
Jakub Hrůša (born 23 July 1981 in
Brno
Brno ( , ; ) is a Statutory city (Czech Republic), city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava (river), Svitava and Svratka (river), Svratka rivers, Brno has about 403,000 inhabitants, making ...
) is a Czech conductor. He is chief conductor of the
Bamberg Symphony.
Education
Hrůša is the son of the architect .
There were no professional musicians in his family who were drawn mainly from technical and scientific sectors.
Hrůša studied piano and trombone, and developed an interest in conducting, during his years at
Gymnázium třída Kapitána Jaroše in Brno. While at school he had lessons with an experienced repetiteur and conductor at the
National Theatre in his home city, Evžen Holiš, where he got know the work and atmosphere of an opera house.
When 18 he entered the
Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, where his teachers included
Jiří Bělohlávek
Jiří Bělohlávek, (; 24 February 1946 – 31 May 2017) was a Czech conductor. He was a leading interpreter of Czech classical music, and became chief conductor of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra in 1990, a role he would serve on two occasio ...
(from his second year) for conducting,
Radomil Eliška and
Leoš Svárovský
Leoš Svárovský (born 17 May 1961 in Jablonec nad Nisou, former Czechoslovakia) is a Czech flautist
The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound ...
.
In 2000 he participated in the
Prague Spring International Music Festival
The Prague Spring International Music Festival (, commonly , Prague Spring) is a classical music festival held every year in Prague, Czech Republic, with symphony orchestras and chamber music ensembles from around the world.
The first festival ...
conducting competition. In 2003, he was a prizewinner in the
in
Zagreb
Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...
, Croatia.
[ He has researched for a dissertation the work of contemporary Czech composers.
He acknowledges his debt to Bělohlávek's teaching there, and admired him for taking care to teach, not just to give masterclasses, and his generosity "in sharing ideas, inviting me to rehearsals, and actually I remember observing him work on '' Katya Kabanová'' in Helsinki with Karita Mattila. I owe him a lot."]
Career
Hrůša's first conducting position after graduation was when he was at the Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic orchestra of Zlín
Zlín (in 1949–1989 Gottwaldov; ; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 75,000 inhabitants. It is the seat of the Zlín Region and it lies on the Dřevnice River. It is known as an industrial centre. The development of the modern city ...
, with which he went on tour to Spain in 2004 – during long bus trips, he and the players were able to bond before he took up his post officially in 2005.[Allison, John. People: 507 – Jakub Hrůša. '']Opera
Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...
'', July 2022, Vol.73 No.7, p801-807. He also began to build up his experience in the Czech Republic, where he conducted ''The Cunning Little Vixen
''The Cunning Little Vixen'' (original title ''Příhody lišky Bystroušky'' or ''Tales of Vixen Sharp-Ears'' in English), is a three-act Czech-language opera by Leoš Janáček completed in 1923 to a libretto the composer himself adapted from a ...
'' in 2005 and Marcel Mihalovici's '' Krapp, or The Last Tape'', at the National Theatre in Prague. where he also worked as an Associate Conductor with the Czech Philharmonic. From 2005 to 2006, he was an associate conductor with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, his first international appointment. In April 2006, he signed a six-CD recording contract with Supraphon, where the first three CDs were with the Prague Philharmonia. From 2005 to 2008, Hrůša was principal guest conductor of the Prague Philharmonia
Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
, then chief conductor from 2008 to 2015.[ He became principal guest conductor of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra as of the 2015–2016 season.
In February 2009, Hrůša was named the music director of Glyndebourne on Tour, effective January 2010. In September 2011, he was named the next music director of the Royal Danish Opera and of the Royal Danish Orchestra, effective September 2013. However, in January 2012, in the wake of the resignation of Keith Warner from the artistic directorship of the Royal Danish Opera following proposed budget cuts, Hrůša announced that he would not take the music directorship of Royal Danish Opera, in solidarity with Warner's action.
In September 2015, after five appearances as a guest conductor, Hrůša was named the next chief conductor of the Bamberg Symphony, from the 2016–2017 season, with an initial contract of four seasons. This was extended firstly to the 2025–2026 season, then through to the 2028–2029 season.
In March 2017, the ]Philharmonia Orchestra
The Philharmonia Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It was founded in 1945 by Walter Legge, a classical music record producer for EMI Classics, EMI. Among the conductors who worked with the orchestra in its early years were Rich ...
announced the appointment of Hrůša as one of its two new principal guest conductors, effective with the 2017–2018 season. In July 2021, the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia announced the appointment of Hrůša as its next principal guest conductor, effective with the 2021–2022 season, with an initial contract of three seasons. His Proms debut in 2017 was an unconventional programme of the Hussite
file:Hussitenkriege.tif, upright=1.2, Battle between Hussites (left) and Crusades#Campaigns against heretics and schismatics, Catholic crusaders in the 15th century
file:The Bohemian Realm during the Hussite Wars.png, upright=1.2, The Lands of the ...
