Orchestra Profile
The Prague Philharmonia was founded in 1994 on the initiative of the conductor Jiří Bělohlávek (1946-2017) under the original name Prague Chamber Philharmonia.
Since the 2015–16 season the orchestra has been led by the French conductor Emmanuel Villaume.
Today it is one of the most recognised orchestras, not only among Czech but also world ensembles. Regular invitations to tour abroad as well as recording projects with the most renowned international labels bear testimony to this.
The characteristic sound
Over the course of its 30-year existence the orchestra has earned recognition throughout the music world globally. It is widely praised and respected not only for its distinctive sound but also for its wide-ranging repertoire, which, although with the music of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven at its core, also covers Dvořák and Smetana and their Czech successors, as well as French and German works ranging from Schumann, Brahms and Ravel to the contemporary, with 20th- and 21st-century music being an integral part of its programming.
Despite its evolution in forces – these days somewhere between chamber orchestra and small symphony orchestra – the Prague Philharmonia has retained its chamber-like manner of playing and working, its passionate dedication and its much admired attention to detail.
A partner of star artists
Throughout its existence the Prague Philharmonia has collaborated with internationally acclaimed artists such as Julian Rachlin, Martha Argerich, Yefim Bronfman, András Schiff, Gil Shaham, Isabelle Faust, Emmanuel Pahud, Luciano Pavarotti, Diana Damrau, Anna Netrebko, Plácido Domingo, Gautier Capuçon, Maxim Vengerov, Mischa Maisky, Juan Diego Flórez, Jonas Kaufmann and many others.
Anna Netrebko
Bryan Hymel
A guest at top world venues
The orchestra is regularly invited to major international music festivals – having appearaéd e.g. at the BBC Proms, the Dresdner Musikfestspiele, MITO Settembre Musica, the Prague Spring international festival, and the Festspiel Baden-Baden – and performs in such leading concert halls as the Berliner Philharmonie, the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, the Gasteig Munich, Tokyo‘s Suntory Hall, the Royal Opera House Muscat in Oman, and the Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Cultural Centre in Kuwait.
Recordings for prestigious labels
The Prague Philharmonia’s discography includes more than 90 CDs released on prestigious international and domestic labels, including Deutsche Grammophon, Warner Classics, Sony Classical, Decca, EMI, Harmonia Mundi and Supraphon. The orchestra has received numerous accolades for its recordings, such as the RAC Canada Gold Disc (2000), the Harmonie Award (2001) and the Diapason d’Or (2007). In 2016 it was nominated for an International Opera Award for the album Héroïque with Bryan Hymel, and in the following year for an International Classical Music Award (ICMA) for Bohemian Rhapsody with Gábor Boldoczki.
The ensemble's profile recording Ravel – Debussy – Bizet (Warner Classics) received high praise from the London Sunday Times and Gramophone magazine, and was listed among the Top 10 Recordings of the Week by BBC Music Magazine.
A 2019 album with acclaimed tenor Benjamin Bernheim, released by Deutsche Grammophon, won an Opus Klassik Award and garnered other major international accolades including a Diapason d’Or and the Choc de Classica. In 2023 the orchestra recorded a highly successful album with tenor Jonathan Tetelman for Deutsche Grammophon, as well as a CD of wind concerti by Krzysztof Penderecki with flautist Stathis Karapanos for Warner Classics.
Repertoire
Over the course of its 30-year existence the orchestra has earned recognition throughout the music world globally. It is widely praised and respected not only for its distinctive sound but also for its wide-ranging repertoire, which, although with the music of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven at its core, also covers Dvořák and Smetana and their Czech successors, as well as French and German works ranging from Schumann, Brahms and Ravel to the contemporary, with 20th- and 21st-century music being an integral part of its programming.
Lobkowicz Series
Krása dneška (S)
Chief conductors
From the 2015–2016 season the post of music director and chief conductor has been held by the distinguished French conductor Emmanuel Villaume, who has presented the orchestra with new challenges in the form of French repertoire and large symphonic-vocal works. At the beginning of 2017, under Emmanuel Villaume’s leadership, the Prague Philharmonia toured extensively and successfully across the USA.
Between the years 1994-2005 the orchestra was led by one of the most internationally recognised conductors and the founder of the orchestra, Jiří Bělohlávek (1946-2017), who later became its Music Director Laureate. The second chief conductor was the Swiss conductor and flautist Kaspar Zehnder. The excellent Czech conductor, Jakub Hrůša, led the orchestra in the years 2008-2015.
Orchestral Academy
The Prague Philharmonia Orchestral Academy was established in 2008 as the first such project in the Czech Republic. Each year the orchestra welcomes to its family circle twelve to fourteen young talented musicians. They are assisted by the Prague Philharmonia players in gaining the experience of orchestral playing, and are enthusiastically introduced to the rudiments of the orchestra philosophy: precision, a sense for ensemble playing and for detail, artistic humility, friendship and respect. From the beginning, members of the Academy take part in Prague Philharmonia projects. They go on tours in the Czech Republic and abroad, and get opportunities to perform in the Chamber Series and take part in recordings.
Concerts for children
The Prague Philharmonia has been a trailblazer in the field of educational programmes and concerts for children in the Czech Republic.
The regular series of concerts for children held at the Rudolfinum each year is among the most popular in Prague. Concerts for schools and Orchestra ZOOM in Czech and English are another PKF projects. Added to that is the outstanding Notička Children’s Club for audiences between 3 and 14 years old, where music is sensitively and creatively interlinked with other art forms.
Concerts for children in Rudolfinum D/E
Notička
Prague Philharmonia supports
Since 2008 the orchestra, in collaboration with Prague District 5 (MČ Praha 5), organises a competition Prague 5 Talent (Talent Prahy 5), which offers young musicians an opportunity to perform in public alongside professional musicians. In 2017 it became partners with the International School of Music and Fine Arts in Prague, with whom it collaborates on educational projects, bringing together students from more than 20 countries around the world.
Our partners
The Municipality of Prague and the Czech Ministry of Culture have been long-term supporters of the Prague Philharmonia.
