The Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava (JFO) will embark on its first-ever concert tour of the United Kingdom in February 2026. Under the baton of its future Chief Conductor and Artistic Director Daniel Raiskin, the orchestra will perform seven concerts over eight days in prestigious concert halls in Birmingham, Guildford, Bristol, Bradford, Cheltenham, Sheffield and London. The London concert will take place under the auspices of the Czech Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Václav Bartuška.
Joining the orchestra on tour as soloists will be two outstanding British violinists, Jennifer Pike and Chloë Hanslip. Prior to departing for the UK, the JFO will also present part of the tour programme to its home audience in two concerts on 5 and 6 February at Vesmír in Ostrava.

The British tour represents a significant milestone in the orchestra’s international activities and further confirmation of its steadily growing reputation on the European music scene.
“Performing abroad is one of the key pillars of our work. We see the UK tour not only as a historic moment for our orchestra, but also as another opportunity to represent Ostrava and the Czech Republic in a country with an exceptionally strong musical tradition and a highly demanding audience,” says Jan Žemla, Director of the Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava.

The UK tour follows a series of other international engagements within the orchestra’s 72nd concert season. Prior to travelling to the United Kingdom, the Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava performed on 23 January at the Filharmonia Narodowa in Warsaw, where, under the baton of Pierre Bleuse, it presented a dramaturgically demanding programme featuring Sergei Prokofiev’s Scythian Suite, Debussy’s Jeux, and Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition in Maurice Ravel’s orchestration.
In recent months, the orchestra has also appeared in Lusławice, Poland, at the Emanacje Festival, and in Bad Wörishofen, Bavaria, as part of the Festival der Nationen. In July, the orchestra will perform at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, presenting Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in B minor and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4, conducted by future Chief Conductor Daniel Raiskin.

The British tour programme to be premiered in Ostrava

Audiences in Ostrava will be the first to hear the programme prepared for the upcoming British tour. On 5 and 6 February, the orchestra will perform two concerts at its temporary venue, Vesmír, featuring British violinist Jennifer Pike as soloist.
The programme will include works by Leoš Janáček, Max Bruch, Jean Sibelius and Dmitri Shostakovich—the same repertoire the orchestra will subsequently present to British audiences.

“I consider it very important that we can present part of the programme of our first UK tour here at home in Ostrava. It is a way of connecting the orchestra’s international activities with our local audience, while also showing the artistic form in which the JFO is heading onto international stages,” adds Jan Žemla.

London concert at Cadogan Hall under the auspices of the Czech Ambassador

A key highlight of the tour will be the concert at Cadogan Hall in London, taking place on 18 February 2026 under the auspices of the Czech Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Václav Bartuška. “Culture and the arts are among the most effective instruments of international dialogue. I therefore see the performance by the Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava as an important contribution to the presentation of Czech culture in the United Kingdom and to strengthening cultural ties between our countries,” says Ambassador Václav Bartuška.

To promote the tour among British audiences, the JFO is collaborating with CzechTourism’s London office and the Czech Centre London, both of which have long been involved in presenting Czechia and Czech culture abroad.

“The Janáček Philharmonic is one of Ostrava’s most prominent cultural ambassadors. Its successes on international stages confirm that our city has much to offer not only at home but also in an international context. I see the orchestra’s first-ever UK tour as further proof of its high artistic standard and long-term, systematic work,” says Lucie Baránková Vilamová, Deputy Mayor of Ostrava for Culture.

JFO UK Tour – February 2026:

February 12,  2026 Birmingham Symphony Hall

February 13, 2026 G Live Guildford

February 14,  2026 Bristol Beacon

February 15, 2026 St George’s Hall, Bradford

February 17, 2026 Cheltenham Town Hall

February 18, 2026 Cadogan Hall, London

February 19, 2026 Sheffield City Hall

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