You might easily scroll past his name in a programme, but you have heard him more times than you realise. The kid from Pelíšky, the keyboardist of the dance-floor-filling band Monkey Business, the composer of a symphony that rang out in Prague's Obecní dům. And here is something that might raise an eyebrow: in 2004 he recorded an entire album with Roman Holý that serves as the soundtrack to a film. A film that never existed. Together with Ondřej Brousek he recorded and produced in 2004 a soundtrack to the fictional, non-existent film Crushing Bliss. Music before the image, and yet the image never came. So when you are looking for Ondřej Brousek concerts live, there is no single box to tick - this is a person who leaps between a funk stage, a symphony orchestra and a theatre stage.

Ondřej Brousek concerts: what you will actually hear

Under the heading Ondřej Brousek concerts there are several very different evenings: funky mayhem with the band, symphonic premieres with leading orchestras, and music-education shows. Depending on which one you attend, you will get a slightly different experience each time.

Brousek refuses to fit into a single category, and that is his hallmark. Ondřej Brousek is a Czech theatre, film, television, radio and dubbing actor, musician, composer and director. In practice that means one evening he is sitting behind the keys in a band, the next he is reciting with an orchestra behind him, and the one after that he is explaining to the audience how a symphony is actually composed. He himself is clear about what drives him. He no longer films much, because filming is for him a "waste of time"; his heart beats above all for music, and if he had to choose between acting and music he would choose music - "in it I am my own person," he says.

For a newcomer there is one advantage: whichever format you stumble upon, you get a musician who truly knows his craft. And for the initiated there is another: two Brousek evenings in a row are rarely the same, because each time the repertoire is different. That is also why it pays to read the subtitle of an event next to his name, not just the name itself.

From Pelíšky to symphonies: who is Ondřej Brousek

He was born into an acting dynasty, studied at a conservatoire, and ultimately chose music over the camera. His journey from a childhood piano to his own symphonies is surprisingly direct.

Ondřej Brousek was born on 28 March 1981 in Prague into the acting Brousek family, as the son of Otakar Brousek Jr. and actress Zuzana Mixová. He was literally born into the arts, yet he found his way to music on his own terms. He admits that he never studied music systematically, apart from a preparatory year at the conservatoire under Professor Emil Leichner, and says he inherited his musical talent mainly from his paternal grandmother, who sang in a jazz band in Náchod. He adds one self-deprecating line that says a great deal about him: "If I had been a little more diligent and hard-working, I would probably be performing as a pianist." A self-taught musician who today writes for a symphony orchestra. That says something.

Audiences first got to know him by sight, not by ear. Film audiences associate him most often with the role of Elien in Pelíšky; he also appeared in television series, but always found time for stage and film music as well as acting work at Divadlo na Vinohradech. The centre of gravity gradually shifted, however. After studying the music-drama programme at the Prague conservatoire he began working at Divadlo Na Fidlovačce as an actor, soon also as a composer, and later as a director. Since 2012 he has been a member of the artistic ensemble of Divadlo na Vinohradech, where roles such as Amadeus, Caligula and Peer Gynt awaited him.

An interesting detail for anyone who pigeonholes Brousek as a "film guy": privately he has long lived elsewhere. He married into a family known to all of Czech society. In 2011 he married Anna, née Remková, daughter of cosmonaut Vladimír Remek, with whom he has a son František and a daughter Hana.

Monkey Business: the band where it comes alive on stage

If you want to experience Brousek in his most raw and entertaining form, look for a Monkey Business concert. It is his longest-running musical home and at the same time the easiest entry point for anyone who does not yet know him.

The respected ensemble around multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer Roman Holý was formed in 1999 and also features Matěj Ruppert, Tereza Černochová, Ondřej Brousek, Oldřich Krejčoves, Pavel Mrázek and Martin Houdek. This is no minor episode - on the contrary, it is the longest chapter of his life. He has spent the longest stretch, half his life, as a member of one of our most successful groups. In the band he has a clearly defined role: the rhythm section is Pavel Mrázek and Martin Houdek, guitar is Oldřich Krejčoves and keyboards Ondřej Brousek, with Matěj Ruppert and Tereza Černochová on vocals.

He speaks modestly about his own contribution, but his hands are heard more than he will admit. For Monkey Business, just as for Crushing Bliss, he arranged all the string parts. And through this name the band has lived through quite a stretch of history. Four years after the album Freedom on Sale, Monkey Business released their eleventh record Když múzy mlčí, sung in Czech, which music media ranked among the most notable Czech recordings of 2024. That this is a band that knows how to have fun both on and off stage is not a press-release cliché. Brousek himself summed it up laconically: he cannot imagine a concert without a Pilsner beer. Funk, humour and improvisation - anyone who loves live music where something is always happening will feel right at home. Those looking for a serious composer at the piano should head to one of his other formats.

Composer without borders: symphonies, ballet and live film music

The second face of Ondřej Brousek belongs to concert halls. He writes symphonies, collaborates with major orchestras, and his theatre and film music is performed live with increasing frequency.

Back to Crushing Bliss, because that record nicely illustrates how Brousek thinks. It was not a marketing trick - it was the dream of two musicians to record a soundtrack without a film and with complete freedom. Rather than waiting for a film that would approach them, Roman Holý and Ondřej Brousek invented one themselves, fulfilling their dream of their own soundtrack with total creative freedom. Nor was it a rough demo recording. The symphonic parts written by Ondřej Brousek were recorded in Studio A of Czech Television under the baton of conductor Mário Klemens and performed by a sixty-four-piece orchestra.

