Antonín Dvořák: The Jacobin

The Prague Symphony Orchestra (FOK) is a leading Czech ensemble with an impressive tradition and international reputation, which enriches the concert life of the Czech metropolis and represents Prague and Czech culture abroad at the highest level. As the official orchestra of the City of Prague, it is based and performs in the attractive space of the Smetana Hall of the Municipal House. From 2031, the newly built Vltavská filharmonie should become its home. The abbreviation FOK symbolizes the original branches (Film – Opera – Concert), from where the musicians came to the orchestra founded by Rudolf Pekárek in 1934.

Tomáš Netopil has been Chief Conductor and Music Director of the Prague Symphony Orchestra since the 2025/2026 season. Prior to him, Rudolf Pekárek, Václav Smetáček, Jiří Bělohlávek, Petr Altrichter, Gaetano Delogu, Serge Baudo, Jiří Kout, Pietari Inkinen and Tomáš Brauner held this post. Roman Patočka and Rita Chepurchenko are the orchestra’s first violinists.

The orchestra has maintained its artistic reputation and respect throughout its existence by working with internationally renowned conductors (Václav Talich, Rafael Kubelík, Karel Ančerl, Sir Georg Solti, Seiji Ozawa, Walter Süsskind, Zubin Mehta, Kurt Masur, Carlos Kleiber, Sir Charles Mackerras, Charles Dutoit, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Leonard Slatkin, Michel Plasson, Neeme Järvi, Krzysztof Penderecki, Christoph Eschenbach, Eliahu Inbal, Yan Pascal Tortelier, Paavo Järvi, Richard Hickox, Andrey Boreyko, Helmuth Rilling, Jac van Steen and others); instrumental soloists (David Oistrach, Isaac Stern, Josef Suk, Rudolf Firkušný, Sviatoslav Richter, Claudio Arrau, Ivan Moravec, Garrick Ohlsson, Maurice André, Mstislav Rostropovich, Mischa Maisky, Martha Argerich, Heinrich Schiff, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Sergei Nakariakov, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Vadim Repin, Pinchas Zukerman, Felix Klieser, Lukáš Vondráček and others) and singers (Kim Borg, Katia Ricciarelli, Gabriela Beňačková, José Cura, Anne Sofie von Otter, Peter Dvorský, Edita Gruberová, Thomas Hampson, Ruggero Raimondi, Philip Langridge, Renée Fleming, Bernarda Fink, Linda Watson, Eva Urbanová, Pavel Černoch, Simon O'Neill, and others).

Each season the Prague Symphony Orchestra plays over fifty orchestral concerts in Prague. Before the season opens, the orchestra meets its audience at a traditional free open-air concert in the Wallenstein Garden.

The Prague Symphony Orchestra has performed in most European countries, as well as repeatedly in the United States, and has also visited South America, Puerto Rico, Taiwan, Turkey, Israel, Oman, China and other countries. In August 2022, it made its debut at the Elbe Philharmonic in Hamburg. In 2023 the orchestra performed in Austria, Germany, and Hungary. Traditional destinations for tours are Japan and South Korea. In the 91st season the Prague Symphony tours to Germany, Switzerland and Slovakia await.

The orchestra's long tradition is documented by an extensive catalogue of gramophone, radio and television recordings, and the most interesting archival recordings have been made available online. The orchestra recorded music for most Czech films of the 1930s. Under the baton of Tomáš Brauner, the Prague Symphony Orchestra has recently recorded Dvořák's Slavonic Dances, works by Karel Husa, including the legendary Music for Prague 1968, and piano concertos by Sergei Rachmaninov with Lukáš Vondráček.

