When Gramophone hailed Jakub Hrůša as being “on the verge of greatness”, they basically foretold the future. Who is Jakub Hrůša you ask? He is the greatest Czech contemporary conductor and soon the Director Designate of The Royal Opera, Covent Garden. I’d like to tell you about this accomplished Czech musician and conductor and an interesting fact or two that is not so widely known.
Jakub Hrůša’s Musical Career
Jakub Hrůša was born in 1981 in Brno, Czechoslovakia, now Czech Republic. What the internet won’t tell you is that he has not just been born with his incredible talent but also went to music-oriented schools since day one. He started in the elementary school Vranovská which used to be a school with musical program since first grade (nowadays it’s not anymore). He also attended piano lessons at the music school ZUŠ Kosmákova by Jana Kalousková, a gifted pianist who never became famous but guided many young talents.
He studied at the Music and Dance Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague and his graduation performance with the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra was already a hint of his star future. Even before he graduated, he won several conducting awards and conducted two students’ orchestras and several regional ones. Since then, Hrůša has been conducting not only symphonic repertoire but also opera.
Conducting in Czech Republic
His first steps after graduation led to Zlín where he was the chief conductor of the Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic and then to Prague as a conductor of PKF – Prague Philharmonia.
He is the Principal Guest Conductor of the Czech Philharmonic and often collaborates with other greats of Czech classical music scene such as Adam Plachetka or Kateřina Englichová.
Conducting Abroad
Hrůša became the music director of the Royal Opera of Copenhagen but resigned before taking charge, in solidarity with the previous director who was forced to resign. He gained his international stardom in his position as chief conductor of the Bamberg Symphony (Germany).
Formerly, he worked as Principal Guest Conductor of the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Philharmonia Orchestra, and Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra and in 2023, he became honorary member of the Royal Academy of Music. He is also a frequent guest of many other great orchestras such as the Vienna Philharmonic or the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Jakub Hrůša also collaborates with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Symphonic Orchestras of Sydney, New York and many other.
In September of 2025, he will take the post of Music Director Designate of The Royal Opera, Covent Garden. You can read more in detail about his accomplishment and engagements on his official webpage.
– – – – –
Featured picture: Andreas Herzau, via martinu.cz
Portrait: FB Jakub Hrůša Conductor