You can recognise the overture to Phantom of the Opera within a few bars, even if you have avoided musicals your whole life. Now imagine that same melody stripped away from the orchestra and played by four guys with cellos and a double bass. A compromise? Far from it. That very arrangement by Prague Cello Quartet is coming to Brno soon for audiences to hear live, and its music video has already racked up over 45 million views on YouTube. That is no trick - Coldplay or Queen sound so convincing on four strings that people who normally give classical music a wide berth come to their concerts too.

And here is something most listeners do not know: this ensemble has virtually no sheet music written for it by anyone else. No ready-made repertoire existed for such an unusual line-up, so every player had to become an arranger as well. Everything you hear at a concert is therefore a custom arrangement tailored to the sound of cellos. The ensemble arrives in Brno in January 2027, and it is worth knowing what you are getting into.

Prague Cello Quartet Brno: when and where they play

The essentials first, so you have the date clear and do not need to look it up anywhere else.

Prague Cello Quartet Brno will perform on 24 January 2027 at Sono Centrum. This is a Brno club venue well suited to acoustic music and to audiences who want to sit down comfortably and listen. Tickets, detailed information and sales are available directly on the event page; there is also a second link to the same concert, both leading to the same date and venue.

Why follow a club evening in particular? The ensemble tours a lot of castles, churches and theatres, where a large acoustic space lets the sound ring out beautifully but also blurs the details. In a venue like Sono Centrum, on the other hand, you can hear even the fine points of the arrangements that sometimes get lost in a cathedral with a long reverb. If you want to hear exactly what four strings are doing, club acoustics work in your favour.

Who is Prague Cello Quartet

Four professional musicians who picked up the cello and decided to play anything from Bach to metal on it. They were formed in Prague and today rank among the fixtures of the Czech concert scene.

The ensemble made its debut in autumn 2006 at the Žofín Palace in Prague, performing for several hundred listeners. An unexpectedly large success pushed them to carry on. Over those nearly twenty years the line-up has gone through several changes. In 2022 the band relaunched after personnel changes and one cello was replaced by a double bass, giving the whole project a deeper, fuller bottom end. The current line-up consists of Jan Zvěřina, Štěpán Švestka and Michal Haring on cellos, joined by Tomáš Otevřel on double bass.

At the helm is Jan Zvěřina, who is also the artistic director and chief arranger. Most of the players studied at the Prague AMU, so technically these are professionals, not a crossover act born of necessity. It shows: the driving force behind the quartet is the need to create originally and honestly, as evidenced by the prizes its members have collected at international competitions.

They themselves admit that the ensemble's name is a little misleading. They are called Cello Quartet, but the fourth player holds a double bass. In practice this is an advantage, not a contradiction. The double bass plays an important role in music ranging from classical through jazz and blues to rock and roll, which precisely describes the repertoire of the whole band.

One reference point for orientation: anyone who knows 2Cellos or The Piano Guys has an idea of which shelf to reach for. Prague Cello Quartet, however, plays as four and with their own arrangements, so the resulting sound is denser and more orchestral than a duo.

How Phantom of the Opera became a hit with tens of millions of views

A large part of the ensemble's fame was brought by YouTube and one particular cover that spread around the world.

Their arrangement of the famous Phantom of the Opera overture has accumulated over 45 million views on YouTube, and that is not the only blockbuster. The band's YouTube channel has nearly 350,000 subscribers and ranks among the two hundred most-watched Czech channels. Many of the arrangements are accompanied by music videos, which are often filmed in striking locations; the video for Coldplay's Viva la Vida, for example, was shot on the Vltava river.

Behind all of this lies the apparent disadvantage that became an asset. "All our arrangements are original because there is very little music written specifically for our cello quartet," explains founder Jan Zvěřina. In other words, every piece you hear has gone through a custom arrangement. The ensemble has over a hundred in its repertoire; roughly fifteen fit into a single concert, so the programme is always a careful selection of the best. Zvěřina writes most of the arrangements himself, but he also regularly collaborates with three external arrangers.

It all holds together thanks to one property of the instrument. The range of the cello is very close to the human voice and covers both bass registers and high violin positions. Four strings can therefore span almost the entire spectrum of a band, from the beat at the bottom to the melody at the top. That is precisely why their versions sound full, almost like a small orchestra, even though only four people are standing on stage.