The FOK brand is also associated with the organisation of chamber concerts. Prague audiences have become very fond of the Chamber Music and Early Music series at the Church of St. Simon and St. Jude. The FOK also traditionally organises a series of piano recitals in the Dvořák Hall of the Rudolfinum, the chamber concerts Pictures and Music at the Agnes Monastery, and music and literary programmes in the Word and Music series at the Viola Theatre.

source: The Prague Symphony Orchestra (FOK)

photo © Petra Hajská

Chief Conductor and Music Director of the Prague Symphony Orchestra (FOK) since September 2025

Since the start of the 2025/2026 season, Tomáš Netopil has held the post of chief conductor and music director of the Prague Symphony Orchestra (FOK). Between 2009 and 2012, he was chief conductor of the National Theatre Opera in Prague, and from 2013 to 2023 he served as general music director of the Aalto Musiktheater and Philharmonie Essen. From 2018 to 2024, he was principal guest conductor of the Czech Philharmonic.

This season, Tomáš Netopil has conducted a trio of Mozart operas: La clemenza di Tito at the Grand Théâtre de Genève, The Magic Flute at the New National Theatre Tokyo, and Don Giovanni at the Cologne Opera. He led the Czech Philharmonic’s New Year’s Concert at Prague’s Rudolfinum in a live television broadcast. He will present a broad array of symphonic repertoire during engagements with the Oslo Philharmonic, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Kuopio Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong Sinfonietta and the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, among others. He will also return to the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo this season and make his debut with the Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire. Continuing his successful collaboration with the legendary Concentus Musicus Wien, he will perform Mozart’s Requiem at this year’s Prague Spring Festival.

Among Tomáš Netopil’s notable operatic collaborations, in addition to numerous productions at the Aalto Musiktheater Essen, are frequent appearances with the Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden, Vienna State Opera, Dutch National Opera and the Grand Théâtre de Genève.

On the concert stage, he has conducted many world-renowned orchestras, including, in addition to the Essen Philharmonic, Czech Philharmonic and the Prague Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre National de France, Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonia Varsovia, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Orchestre de Paris, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and the Orchestra RAI Torino.

Tomáš Netopil is the artistic director of the International Summer Music Academy Kroměříž, which he founded in 2018.

He studied violin at the P. J. Vejvanovský Conservatory in Kroměříž and conducting at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, continuing his studies at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm and the Aspen Music Festival and School in the USA, where he won the main prize of the American Academy of Conducting in both 2003 and 2004. He remains a regular guest conductor there. In 2002, he won the Sir Georg Solti Conductors’ Competition in Frankfurt.

His most recent recording — an album of Smetana opera arias with tenor Pavel Černoch and the Czech Philharmonic — was nominated for the 2024 Anděl Awards.

source: The Prague Symphony Orchestra (FOK)

photo © Marco Borggreve

The Prague Philharmonic Choir (PPC) was founded in 1935 by choirmaster and teacher Jan Kühn. Now in its 91st season, it is the oldest professional choir in the Czech Republic. The choir is celebrated beyond Czech borders, especially for its interpretations of oratorios and cantatas. Lukáš Vasilek has served as Principal Conductor and Artistic Director since 2007, joined by Lukáš Kozubík as the choir’s Second Choirmaster.

Under Lukáš Vasilek’s leadership, the Prague Philharmonic Choir has established a reputation as a highly esteemed performing partner of leading international orchestras. At home, the ensemble collaborates regularly with the Czech Philharmonic and, for its own choral concerts, with the Prague Philharmonia. Internationally, the PPC has worked with ensembles such as the Berlin and Dresden Philharmonic Orchestras, Wiener Symphoniker, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra.

The PPC has also gained extensive experience working with the world’s top conductors, including Semyon Bychkov, Jakub Hrůša, and Sir Simon Rattle. The choir regularly appears at the Czech Republic’s most renowned festivals, such as Smetana’s Litomyšl, Prague Spring, Dvořák Prague, and Days of Bohuslav Martinů. Since 2010, the PPC has served as Choir in Residence at the Bregenzer Festspiele.

In its 91st season, the Prague Philharmonic Choir will embark on further exciting collaborations with world-renowned conductors, including Zubin Mehta, Antonio Pappano, and Giovanni Antonini.

