Prague Philharmonia
Prague Philharmonia was founded in 1994 on the initiative of the conductor Jiří Bělohlávek under the original name Prague Chamber Philharmonia. 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. Since the 2015–2016 season the orchestra has been led by the French conductor Emmanuel Villaume. Freshness, energy and perfectionism are characteristics inscribed in the orchestra’s “Birth Certificate”, as well as a love of music expressed in each of their concerts. In its choice of repertoire, the Prague Philharmonia focus remains on the era of Viennese Classicism, to which works from the period of Romanticism, as well the 20th and 21st centuries, are added. Contemporary music is also given a great deal of attention and the orchestra is keen to premiere commissioned pieces. This has led to the launch of a special, unconventional series of meetings called Contemporary Music Seris (S), with remarkable guests from the world of contemporary music discussing their works. Prague Philharmonia is a frequent partner of renowned conductors and soloists (e.g. Christopher Hogwood, Martha Argerich, András Schiff, Magdalena Kožená, Plácido Domingo and many others) and is regularly invited to international music festivals and gives concerts at top world venues (e.g. BBC Proms, Prague Spring, Berliner Philharmonie, etc.). Over the period of its existence, the orchestra has recorded about 90 CDs released by leading Czech and world music publishers (e.g. Deutsche Grammophon, Decca, Supraphon, EMI, etc.).
