A brand-new original project by the Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava (JFO), created through a long-standing and successful collaboration with arranger Jan Lstibůrek, will bring together symphonic orchestration and iconic rock music in the industrial setting of the multifunctional Gong Hall in Ostrava. This unique fusion will spotlight the very best rock hits of 1991.

The protagonists of the evening—titled Plus/Minus Ro(c)k—will include not only the JFO but also singer Hana Holišová, the unmistakable voice of Michal Skořepa, guitarist Jiří Kučerovský, and the Permoník Vocal Group from Karviná. Under the baton of conductor Stanislav Vavřínek, the concert will take place on Wednesday, April 23, with a reprise on April 24, 2025, both starting at 6:00 PM.

“We can already reveal some of the highlights of the program. Audiences can look forward to Queen’s powerful ‘Innuendo’, Metallica’s iconic ‘The Unforgiven’, or Nirvana’s raw and energetic ‘Drain You’,” shares JFO director Jan Žemla. “Our goal is to show how significant the year 1991 was for global rock music. It was a time that gave rise to legendary tracks which shaped not only rock but the entire world music scene.”

The Plus/Minus Ro(c)k project is part of JFO’s crossover concert series titled “G”, which has brought genre-blending performances to the stage of the former gasometer in Dolní Vítkovice for over 11 years. The series debuted in autumn 2013 with renowned Czech violinist Pavel Šporcl. Since then, it has featured artists such as Vojtěch Dyk and B-Side Band, Ondřej Brzobohatý, Cirk La Putyka, Aneta Langerová, Ewa Farna, Miro Žbirka, and Lucie Bílá. In total, 51 concerts have taken place as part of the series, attracting over 55,000 audience members.

Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava has worked multiple times with bassist, composer, and arranger Jan Lstibůrek, known for his work with Tomáš Klus’s band. He previously created orchestral arrangements for projects such as Klusymfonie by Tomáš Klus, the tribute concert In Honor of David Stypka, and the highly successful Symphonic Dance Music. “Custom-tailored arrangements open up the world of music to the widest possible audience. We strive to keep our programming diverse, because even after more than a decade, there is still so much to explore and offer,” adds JFO director Jan Žemla.

This entirely new original production will premiere at Ostrava’s Gong Hall on Wednesday, April 23, with a reprise on April 24, 2025, both conducted by Stanislav Vavřínek. Sharing the stage with the orchestra will be Hana Holišová, Michal Skořepa, guitarist Jiří Kučerovský, and the Permoník Vocal Group from Karviná.

PLUS/MÍNUS RO©K
23. a 24. 4. 2025, 18:00, Gong, Dolní Vítkovice

Tickets available on JFO website.

staring:
Hana Holišová – singer
Michal Skořepa – singer
Jiří Kučerovský – guitar
Jan Lstibůrek – arrangement
Vokální skupina Permoník Karviná
Janáček filharmonic Ostrava
Stanislav Vavřínek – conductor

program:
Queen – Innuendo
Metallica – The Unforgiven
Nirvana – Drain You
RHCP – Under the Bridge
Pearl Jam – Jeremy
Michael Jackson – Black or White
Michael Jackson – Give In to Me
Roxette – Fading Like a Flower
Roxette – Joyride
Brian Adams – Everything I Do I Do It For You
Genesis – I Can’t Dance
Enya – Caribbean Blue
Rush – Roll the Bones
Ozzy Osbourne – Mama, I’m Coming Home
Myléne Farmer – Désenchantée

The Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava (JFO) is a sought-after and successful orchestra, regularly collaborating with world-class conductors such as Andrey Boreyko, Domingo Hindoyan, Tomáš Netopil, and others. The orchestra’s reputation is built on a foundation of around one hundred top-tier musicians from both the Czech Republic and abroad. Each year, the orchestra performs over fifty concerts for its home audience. It is regularly invited to perform at festivals and on tours both in the Czech Republic and internationally—in recent years, appearing in cities like Tokyo, Seoul, Paris, Berlin, and Tallinn. JFO has also toured in China, Korea, Japan, the Baltics, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and Poland.

Its repertoire naturally includes works by Leoš Janáček—whose name the orchestra proudly bears—alongside compositions by Antonín Dvořák and other Czech composers. JFO’s recordings have been released by numerous prestigious labels; its recent recording of Phidylé for Supraphon was even awarded the BBC Music Magazine Award. The orchestra has also recorded music for several films and collaborates with leading Czech artists, such as Aneta Langerová and Vojtěch Dyk.

Since the summer of 2022, JFO’s home stage has been the former Vesmír cinema. The orchestra temporarily moved from its long-time residence in the Ostrava House of Culture, which was closed last year for an extensive multi-year reconstruction. The renovation includes the addition of a new concert hall with world-class acoustic parameters, designed by the New York–based architecture studio Steven Holl Architects in collaboration with Prague’s Architecture Acts. More than 150 years after the idea was first conceived—and exactly 70 years after the founding of the JFO—the new concert hall is finally within reach. The fully renovated House of Culture, together with the new concert hall, is set to become a cultural complex of international significance, representing the greatest opportunity yet for the orchestra’s future development. You can learn more about this exciting project on concert hall website.

Downloads

• Graphics Plus/Mínus Ro(c)k_foto Petr Hrubeš
• Graphics Plus/Mínus Ro(c)k_výška_foto Petr Hrubeš
• Hana Holišová_foto Petr Hrubeš
• Michal Skořepa_foto Petr Hrubeš
• Jiří Kučerovský_foto Petr Hrubeš
• Jan Lstibůrek_foto Petr Hrubeš
• Stanislav Vavřínek_foto Petr Hrubeš
• Janáčkova filharmonie Ostrava v Gongu_foto Martin Kusyn