The 10th anniversary edition of the Janáček Brno 2026 festival has officially launched its ticket sales! Under the motto “Roots”, the festival will present an exceptionally ambitious programme featuring the complete operatic works of Leoš Janáček – from his early compositions to his mature masterpieces. Such a comprehensive presentation of Janáček’s legacy is unique on a global scale and confirms the festival’s outstanding position among international music events.
The festival will host stars such as Corinne Winters, Kateřina Kněžíková, Adam Plachetka, Bella Adamova, and Ivo Kahánek. For the first time in the festival’s history, the Czech Philharmonic will perform, alongside returning guests, the Bamberg Symphony, and, making its debut appearance, the Bavarian State Opera, presenting Káťa Kabanová directed by Krzysztof Warlikowski.
The National Theatre Brno will stage all Janáček’s operas that the Janáček Opera NdB ensemble has produced since 2014, in collaborations with leading conductors such as Jakub Hrůša, Tomáš Hanus, Tomáš Netopil, Marko Ivanović, and the new chief conductor Robert Kružík.
Two extraordinary site-specific premieres of Janáček’s operas will also be part of the festival – The Beginning of a Romance (dir. Marek Řihák, BUT Rectorate Aula) and Šárka (dir. Jiří Heřman, Besední dům). The latter will be performed in its 1888 concert version featuring pianist Julius Drake and renowned tenor Nicky Spence as Ctirad.
The programme will also include the NdB3 ballet project, which represented the Czech Republic at Expo 2025 in Japan, performances by young talents from JAMU and the Brno Conservatory, and a concert by the winner of the Leoš Janáček International Competition, the Arola Quartet. The festival will also bring music to Brno’s historic villas and the newly opened water reservoirs on Žlutý kopec.
For eager festival-goers, a series of preview events will offer an early taste of the programme – more at janacek-brno.cz/preview2026.
Ticket sales for the festival’s most extensive edition to date – 56 performances for more than 30,000 visitors – are now open!