Alongside its performances, the PPC engages in numerous educational projects. Every season, it presents a cycle of educational concerts for children, catering to both school groups and families. These programs emphasize fun and active engagement with young listeners. The PPC Choral Academy in Honour of Soňa Červená offers singing students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in a professional ensemble, participate in large-scale musical projects, and learn from collaborations with leading artists.

The choir’s artistic excellence is further demonstrated through its rich recording archive, which continues to expand each season. The PPC has appeared on releases from PENTATONE, Decca Classics, Sony Classical, and Supraphon. Its recordings have earned numerous international accolades, including awards from Gramophone, BBC Music Magazine, and the prestigious Diapason d’Or de l’Année. The PPC’s very first recording, made in 1952, featured Dvořák’s oratorio Stabat Mater conducted by Václav Talich. Its most recent release, Stravinsky, Janáček, Bartók: Village Stories, explores the magic of folk songs and traditional rituals in the music of three 20th-century masters.

The Prague Philharmonic Choir is a laureate of the 2018 Classic Prague Award for Best Vocal Concert, Czech Television’s Classical Music of the Year Award, and the 2022 Antonín Dvořák Prize for exceptional artistic achievements and the promotion of Czech music. The album Village Stories received the Choc de Classica award in May 2024.

source: Prague Philharmonic Choir

photo © Petr Chodura

Lukáš Kozubík is choirmaster of the Prague Philharmonic Choir, artistic director of the Prague Philharmonic Choir Academy in honour of Soňa Červená, and principal choirmaster of the National Theatre Chorus in Prague. He has had guest engagements with leading orchestras in many Czech and Slovak opera houses.

With the Prague Philharmonic Choir, he has guided the ensemble in production of works by Antonín Dvořák, Francis Poulenc, Alexander Scriabin and Richard Wagner. At the Smetana’s Litomyšl Festival, he captivated audiences with Carmina Burana, and for the St. Gallen Festival in Switzerland, he prepared Schmidt’s opera Notre Dame. With his warm and humane approach, he goes beyond traditional concert projects and also dedicates his time to educational programmes and the choir’s newly established series of family concerts.

He studied choral conducting at the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts in Brno under Lubomír Mátl. He also studied opera singing at the Janáček Conservatoire and the Institute of Art Studies at the University of Ostrava. While still a student, he began collaborating with a number of concert choirs such as the Mátl Academic Choir and the Lumír Brno Choir, and with the ensembles Musica Conspirata Brno, Ansámbl Forte and Chorus Ostrava. His diverse artistic talents have taken him to positions such as assistant conductor, choirmaster and répétiteur of the Chamber Opera of the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts. He has also served on juries for several choral competitions. His extensive experience includes dozens of opera productions on Czech stages and also at festivals in Hungary, Poland and Germany. He is also active in the cantata and oratorio repertoire.

During his long tenure in Slovakia, Kozubík focused primarily on opera. From 2012 to 2021, he was the choirmaster of the State Theatre Opera in Košice, where he also founded the Children’s Opera Studio and served as its artistic director. As a teacher at the Košice conservatory, he initiated the establishment of an opera studio and a school choir. He worked regularly with the State Philharmonic Košice, Slovak Chamber Orchestra in Žilina and the chamber string orchestra Musica Iuvenalis.

source: Prague Philharmonic Choir

photo © Petra Hajská

The Czech Radio Children’s Choir is an integral part of the family of ensembles that embody and develop the cultural values of Czech Radio as a public service institution. It closely collaborates with many of them, performing alongside the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, Czech Radio Big Band, Brno Radio Orchestra of Folk Instruments, and the Disman Children’s Radio Ensemble in concerts, theatre productions, radio and television recordings and musical recordings with the public. The choir is also regularly invited to appear with other orchestras such as the Prague Symphony Orchestra (FOK) and the PKF – Prague Philharmonia.

