Just before the start of its 72nd concert season, the Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra Ostrava (JPO) is heading to Lusławice, Poland, where it will perform with flutist Zofia Neugebauer on August 30th, when they will perform together at the final concert of the Emanacje festival. This will be the first foreign stop of the season, the next one will be the German Festival der Nationen in early October, where the JFO will perform two concerts – Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D major, in which the philharmonic orchestra will join forces with violinist Nemanja Radulović, and the final concert of the festival, which they will perform alongside mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča. For the first time in history, the JFO will be presenting itself to audiences in the United Kingdom as part of a concert tour in February of next year. In addition to the aforementioned foreign stops, the JFO will also be traveling to neighboring Slovakia in the spring of next year.

The Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra Ostrava takes part in prestigious foreign tours every year, which is constantly increasing its reputation worldwide. In the past concert season, the orchestra played, for example, at the Anima Mundi international festival in Pisa or at The Anton Bruckner Festival in Berlin.

“The Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra is part of the city’s cultural identity and is also its export item. Foreign concerts are one of the most important pillars of our work. They allow us to represent Ostrava beyond the borders of the Czech Republic, build bridges between cities and cultures, and at the same time strengthen the prestige of our orchestra,” says the director of the JFO Jan Žemla.

World premiere of the composition Lignis in Lusławice

The 13th year of the Emanacje festival, held at the Krzysztof Penderecki European Music Center, has the theme “Identity”. The final concert will be opened by the Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra with the world premiere of the composition Lignis by Czech composer Martin Klusák. The composition Lignis, whose title can be loosely translated as “The Story of Trees”, was inspired by natural structures and motifs. “The course of the composition can metaphorically resemble a view of a sprawling oak tree from the crown to the roots – in the first part we hear the rustling of the finest twigs and leaves, the singing of birds, gradually the gaze moves to the thicker branches, then to the main trunk and finally to the ground, to the roots, all the way below the surface,” describes the composition Martin Klusák. The composition was written specifically for the JFO, the Krzysztof Penderecki European Center and the Penderecki Arboretum. The Czech premiere of this composition will take place on March 19, 2026 in Vesmír.

The soloist of the evening will be flutist Zofia Neugebauer, a graduate of the Karajan Academy of the Berlin Philharmonic, who will perform Krzysztof Penderecki’s flute concerto. The evening will conclude with Mendelssohn-Bartholdy’s “Reformation” symphony. The Philharmonic will be led by Polish conductor Paweł Kapuła.

“We are returning to Lusławice after six years and it will be an exceptional evening again, not only because of the program, but also because of the place itself. It was here that Krzysztof Penderecki lived and created, and he built a unique music center from this place. Since the 1980s, concerts and meetings have been held here, which were later followed by the European Center for Music, officially founded in 2005. Playing in such a place where art and tradition are intertwined is always exceptional for us,” adds Žemla.

The Janáček Philharmonic project at the Lusławice festival is being implemented with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic. The premiere composition by Martin Klusák was financially supported by the Copyright Protection Association.

Return to the German Festival der Nationen

The JFO will have another international stop on the first weekend of October, the Festival der Nationen in Bad Wörishofen, Bavaria, where the orchestra will perform for the third time. The Philharmonic last performed here in 2022. “This festival is one of the most prestigious classical music festivals in Germany, and we are very pleased to be able to return for the third time. Our participation is proof of the organizers’ trust and at the same time a confirmation of the quality of our orchestra,” said the orchestra’s manager, Adam Lysák.

On Saturday, October 4, the JFO will perform with violinist Nemanja Radulović, conducted by Andrey Boreyko, performing Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D major. The next piece will be Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, in which the audience will hear the sound of a bell custom-made for the JFO for the first time. The evening’s special guest will be the talented 15-year-old pianist Tsotne Zedginidze.

On Sunday, October 5, the JFO will conclude the festival with a gala closing concert alongside the famous mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanči, who performed with the orchestra at the same festival three years ago. The gala evening with arias from the world repertoire will be conducted by Karl Mark Chichon.

First time to Great Britain

However, the Ostrava Orchestra will experience its first foreign experience early next year, when it will embark on its first ever concert tour of Great Britain. From 11 to 20 February 2026, it will present itself to audiences in London and Birmingham, for example. With this debut, the orchestra will expand the map of its international activities to include another prestigious musical destination and confirm its position as one of Ostrava’s most prominent cultural ambassadors.

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