Prague Philharmonia

In the course of its existence the Prague Philharmonia, founded in 1994 by Jiří Bělohlávek, 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 takes in Czech repertoire from the Classical period through to the modern day, as well as German and French works from Schumann and Brahms to Debussy and Ravel, 20th- and 21st-century music being an integral part of its programming at home and on tour. 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 strong stage presence, and its much-admired attention to detail.

Since its founding, the orchestra has been directed by a number of distinguished chief conductors, each of whom has contributed to refining and shaping the orchestra’s distinctive sound. Following Jiří Bělohlávek, the role of chief was assumed first by Kaspar Zehnder in 2005, and then by Jakub Hrůša in 2008. Since the beginning of the 2015/2016 season the orchestra has been working under the guidance of Frenchman Emmanuel Villaume.

Throughout its existence the Prague Philharmonia has collaborated with such internationally acclaimed artists 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. 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 had performed at such prominent venues 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.

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.

In the last four seasons the orchestra has toured to Japan, Germany, Italy, Turkey, France and Taiwan and has performed at the Wiener Musikverein, the Kölner Philharmonie and New York’s Carnegie Hall. In the 2025/2026 season the ensemble appeared in Spain, Germany, Italy and Switzerland and embarked on tours to the USA, Japan and Thailand.

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