At the heart of the ensemble’s activities are its own performances of works by Czech and international masters of choral music, often pieces written especially for radio children’s choirs. While its repertoire is primarily classical, the choir also explores other genres and regularly takes part in international projects as well as in film and television productions. The choir can be heard, for example, in the Netflix film adaptation of Matilda the Musical and in Wicked 2. In 2025 the choir represented the Czech Republic at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan.

The Czech Radio Children’s Choir has made hundreds of recordings. Among its most popular recent releases are Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols, Václav Trojan’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream with the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra and actor Petr Štěpánek, Songs for the Whole Year by Jaroslav Šimíček, a collection of Christmas carols and folk songs with the Brno Radio Orchestra of Folk Instruments and Magical Melodies – Songs from Czech Fairy Tales with David Deyl. The choir has also recorded several music videos with the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, featuring artists such as Adam Plachetka, Jan Smigmator and the singer Kaczi.

Over the years, the Czech Radio Children’s Choir has provided musical education and cultural grounding for many prominent figures in Czech artistic and public life, including singers Jiří Korn, Jana Koubková, Petr Janda and Radka Fišarová, harpist Jana Boušková, and composers Jaroslav Uhlíř and Petr Malásek. Since 2016, the choirmaster has been Věra Hrdinková.

source: Czech Radio

photo © Khalil Baalbaki

Věra Hrdinková spent 27 years with the ensemble Bambini di Praga, first as a soloist and choir member and later as a teacher and choirmaster. She performed with the choir in Europe, Japan and the United States, and as choirmaster she led the children’s concert tours to New York, Italy, France and Germany.

In 2007, she founded the mixed chamber choir Carmina Bohemica, which quickly developed into a distinguished ensemble under her leadership. Since 4 January, 2016, she has been the choirmaster of the Czech Radio Children’s Choir.

source: Czech Radio

photo © Khalil Baalbaki

A graduate of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, František Zahradníček is one of the leading soloists of the National Theatre in Prague, where he made his debut in 2000. Since then, he has performed a wide range of roles there, including Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), Papageno (The Magic Flute), Don Alfonso (Così fan tutte), Leporello (Don Giovanni), Basilio (The Barber of Seville), Don Magnifico (La Cenerentola), Chrudoš (Libuše), Paloucký (The Kiss), Mumlal (The Two Widows), Marbuel (The Devil and Kate), the Count (The Jacobin), the Water Sprite (Rusalka) and Goryantchikov (From the House of the Dead).

He has been a regular guest at the Wexford Festival Opera and has appeared at the Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos in Lisbon, and most recently, in 2024, at the Savonlinna Opera Festival in Finland. He has toured Japan multiple times with the National Theatre Opera, performing leading Mozart roles.

Among his most recent roles are the Forester (The Cunning Little Vixen), Dr. Kolenatý (The Makropulos Case), Dikoj (Katya Kabanova), Banco (Macbeth), Zaccaria (Nabucco), Ferrando (Il trovatore), Kecal (The Bartered Bride), Mefistofele (Mefistofele), Boris (Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk) and Rarach (The Devil’s Wall).

Equally notable are František Zahradníček’s appearances in concerts with leading orchestras, including the Prague Symphony Orchestra (FOK), Prague Philharmonia and the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, as well as at prestigious festivals such as the Prague Spring International Music Festival and the St. Wenceslas Music Festival.

He has collaborated with conductors such as Jiří Bělohlávek, Libor Pešek, Ondrej Lenárd, Jakub Hrůša, Tomáš Netopil, Robert Jindra, Jaroslav Kyzlink, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Leopold Hager, Asher Fisch and John Fiore.

source: František Zahradníček

photo © Bohumil Pospíšil

Born in Prague, Adam Plachetka studied at the Prague Conservatoire under Professor Luděk Löbl and later at the Music and Dance Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. In 2005, he made his debut at the National Theatre in Prague, where he has since appeared in roles including Don Giovanni, Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro, The Barber of Seville), Nardo (La finta giardiniera), Argante (Rinaldo), Guglielmo (Così fan tutte), Přemysl (Libuše), Vladislav (Dalibor) and Kalina (The Secret).