What you will hear at the concert

A mix that makes no sense on paper and works perfectly live: musicals, film themes, rock and pop hits and classical music, with light-hearted spoken interludes in between.

The current repertoire includes pieces from musicals such as Jesus Christ Superstar, Les Misérables, Moulin Rouge and Phantom of the Opera, alongside film hits and popular songs by bands like Queen and Coldplay, as well as classical music. The repertoire spans modern genres from jazz through film to metal, alongside arrangements of great classical works. Fans of Coldplay will hear them in an all-cello arrangement, which is something entirely different from the studio recording.

The band's discography also gives a hint of what they reach for. Their latest album START was released in January 2025 and contains fifteen tracks. The previous Best of & More from November 2022 gathered concert favourites, including Monti's Csárdás, Phantom of the Opera, Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen and Viva la Vida by Coldplay. Anyone who listens to that selection in advance will feel right at home at the concert.

The ensemble's evenings also feature humorous and educational sketches through which they bring the seemingly distant world of classical music closer in their own distinctive way. The programme is therefore not just a sequence of pieces but something of a show as well. This is especially useful when you bring someone who does not normally go to classical concerts; familiar melodies and light-hearted interludes will keep even impatient relatives in their seats.

Why go even if you do not normally listen to classical music

Because this is not a subscription concert where you cannot even cough. It is an evening built around melodies you know, just in an unexpected form.

Much of the magic lies in the fact that your brain hears a familiar song and at the same time cannot work out how four strings are doing it. And the band does not do this occasionally for the sake of it. The ensemble has toured Japan, China and South Korea and has its own series of studio albums, making it an established concert body with a full programme at home and abroad. Prague Cello Quartet Brno is therefore not a random evening but a stop by an ensemble that performs all over the world.

If you are drawn to chamber sound combined with jazz, other events in the region may also be worth your attention. In nearby Jihlava, for instance, Alf Carlsson/Jiří Kotača Quartet is performing - a completely different setting but from the same world of acoustic chamber music for a small venue. If you want a general overview of what is happening where, our concert listings will help.

Practical tips before the concert at Sono Centrum

A few things worth knowing in advance so you can enjoy the evening without unnecessary stress.

  • Buy tickets early. Prague Cello Quartet Brno is just one stop on a very busy tour and their concerts fill up, so do not rely on last-minute availability. Sales run through the Sono Centrum event page.
  • Arrive early. At seated concerts, arriving late means missing a calm start, and the opening is usually one of the most striking parts of this band's show.
  • Expect spoken word. There are interludes and sketches between pieces, so even if you do not know every song the programme will guide you through.
  • Bring non-musicians too. Thanks to the mix of film and pop hits, the concert is welcoming even to people who do not normally attend classical events.
  • Listen to a few arrangements beforehand. On YouTube or on the album START you can get a sense of how the band sounds, and at the concert you will then appreciate the details even more.

If you want to compare other cultural options for that evening or weekend, open the events calendar and browse to whatever suits you.

Frequently asked questions

When and where does Prague Cello Quartet play in Brno?

The ensemble will perform on 24 January 2027 at Sono Centrum in Brno. Seat availability and ticket sales can be found on the event page.

What genre do they actually play?

It cannot be pinned to a single box. They play original arrangements of classical music, film melodies and jazz, rock and pop hits. Over the course of one evening you will hear a musical, a film theme and a pop song, all performed by three cellos and a double bass.

Is the concert suitable for children and for people who do not listen to classical music?

Yes. The band adds humour and spoken sketches to the music, so even those who do not normally attend classical concerts will not be bored. Familiar melodies from films and pop bands also serve as an accessible bridge for every generation.

How many players will I see on stage?

Four. Three cellos and a double bass. It is precisely this line-up that gives the ensemble a rich sound with which it can sound surprisingly full, almost like a small orchestra.

Why do they have Phantom of the Opera and Bohemian Rhapsody in their repertoire?

They are their concert favourites and at the same time their biggest internet hits. The Phantom of the Opera cover alone has accumulated over 45 million views on YouTube, so hearing it live has its own special appeal.

Where do I buy tickets?

The easiest way is through our event page, which leads directly to the official sales. Both the main concert link and the alternative link to the same event at Sono Centrum are available.

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