CZECH PHILHARMONIC CHOIR BRNO

The Czech Philharmonic Choir Brno is among the absolute world elite of choral singing. With its distinctive, nuanced sound, technical perfection, and profound musical interpretation, the ensemble has earned an outstanding reputation among critics, conductors, orchestras, and international audiences.

Since its founding in 1990, the chorus, under the direction of its founder and artistic director, Petr Fiala, has set standards. The trained composer, pianist, and conductor, with over five decades of artistic experience, has shaped the ensemble into a world-class sound, precise, emotional, and expressive. His artistic vision and pedagogical genius have been widely recognized, including with the Order of Cyril and Methodius and the City of Brno Music Award.

The chorus delights audiences with over 90 concerts worldwide each year – both in the major concert halls of Europe and at prestigious international festivals: Gstaad Menuhin Festival, Grafenegg Festival, Heidenheim Opera Festival, Rheingau Music Festival, Salzburg Festival, and many more. It regularly performs with leading orchestras and renowned conductors – including names such as Sir Simon Rattle, Zubin Mehta, Andris Nelsons, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Ivan Fischer, John Axelrod, Eliahu Inbal, Marek Janowski, Kirill Petrenko or Manfred Honeck.

In the 2023/24 season, the chorus was part of a historic project – the premiere of the first opera in Arabic language (Zarqa) in Riyadh, together with the Dresdner Sinfoniker, the British mezzo-soprano Dame Sarah Connolly, and the acclaimed director Daniele Finzi Pasca. Previously, the ensemble captivated the Salzburg Festival audience with Wagner’s Tannhäuser under the direction of Andris Nelsons and with Jonas Kaufmann in the title role.

For the 2024/25 season, the highlights were: the opening of the Anima Mundi Festival in Pisa with Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass, performances of Verdi’s Requiem with the Philharmonic Orchestra Stuttgart under Dan Ettinger, and Mozart’s Requiem with the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Manfred Honeck. A debut at the Baden-Baden Osterfestspiele (Easter Festival) with the Berlin Philharmonic under Kiril Petrenko and again in the summer at the Opernfestpiele Heidenheim with Marcus Bosch.

The 2025/26 season sees the choir return to the Osterfestspiele Baden-Baden with Lohengrin, conducted by Joanna Mallwitz and accompanied by the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. They will also appear at the Opernfestspiele Heidenheim in Verdi’s Otello and Macbeth. Several highlights from oratorio repertoire are planned home and abroad as well, including Dvořák’s Stabat Mater in Brno, Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, Verdi’s Requiem, and Haydn’s Creation in Prague, Carmina Burana in Torino with RAI Torino and John Axelrod, Bruckner Te Deum with Tonkünstler-Orchester and Yutaka Sado in Vienna, Grafenegg and St. Pölten.

The choir went on a tour of Southern Europe with Dvořák’s Stabat Mater, performing in Ljubljana, Maribor, and Zagreb with Brno Philharmonic and Leoš Svárovský.

Alongside its international engagements, the chorus maintains a strong presence within the Czech Republic – with regular concerts in Brno, Prague, Ostrava, Olomouc, Litomyšl, Český Krumlov, České Budějovice, Zlín, and other cities. Thanks to its stylistic versatility and vocal brilliance, the ensemble is particularly dedicated to the oratorical, cantata, and operatic repertoire.

The artistic excellence of the Czech Philharmonic Choir Brno is documented in numerous award-winning recordings. Among the most significant awards are: Echo Klassik – “Ensemble of the Year” (2007) for Bruckner's Motets, Echo Klassik – “Recording of the Year” (2007) for Liszt’s Oratorio Christus, German Record Critics' Award (2009) for Requiem for a Young Poet by B.A. Zimmermann, Tokusen Award from the Japanese specialist magazine Geijutsu Disc Review (2011) for Dvořák’s Requiem, Danish P2 Music Prize – Nomination for the recording of Klenau (The Story of Love and Death of Cornet Christoph Rilke), Classic Prague Awards – “Vocal Performance of the Year” (2019), Winner of the Opus Klassik Award 2025 for Best Opera Recording of the Year – G. Verdi: Giovanna d’Arco, Opernfestspiele Heidenheim (with Marcus Bosch and Cappella Aquileia).

Opernfestspiele Heidenheim, where the Czech Philharmonic Choir Brno has been the resident choir since 2015, received the International Opera Awards 2025 for Best Opera Festival.

Numerous radio and television broadcasts, e.g., with the BBC, ZDF, Arte, ORF and Česká televize, make the chorus a permanent fixture of the European cultural landscape.

Season 2025/2026