He is a regular guest at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, where he has sung in Don Giovanni, L’elisir d’amore, The Marriage of Figaro, Così fan tutte, Rodelinda and Peter Grimes. He also performs regularly at the Wiener Staatsoper (La Bohème, Alcina, L’elisir d’amore, Don Giovanni, The Marriage of Figaro, The Barber of Seville, L’Italiana in Algeri, La Cenerentola, Don Pasquale, I Puritani) and at the Salzburg Festival (Benvenuto Cellini, Rusalka, Don Giovanni, The Marriage of Figaro, The Magic Flute).

His other operatic engagements include the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in London (Don Giovanni, L’elisir d’amore), the Baden-Baden Festival (Così fan tutte, La clemenza di Tito), Glyndebourne (The Marriage of Figaro), Carnegie Hall in New York (Salome), Deutsche Oper Berlin and Staatsoper Unter den Linden (Don Giovanni, The Marriage of Figaro), Teatro alla Scala (Così fan tutte, L’Italiana in Algeri), Lyric Opera of Chicago (The Marriage of Figaro, The Magic Flute, The Barber of Seville), Opéra de Paris (La Cenerentola) and the Houston Grand Opera (The Marriage of Figaro).

On the concert stage, Adam Plachetka has performed at venues such as the Musikverein in Vienna and Graz, Wigmore Hall in London, Usher Hall in Edinburgh, Herkulessaal in Munich, the Vienna Konzerthaus, Konserthuset in Stockholm, the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles and Prague’s Municipal House and Rudolfinum. He has collaborated with orchestras including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, French, Bavarian, Austrian and Czech Radio symphony orchestras, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Czech Philharmonic, Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and the Budapest Festival Orchestra.

His recordings have been released by Arte, Arthaus Musik, Capriccio, Clasart Classics, Czech Television, Czech Radio, Deutsche Grammophon, Mezzo, Naxos, Nibiru, Orfeo, ORF, Pentatone, Radioservis, Servus TV, Supraphon and Unitel Classica.

Adam Plachetka has performed under the direction of conductors such as Marco Armiliato, Daniel Barenboim, Mariss Jansons, Fabio Luisi, Riccardo Muti, Andris Nelsons, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Christian Thielemann and Franz Welser-Möst.

source: Camerata s.r.o.

photo © David Turecký

Tadeáš Hoza is one of the most distinctive figures in the emerging generation of Czech opera singers. A graduate of the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts in Brno, he has been a soloist with the National Theatre Brno opera company since the 2021/2022 season, where his roles have included Papageno (The Magic Flute), Figaro (The Barber of Seville, The Marriage of Figaro), Guglielmo (Così fan tutte), Schaunard (La Bohème), Adolf (The Jacobin), Pallante (Agrippina) and Dr. Falke (Die Fledermaus).

In January 2025, he made a successful debut at the Opéra Bastille in Paris as Harašta in Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen.

He is a laureate of several prestigious international singing competitions, including the Antonín Dvořák International Singing Competition in Karlovy Vary and the Bohuslav Martinů song competition in Prague. As a guest artist, he has appeared on the stages of the National Theatre in Prague, Moravian Theatre Olomouc, National Moravian-Silesian Theatre in Ostrava and the South Bohemian Theatre in České Budějovice. His artistic development was significantly shaped by studies at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna.

In addition to opera, he devotes himself extensively to Baroque music. He is a permanent member of the ensemble Collegium Vocale 1704 under the direction of Václav Luks and collaborates with other early music ensembles, including Ensemble Inégal and the Czech Ensemble Baroque. On stage and in concert, he has worked with distinguished conductors such as Jakub Hrůša, Juraj Valčuha, Tomáš Netopil, Christoph Meier, Tomáš Brauner, Jan Kučera and Robert Kružík.

