants do not need to submit a completed composition, only a description of the proposed work. An expert panel will announce the result by the end of 2026. The complete score and parts will subsequently be published in print by Czech Radio’s publishing division.

The call builds on the JPO’s previous collaborations with composers Marie Nečasová and Darja Kukal Moiseeva. Adam Závodský was selected as the winner of the previous edition, and his new orchestral work will receive its world premiere on 11 February 2027 in the Youth and Enthusiasm series. Applications for the open call can be submitted at skladba.jfo.cz until 31 October 2026.