Janáček Brno Festival Announces 10th Anniversary Season for 2026

The Janáček Brno International Opera and Music Festival returns on October 13, 2026 for its 10th anniversary season, running through November 17 with a programme spanning eleven operas, recitals, premieres and concerts across the Czech city's venues.

The announcement, made by the festival, confirms appearances by soprano Corinne Winters, mezzo-soprano Markéta Cukrová, tenor Nicky Spence and soprano Kateřina Kněžíková, alongside conductors Tomáš Netopil, Jakub Hrůša and Charles Ward-era orchestras including the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Bamberg Symphony.

What opens the season?

Tomáš Hanus conducts Janáček's "Destiny" on October 13, 2026 at the Janáček Theatre, in a Robert Carsen production featuring Alžběta Poláčková, Eliška Gattringerová, Vít Nosek, Jan Šťáva and Lukáš Bařák with the Janáček Opera of the National Theatre Brno ensemble.

Carsen returns two days later to direct the Teatro Real, Madrid and Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Berlin co-production of "The Excursions of Mr Brouček" on October 15, with Nicky Spence, Daniel Matoušek, David Szendiuch, Jana Sibera and Jan Šťáva, conducted by Marko Ivanović.

Which stars give recitals?

Corinne Winters gives a recital on October 18, 2026 at the Mahen Theatre, pairing music by Dvořák, Vítězslava Kaprálová, Janáček and Erich Wolfgang Korngold with pianist David Mareček and cellist Lukáš Mareček.

Markéta Cukrová joins the Bennewitz Quartet for Dvořák at Villa Tugendhat on October 17, 2026.

Bass Richard Novák celebrates his 95th birthday in concert with pianist Ondrej Olos on October 20, 2026 at the Reduta Theatre's Mozart Hall.

Mezzo-soprano Bella Adamova and pianist Ahmad Hadar-close the recital series on November 1, 2026 at Villa Tugendhat with works by Debussy, Shostakovich, Reynaldo Hahn, Luciano Berio, Britten and Manuel de Falla.

What premieres are on the programme?

The festival schedules three premieres:

• Bohuslav Martinů's "Theatre Behind the Gate," directed by Hana Mikolášková and conducted by Filip Urban, performed by the Opera Studio and Orchestra of the Brno Conservatory on October 22 and 23, 2026 at the Mahen Theatre.
• Janáček's "The Beginning of a Romance," conducted by Ondrej Olos and directed by Marek Řihák as a Hausopera co-production, running November 3, 4, 12 and 13, 2026 at the Atrium of the BUT Rectorate.
• The world premieres of "OH HUMANITY!" by Eunika Pechánková and Bára Viceníková and "HERE IS THE ISLAND" by Tereza Konzalová and Richard L. Kramár, presented by the Chamber Opera of the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts on November 10 and 14, 2026 at the Theatre on Orlí Street.

How does Kněžíková feature?

Kateřina Kněžíková takes the title role in Janáček's "Katya Kabanova" on October 30 and 31, 2026 at the Janáček Theatre, directed by Robert Carsen and conducted by Ondrej Olos, with Peter Berger, Aleš Briscein, Václava Krejčí Housková and Jan Šťáva in the cast.

She also stars in "The Cunning Little Vixen" on October 24 and 25, 2026 alongside Adéla Plachetková and Václava Krejčí Housková, directed by Jiří Heřman, with Tomáš Netopil conducting the Janáček Opera of the National Theatre Brno and the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra.

What other operas are staged?

Jakub Hrůša conducts "Jenůfa" on November 5 and 7, 2026 with Corinne Winters, Eliška Weissová, Jitka Zerhauová, Nicky Spence and Thomas Atkins, alongside the Bamberg Symphony, in a production directed by Martin Glaser.

Krzysztof Warlikowski's Bayerische Staatsoper production of "Katya Kabanova" reaches the Mahen Theatre on November 13, 2026, with Dmitry Cheblykov, Pavel Černoch, Violeta Urmana, Ya-Chung Huang, Corinne Winters and Eirik Grøtvedt, conducted by Robert Jindra.

Robert Kružík conducts "The Makropulos Affair" on November 8 and 15, 2026, directed by David Radok and featuring Jana Šrejma Kačírková, Aleš Briscein, Petr Levíček, Zdislava Bočková and Svatopluk Sem.

The festival also presents both versions of "Šárka": Jiří Heřman's staging of the 1887 version at the Besední dům on October 26 and 28 and November 15 and 16, 2026, with Dominik Pernica conducting and Julius Drake at the piano; and a concert performance of the 1925 version at the Mahen Theatre on November 11, 2026, with Christopher Ward conducting the Choir and Orchestra of the National Theatre Prague.

The season closes on November 17, 2026 at the Janáček Theatre with "From the Dead House" performed with the "Glagolitic Mass" as a continuation of the opera, directed by Jiří Heřman and conducted by Robert Kružík, with Roman Hoz, Štefan Margita, Peter Berger, Károly Szemerédy, Jan Šťáva and Romana Kružíková among the cast.

What concerts round out the festival?

• October 16, 2026, Reduta Theatre Mozart Hall: tenor Aleš Briscein and mezzo-soprano Michaela Zajmi with three female vocalists to be announced, joined by pianist Kryštof Mařatka, clarinetist Yan Mařatka and violist Karine Lethiec in works by Janáček and Kryštof Mařatka.
• October 18, 2026, Reduta Theatre Mozart Hall: the Brno Children's Choir under choirmaster Valeria Maťašová in works by Luboš Fišer, Miloslav Kabeláč, Janáček and Bohuslav Martinů.
• October 23, 2026, Janáček Theatre: baritone Adam Plachetka sings Mahler's "Songs of a Wayfarer" with the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra under Tomáš Netopil.
• October 24, 2026, Augustinian Abbey Brno Refectory: Ensemble Versus under choirmaster Vladimír Maňas in works by Palestrina, Orlando di Lasso, Tomás Luis de Victoria, Jacobus Handl Gallus and Giovanni Croce.
• October 29, 2026: Ensemble Versus performs throughout the Žlutý kopec Water Tanks, with choirmasters Vladimír Maňas and Zuzana Badárová and director Kateřina Křivánková.
• November 14, 2026, Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary: Collegium Vocale 1704 and Collegium 1704 under Václav Luks in works by Palestrina, Pavel Křížkovský, Janáček and J.S. Bach.

With both versions of "Šárka," a rarely staged "The Beginning of a Romance" and the "Glagolitic Mass" fused to "From the Dead House," the anniversary edition positions Brno as the definitive staging ground for the composer's complete dramatic output.