He has performed in concert with numerous leading Czech orchestras, including the Brno Philharmonic, Moravian Philharmonic Olomouc, Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic Zlín, Prague Philharmonia, Prague Symphony Orchestra (FOK), Pardubice Chamber Philharmonic and the Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava. His talents have also captivated concert audiences across Europe, with performances at venues such as De Singel in Antwerp, La Seine Musicale in Paris, Espai Ter in Torroella, El Kursaal in San Sebastian, the National Forum of Music in Wrocław, Auditorio San Lorenzo in El Escorial, Chapelle Royale and Opéra Royale in Versailles and Zaryadye Hall in Moscow.

Tadeáš Hoza also performs in musicals and pursues his own concert projects. Through his educational initiative “Little Opera Seminar”, he brings the world of opera closer to children and the general public.

source:  Tadeáš Hoza

photo © Josef Škarka

Kateřina Kněžíková is one of the most promising sopranos of her generation. In addition to her opera career, she increasingly focuses on concert repertoire, achieving success both in her native Czech Republic and abroad. Her core repertoire includes works by Antonín Dvořák, Bohuslav Martinů, Leoš Janáček, as well as the art song genre. She is the recipient of the Classic Prague Awards 2018 for Best Chamber Performance and the Thalia Award 2019 for her outstanding stage portrayal in Julietta or The Key to Dreams (B. Martinů) at the National Moravian-Silesian Theatre.

A graduate of the Prague Conservatory and the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, Kněžíková has been a permanent member of the National Theatre Opera since 2006. Her current roles there include appearances in Rusalka, Così fan tutte, Carmen, Jenůfa, The Bartered Bride, and The Cunning Little Vixen.

She has performed at numerous festivals, including the Glyndebourne Opera Festival, Prague Spring International Music Festival, Dvořák Prague International Music Festival, and Smetana’s Litomyšl. Her collaborations with leading orchestras include the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Bamberg Symphony, Camerata Salzburg, Czech Philharmonic, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, among others.

She has worked under the baton of many distinguished conductors, including Jiří Bělohlávek, Semyon Bychkov, Serge Baudo, Plácido Domingo, Asher Fisch, Manfred Honeck, Domingo Hindoyan, Jakub Hrůša, Oksana Lyniv, Tomáš Netopil, John Nelson, Petr Popelka, and Robin Ticciati.

In 2021, Kněžíková released her debut solo album “Phidylé” with Supraphon, which was named Editor’s Choice and listed among Gramophone's Best Classical Albums of 2021, also winning the BBC Music Magazine Award in the Vocal category. Her discography with Radioservis includes the albums “Fantasie” and “K2”. In September 2024, she released “Tag und Nacht” with Jakub Hrůša and the Bamberg Symphony under the Supraphon label.

In December 2024, she made a highly successful debut with the Czech Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall, conducted by Semyon Bychkov.

source: Camerata s.r.o.

photo © Petr Weigl

Pavel Švingr is a soloist of the National Theatre Opera in Prague. He graduated from the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, where he studied with Ivan Kusnjer. He continued his studies at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna. He has won numerous awards in both Czech and international competitions, including first place in the Bohuslav Martinů song competition in Prague, second place in the Junior Men category in the Antonín Dvořák International Singing Competition in Karlovy Vary, and first place in the Kammeroper Schloss Rheinsberg international competition in Berlin, where he was also cast as the Water Sprite in Dvořák’s Rusalka. In 2020, he received the National Theatre Director’s Award for Artists under 35.

Since the 2014/2015 season, he has been a soloist of the National Theatre and State Opera in Prague, where he has appeared in numerous roles from both the Czech and international repertoire. His performances there have included Bertrand (Iolanta), Leporello, Masetto, and the Commendatore (Don Giovanni), Bartolo (The Marriage of Figaro), Alidoro (La Cenerentola), the Major-Domo and Mathieu (Andrea Chénier), Zuniga (Carmen), the King (Aida), Filip (The Jacobin), the Devil Marbuel (The Devil and Kate), Lutobor (Libuše), Angelotti (Tosca), Cesare Salsapariglia (Viva la Mamma!), Edinitsyn (The Anti-formalist Rayok), Ratcliffe and the Second Officer (Billy Budd), and Sarastro (The Magic Flute), among many others. In 2013, he also appeared at the Zomeropera Alden Biesen festival in Belgium in Verdi’s Rigoletto.