Chorale 'Ktož jsú Boži bojovníci', Smetana's Tábor and Blaník from Má vlast
(), also known as ''My Fatherland'', is a set of six symphonic poems composed between 1874 and 1879 by the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana. The six pieces, conceived as individual works, are often presented and recorded as a single work in si ...
, Martinů's Field Mass, Dvořák's Hussite Overture, Janáček's Song of the Hussites and Suk's Praga. His next Prom concert in 2019 consisted of the complete Má vlast preceded by Dvořák's violin concerto.
Hrůša first guest-conducted at the Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House (ROH) is a theatre in Covent Garden, central London. The building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. The ROH is the main home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orch ...
(ROH) in February 2018, in a production of ''Carmen''. He returned to the ROH in April 2022 to conduct ''Lohengrin''. In October 2022, the ROH announced the appointment of Hrůša as its next music director, effective in September 2025, taking the title of music director designate with immediate effect.
In 2020 a bi-lingual (Czech–English) anthology entitled ''Hrůša on Martinů'' was published consisting of essays on Bohuslav Martinů
Bohuslav Jan Martinů (; December 8, 1890 – August 28, 1959) was a Czech composer of modern classical music. He wrote 6 symphony, symphonies, 15 operas, 14 ballet scores and a large body of orchestral, chamber music, chamber, vocal and ins ...
by Hrůša, and an interview, in his role as president of the International Martinů Circle.Hrůša on Martinů. Jakub Hrůša. Bohuslav Martinů Institute e-shop page
, accessed 3 January 2024. Although he had not conducted a Martinů opera in the theatre at the time of publication, he had given performances of Martinů's symphonies on both sides of the Atlantic.
Personal life
Hrůša and his wife Klára Hrůšová have two children. The family have a residence in London.
Selected discography
* Dvořák – ''Czech Suite'', ''Valčíky'' (waltzes), ''Polonéza'' (polonaise). Prague Philharmonia. Supraphon SU 3867-2 (2006).
* Dvořák – Suite in A, op 98b; Josef Suk – Serenade for Strings, ''Fantastic Scherzo''. Prague Philharmonia. Supraphon SU 3882-2 (2006).
* Dvořák – Serenade for Strings, Serenade for Winds, ''Meditations on the St Wenceslas Chorale''. Prague Philharmonia. Supraphon SU 3932-2 (2008).
* Leoš Janáček
Leoš Janáček (, 3 July 1854 – 12 August 1928) was a Czech composer, Music theory, music theorist, Folkloristics, folklorist, publicist, and teacher. He was inspired by Moravian folk music, Moravian and other Slavs, Slavic music, includin ...
– ''Lachian Dances'', ''The Cunning Little Vixen'' Suite (František Jílek version), ''Taras Bulba''. Brno Philharmonic. Supraphon SU 3923-2 (2009).
* Bohuslav Martinů
Bohuslav Jan Martinů (; December 8, 1890 – August 28, 1959) was a Czech composer of modern classical music. He wrote 6 symphony, symphonies, 15 operas, 14 ballet scores and a large body of orchestral, chamber music, chamber, vocal and ins ...
, Josef Bohuslav Foerster, Viteszlav Novak – Cello Concertos. Jiří Bárta, Prague Philharmonia. Supraphon SU 3989-2 (2009).
* Bedřich Smetana
Bedřich Smetana ( ; ; 2 March 1824 – 12 May 1884) was a Czech composer who pioneered the development of a musical style that became closely identified with his people's aspirations to a cultural and political "revival". He has been regarded ...
– '' Ma Vlast''. Prague Philharmonia. Supraphon SU 4032-2 (2010).
* Dvořák & Lalo – Cello Concertos. Johannes Moser, Prague Philharmonia. Pentatone PTC 5186488 (2015)
* Dvořák – Slavonic Rhapsodies & Symphonic Variations. Prague Philharmonia. Pentatone PTC 5186554 (2016)
* Dvořák – Overtures ( In Nature's Realm, Op. 91, Carnival Overture, Op. 92, Othello Overture, Op. 93, My Home, Op. 62, Hussite Overture, Op. 67). Prague Philharmonia. Pentatone PTC 5186532 (2016).
* Bartók & Kodály – Concertos for Orchestra. Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin. Pentatone PTC 5186626 (2018).
References
External links
Bamberg Symphony English-language page on Jakub Hrůša
Supraphon Czech-language page on Jakub Hrůša
Supraphon English-language page on Jakub Hrůša
IMG Artists agency page on Jakub Hrůša
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hrusa, Jakub
1981 births
Deutsche Grammophon artists
Czech male conductors (music)
Living people
Musicians from Brno
21st-century Czech conductors (music)
21st-century Czech male musicians
Academy of Performing Arts in Prague alumni
Chief conductors of the Bamberg Symphony