Biography

The Pilsen Philharmonic Orchestra, formerly the Pilsen Radio Orchestra, is an ensemble with a solid tradition and reputation and is requested on stages in the Czech Republic and abroad. The orchestra takes numerous foreign tours and performs at prestigious venues in Europe and the United States. Let us mention the halls of Gasteig in Munich, Liederhalle in Stuttgart, the Alte Oper in Frankfurt, the Brucknerhaus in Linz, the Stadthalle in Vienna, the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin, the Tonhalle in Zürich or Rudolfinum and O2 Arena in Prague. In August 2017, they performed in the new hall of the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg. In recent seasons, for example the following performer with the Pilsen Philharmonic Orchestra: Tai Murray, Pascal Rogé, Lilya Zilberstein, Juliane Banse, Sergej Nakarjakov, Anne Queffélec, Jeremy Menuhin, and Gautier Capucon. In the past seasons, the dramaturgy included soloists such as Michaela Fukačová, Julian Pflugmann, Nikita Boriso-Glebsky, and Gabriela Demeterová. In the past, these have also included Ramon Vargas, Montserrat Caballé
and also a number of outstanding conductors such as sir Charles Mackerras, Vaclav Talich, Jiři Bělohlávek, and Libor Pešek. The Orchestra regularly collaborates with Czech Radio and hence follows the tradition of the years 1946 - 1993 (the Pilsen Radio Orchestra). For other
labels, they have recently filmed the opera Charity Day by Bohuslav Martinů, which has won several prestigious wards, Rhapsody of Antonín Dvořák or the complete works for violoncello and orchestra by Bohuslav Martinů (Petr Nouzovský & Tomáš Brauner), which was published
by Dabringhaus und Grimm and was awarded the Classic Prague Award 2017 in the recording of the year category. The Pilsen Philharmonic Orchestra also holds the City of Pilsen Arts Award for the years of 2014 and 2015 in the category of outstanding cultural event of the year, specifically for the concert connected with the Year of Czech Music 2014 held in the Cathedral of St. Bartholomew in Pilsen, during which it performer the Requiem by Antonín Dvořák, and for the Artist and Totalitarianism project. In 2017, the conductor of the Pilsen Philharmonic Orchestra Tomáš Brauner was awarded the City of Pilsen Arts Award for outstanding artistic achievement for artists over 30 years, it was for the production of Dvořák’s oratorio Stabat Mater with the Pilsen Philharmonic Orchestra and the Czech Philharmonic Choir Brno. Since 2013, the Pilsen Philharmonic Orchestra has been the organizer of the Smetana Days Festival. Ronald Zollman has been the chief conductor of the
philharmonic orchestra since the 2018/2019 season, Tomáš Brauner the chief guest conductor, and Chuhei Iwasaki the permanent guest conductor.
Since 2013, the Pilsen Philharmonic Orchestra has been the organizer of the Smetana Days Festival. Since 2021 is the Pilsen Philharmonic organizer of the Circle of Friends of Music.