Alongside his operatic career, Pavel Švingr is active as a concert singer. His repertoire includes Dvořák’s Stabat Mater, Mozart’s Requiem, Verdi’s Requiem, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass and Jan Hanuš’s unique song cycle The Wooden Christ.

He has worked with conductors such as Jan Latham-Koenig, Petr Altrichter, Libor Pešek, Robert Jindra, Jaroslav Kyzlink, Tomáš Brauner, Robert Kružík and Pietari Inkinen, among many others.

He collaborates with many leading Czech and international orchestras, including the Flanders Symphony Orchestra, Baden-Baden Philharmonic, MÁV Symphony Orchestra, Pilsen Philharmonic, North Bohemian Philharmonic Teplice, Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic Zlín and the Prague Symphony Orchestra (FOK).

source: Pavel Švingr

photo © Hana Smejkalová

Daniel Matoušek was born in Ústí nad Labem. Early in his career, he studied vocal technique with Jan Vacík, Antonio Carangelo, Eva Randová and Jarmila Chaloupková. He currently trains under the guidance of Kateřina Kněžíková and Adam Plachetka.

Since the 2022/2023 season, he has been a permanent member of the National Theatre Opera in Prague, where his roles have included Nemorino (L’elisir d’amore), Rinuccio (Gianni Schicchi), Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni), Tamino (The Magic Flute), the Italian Singer (Der Rosenkavalier), Edmondo (Manon Lescaut), Tybalt (Gounod’s Romeo and Juliet) and Beppe (Pagliacci), among others.

In the 2025/2026 season, he makes his debut at London’s Royal Opera House in the first-ever production of Janáček’s The Makropulos Case, conducted by Jakub Hrůša and directed by Katie Mitchell. Later in the season, he will appear with the Bamberg Symphony at the Musikverein in Vienna.

At the National Theatre Brno, he has appeared in productions of Falstaff and The Excursions of Mr. Brouček directed by Robert Carsen, which were also featured on the Operavision platform. He has sung in Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda at the Slovak National Theatre, performed as Tamino at the State Theatre in Košice and appeared with the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra under Ondrej Lenárd in Verdi’s Requiem.

Beyond the Czech opera scene, he has performed at several open-air festivals in Germany and Italy. He took part in the iSING Festival in China, where he was selected from among 2,500 singers from around the world, and in 2022 he appeared in the film The Crow directed by Rupert Sanders.

In September 2024, Radioservis released his debut album ’O sole mio – a collection of Italian and Neapolitan songs in his own symphonic arrangements, recorded with the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra under conductor Jan Kučera.

In the 2026/2027 season, Daniel Matoušek is set to collaborate with the Dvořák Prague Festival, return to the Janáček Brno Festival as Mazal in The Excursions of Mr. Brouček, make his debut at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires as Števa in Janáček’s Jenůfa, and engage in major roles in the Czech Republic, such as Sweeney Todd and the title role of Tom Rakewell in Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress.

source: Camerata s.r.o.

photo © Hana Gorlich

Born in Brno into a musical family, soprano Markéta Klaudová (née Böhmová) began her artistic journey as a member of the Kantiléna choir and went on to appear in numerous productions of the National Theatre Brno as part of its children’s ensemble — both in the Czech Republic and at many venues abroad. While studying at the Faculty of Education of Masaryk University in Brno, she successfully represented the school in several vocal competitions. In 2014 she continued her studies in Campobasso, Italy, under Professor Alda Caiello, and in the same year she took part in the Antonín Dvořák International Singing Competition in Karlovy Vary, where she received two special prizes for interpretation.

