The Czech Philharmonic Choir Brno, choirmaster Petr Fiala
Petr FialaFoto: Materiály SOČR
was formed in 1990 and is nowadays one of the best and most sought-after professional choirs in Europe. The choir focuses chiefly on oratorio and cantata works, and has recently added opera works from all periods to its repertoire. Its high musical standard is also reflected in its frequent concert appearances, both at home and abroad (around ninety performances annually).
The choir works with all the Czech and many foreign orchestras and conductors (e.g. Petr Altrichter, Jiří Bělohlávek, Vladimír Válek, Leoš Svárovský, Sir Charles Mackerras, Leopold Hager, Charles Dutoit, Sir Roger Norrington, Enoch zu Guttenberg, Mario Venzago, Hugh Wolff, Marc Soustrot, Jean-Claude Casadesus, Aldo Ceccato, Georg Schmöhe, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Gerd Albrecht, Lawrence Foster, Zubin Mehta, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Kurt Masur, Isaac Karabschevsky, Roman Kofman, Dennis Russel Davies, Marek Janowski, Yuri Simonov, Zdeněk Mácal, among others).
The choir is a regular guest at international festivals and concerts in Vienna, Linz, Munich, Lucerne, Basel, Frankfurt, London (BBC Proms), Eberbach near Wiesbaden, Lübeck, Passau, Milan, Rome, the Vatican, Paris, Rennes, Nantes, Angers, Nuremberg, Dresden, Oviedo, as well as Prague, Brno, Ostrava, Olomouc, Litomyšl, České Budějovice, Český Krumlov etc.
The choir has recorded a number of CDs for leading Czech and European publishers (PANTON, Supraphon, Farao, KOCH International, Sony Classical, Ultraphon, Arco Diva, Chesky-Records New York, Pronto, Antiphona, PAN Classics, Musikproduktion Dabringhaus, Discantica, and others). In a renowned international competition (3000 registered recordings) the choir gained two prestigious German prizes ECHO KLASSIK 2007: one as "Ensemble of the year 2007" for the recording of Bruckner´s Motets, the second as "Recording of the year 2007" for oratorio Christus by F. Liszt.
The choir´s founder, artistic director and choirmaster is PETR FIALA (b. 1943); the assistant choirmaster is JAN OCETEK (b. 1972).
The activities of the Czech Philharmonic Choir of Brno are generously supported by the Region of Southern Moravia, the City of Brno, and the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic.