Serious repertoire is not something reserved for a handful of insiders in his case. He is the author of two symphonies, the symphonic poem Golden Age Rhapsody and a suite, and collaborates with leading performers and conductors including Jan Kučera, SOČR, FOK, Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava, Karlovy Vary Symphony Orchestra, Radek Baborák, Pavel Šporcl, Adam Plachetka, Tomáš Netopil and Marko Ivanović. That list of conductors and soloists has grown even longer since then. He writes both serious music - including three symphonies, Sinfonietta La Petite Joie, Pražská kavárna and the ballet Kytice - and musicals and film and television music.

That his symphonies do not gather dust in a drawer is demonstrated by specific premieres. The world premiere of his Symphony No. 3 "Motus Vita 1946" was performed in Zlín by the Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic under chief conductor Robert Kružík. And it is not a one-off: in November 2014 his Symphony No. 1 had its world premiere, and in September 2019 the Second Symphony entitled Křídla slávy followed. These are exactly the kinds of evenings meant when people say Ondřej Brousek concerts in a more serious guise.

Let us not forget the stage and film music, of which there is an impressive amount accumulated over the years. He wrote stage and film music for more than twenty films and seventy productions. His name also appears in the credits of numerous Czech television series. He writes film and television music, for example for the series Redakce, Horákovi and Kapitán Exner. When music like this reaches the stage performed by a live orchestra, it sounds completely different from a television speaker.

Narrator, melodramatist and Mozart on stage

There is a third format worth watching out for with Brousek: evenings where his voice meets a great orchestra or Mozart. For families and for those who are only just finding their way into classical music, these tend to be the most accessible.

A fine example is the concert melodrama, a genre in which an actor recites over the music of an orchestra. He appeared with FOK in Fibich's melodrama Vodník, lending his voice to the title character in a programme packed with tales of mythical creatures. Here his acting past meets the concert stage, and it is precisely the kind of evening that is hard to find elsewhere.

His relationship with Mozart works in a similar way and is personal rather than coincidental. In a theatrical adaptation of Mozart's story he plays the lead role - Amadeus himself. And then there are the entertaining educational shows, which are often the very best way to experience Brousek live for the first time with children. He appears in entertaining educational programmes about music for children and adults, organised by FOK or the Karlovy Vary Symphony Orchestra. It may sound like a small thing, but it is precisely these evenings that turn classical music into an experience rather than an obligation.

Where to find concerts and what to keep an eye on

The exact dates of Brousek's appearances vary by format and are spread across the band, orchestras and theatre. The safest approach is to monitor the official channels of the organisers and, alongside that, to pick out related live evenings on our site that are currently on sale.

Because Brousek performs in several roles at once, do not expect a single unified "tour calendar" as you would for a pop star. Current dates for serious premieres are held by the programmes of specific orchestras - FOK, the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic or the Karlovy Vary Symphony Orchestra. Monkey Business concerts can be found through the band and their promoters, and theatre titles in the repertoire of Divadlo na Vinohradech. Always buy tickets through the official sales network of the relevant venue or organiser to avoid paying inflated resale prices.

While you are waiting to come across one of his evenings, you can tune into a related wavelength directly from our events calendar. The most obvious connection is with baritone Adam Plachetka, with whom Brousek collaborates as a composer. Plachetka performs with Ondřej Havelka and his Melody Makers, and one of their Prague evenings, Adam Plachetka a Ondřej Havelka & Melody Makers / Nebe na Zemi, takes place on 30 August 2026 at Obecní dům - the very hall where Brousek's first symphony had its premiere. The same duo also performs on 10 August 2026 at the Dům kultury in Kyjov. More about the singer himself can be found on the profile Adam Plachetka.

Anyone in the mood for a jazzier, singer-songwriter note close to Brousek's world can turn to singer Ondřej Ruml and his project Ondřej Ruml & Matěj Benko Trio Exclusive Tour on 16 August 2026 at Jazz Dock in Prague. And if you simply want an overview of what is currently on, browse the concerts section. A practical tip to close: for classical music and premieres seats sell out earlier, while for club bands a ticket can often be bought at the last minute - so adjust the pace of your purchase to the format.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Ondřej Brousek?

He is a Czech actor, musician, composer and director, the son of actor Otakar Brousek Jr. and actress Zuzana Mixová. Today he focuses mainly on music, whether as a band member or as a composer for orchestras and theatre.

Which band does Ondřej Brousek play in?

Since 1999 he has been the keyboardist of Monkey Business, the group put together by Roman Holý. Their concerts are the easiest way to experience Brousek live in an energetic, funky setting.

Does Ondřej Brousek also compose serious music?

Yes, and a great deal of it. He has written three symphonies, Sinfonietta La Petite Joie, the piece Pražská kavárna and the ballet Kytice. His first symphony had its premiere in 2014 at Obecní dům in Prague.

Do I know his music from films or TV series?

Very likely yes. He composes film and television music, among other things for the series Redakce, Horákovi and Kapitán Exner. And as an actor he appeared, for example, in Pelíšky.

Where do I buy tickets for his concerts?

Keep an eye on the programmes of specific orchestras (FOK, SOČR, Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic), the Monkey Business band, and the repertoire of Divadlo na Vinohradech. Buy tickets directly through the official sales network of the relevant venue or organiser. Related live evenings can also be found in our events calendar.

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