She performs regularly with many orchestras, including AKAMUS, L’Armonia Terrena, the Czech Philharmonic, Prague Symphony Orchestra (FOK), Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava, Czech Virtuosi, Brno Philharmonic and the Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic in Zlín, among others. She appears under the direction of conductors such as Marc Minkowski, Tomáš Netopil, Semyon Bychkov, Tomáš Brauner, Robert Jindra, Jaroslav Kyzlink, Zbyněk Klauda, Jakub Klecker, Robert Kružík and others. She was a long-standing member of the Czech Ensemble Baroque, which specializes in historically informed performance of (predominantly) Baroque music, and she is a founding member of the trio Drei Engel.

Since 2016 she has been a regular guest at many Czech theatres, performing with the National Theatre in Prague (as Pamina, Servilia, Donna Elvira, Countess Almaviva, Mařenka, Blaženka and Barena), J. K. Tyl Theatre in Pilsen (Ilia, Ottavia, Ismene), National Moravian-Silesian Theatre in Ostrava (Servilia, First Wood Nymph, Eve/Bubikopf), Silesian Theatre in Opava (Countess Almaviva), South Bohemian Theatre in České Budějovice (Pamina, Mařenka, Terinka, soprano soloist in Messiah and Hej mistře!, Mámení in the new opera Komenský), and the F. X. Šalda Theatre in Liberec (Vendulka). She also takes part in major festivals each year, such as Smetana’s Litomyšl, the Dvořák Prague Festival, Hudba Znojmo, the Dvořák Festival, the Leoš Janáček International Music Festival and Concentus Moraviae.

Since 2023 she has also appeared at the Aalto Theater in Essen, Germany, where she has sung both Susanna and the Countess in The Marriage of Figaro under the direction of Tomáš Netopil. This year she returned there as Margarita in Louise Bertin’s Fausto.

Markéta Klaudová is a laureate of the prestigious Cesti Competition in Innsbruck. She has been shortlisted twice for the Thalia Award (for her roles as the Countess in Opava and as Pamina in České Budějovice), and her portrayal of the Countess also earned her the 2021 Jantar Award. For her performance as Mámení in Jan Jirásek’s new opera Komenský she received the 2023 South Bohemian Thalia Award. In 2025 she made her debut at the Prague Spring Festival with Concentus Musicus Wien under the direction of Tomáš Netopil, with whom she also performed this year as Eve in a staged version of Haydn’s The Creation as part of the Prague Symphony Orchestra FOK’s concert season.

source: Markéta Klaudová

photo © Kristýna Smolová

Mezzo-soprano Lucie Hilscherová performs on opera stages both in the Czech Republic and abroad, including the National Theatre in Prague, the National Moravian-Silesian Theatre in Ostrava, the State Theatre in Košice, and the Nationaltheater Mannheim. As Háta in The Bartered Bride, she appeared in Tokyo in 2010 and London in 2011. The concert performance of the opera with the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jiří Bělohlávek was released on CD by Harmonia Mundi.

She is a sought-after concert singer in both song and oratorio repertoire and is also devoted to the interpretation of contemporary music. She has sung under the baton of such distinguished conductors as Jiří Bělohlávek, Semjon Bychkov, Christoph Eschenbach, Cornelius Meister, Tomáš Netopil, Kazushi Ono, Libor Pešek, Petr Popelka, Simon Rattle, Helmuth Rilling, and Alexander Vedernikov. Her collaborations include numerous leading orchestras such as the BBC Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, Bach-Collegium Stuttgart, Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR, Czech Philharmonic, Prague Philharmonia, Prague Symphony Orchestra FOK, Collegium 1704, and the Brno Philharmonic.

Her concert career has taken her to many of the world’s major venues, including Carnegie Hall in New York, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Musikverein in Vienna, and Barbican Hall in London. She regularly performs at prestigious festivals such as the Prague Spring Festival, Dvořák Prague Festival, Smetana Litomysl, St. Wenceslas Music Festival, Beethovenfest Bonn, Musikfest Stuttgart, Grafenegg Musik-Sommer, and the Edinburgh International Festival.

source:  Lucie Hilscherová

photo © Petr Matoušek