The name might not ring a bell, but you have almost certainly heard that overture to The Phantom of the Opera played on cellos somewhere. That very piece has racked up over 35 million views on YouTube and is the work of a group of classically trained cellists from Prague. That is exactly why it is worth paying attention: Prague Cello Quartet concerts are returning to Czech stages in autumn 2026, with the nearest stop on 29 September in Neratovice.

Do not expect a traditional chamber music invitation with a programme full of Haydn. Three cellos and a double bass take on Queen and Coldplay hits, musical melodies from Les Misérables or Moulin Rouge and translate them into their own language. And because the ensemble went through a major reshuffle a few years ago and is now led by its sole founding member, this is in a way a new chapter of a well-known name. Let us go through exactly where they are heading this year and what to expect from an evening.

Prague Cello Quartet concerts in autumn 2026: overview of dates

The ensemble tours the Czech Republic from the end of September to the beginning of November, and eight announced evenings cover Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia. The season opens in Neratovice and closes in Zábřeh.

The autumn run begins on 29 September 2026 at the Společenský dům in Neratovice. Those who cannot make it there have several more opportunities. Two days later, on 1 October at the Filharmonie Hradec Králové, the quartet continues in eastern Bohemia, and on 4 October it plays at the Beskydské divadlo in Nový Jičín.

The tour then moves west: 11 October to the Great Synagogue in Plzeň, one of the most acoustically and visually interesting venues in the entire series. On 13 October, the Městské divadlo Dr. Josefa Čížka in Náchod follows, and six days later, on 19 October, the ensemble visits the Městské kulturní středisko Moravská Beseda in Moravské Budějovice. November belongs to Moravia and Silesia: on 2 November DK Poklad in Ostrava and on 6 November a performance in the castle courtyard in Zábřeh. You can also find the current status and further concerts in our concerts section.

Wherever you live, you are most likely close to one of those evenings. Eastern Bohemia is covered by Hradec Králové and Náchod, the west by Plzeň, the centre by Neratovice, and Moravia and Silesia by Nový Jičín, Moravské Budějovice, Ostrava and Zábřeh. For each date on kdykam you will find the exact venue, start time and a link to ticket sales where available.

Three cellos, a double bass and a sound you know from films

The quartet relies on its own arrangements, because almost no ready-made repertoire exists for such an unusual line-up. Over the course of one evening you will therefore hear a musical overture alongside a rock hit and a film theme.

The key to the whole thing is simple. Each player is also an arranger, because very few pieces have been written for such a unique ensemble - it still has no professional equivalent in the Czech Republic. The cello itself is an advantage: its range is close to the human voice and covers both bass registers and high violin registers. That is precisely why the quartet can handle a piece that would elsewhere require a full orchestra.

The repertoire spans virtually every modern style, from jazz through film music to metal, and they also include arrangements of great classical works. In concrete terms it looks something like this: on the album Top Secret you will find Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody alongside Schindler's List, the James Bond and Indiana Jones themes, plus the swing standard Mr. Sandman and Debussy's Clair de Lune. The album Broadway brought Roxanne from Moulin Rouge and Heaven on Their Minds from Jesus Christ Superstar. Among their most frequently performed pieces is also a version of Viva la Vida by Coldplay, which won them a wide audience.

Humour is an inseparable part of the concert. The programme is interspersed with witty and educational sketches, so the evening does not function as a stiff sit-down in a silent hall but rather as a show with light-hearted commentary between pieces. It is precisely this sense of perspective that sets the quartet apart from the typical chamber concert you may be used to from theatre and concert subscription series.

Who plays in the quartet today

The line-up touring the country this year is not the one you may know from the oldest videos. The ensemble went through a major reshuffle in 2022 and is now led by its sole founding cellist Jan Zvěřina.

The original foursome consisted of Jan Zvěřina, Petr Špaček, Jan Zemen and Ivan Vokáč, all graduates of the Prague HAMU. Three of them - Špaček, Zemen and Vokáč - left, invited a fourth player, Matěj Štěpánek, and founded a new ensemble called Cello Republic. According to Jan Zemen, the split was driven partly by the break-up of the old line-up and partly by a desire to do things differently. Zvěřina was the only one from the original group who stayed and rebuilt the quartet.

Today it performs with Jan Zvěřina as artistic director, cellists Štěpán Švestka and Michal Haring, and double bassist Tomáš Otevřel. This gives the ensemble a full, rich sound with three cellos and one bass. The reformed Prague Cello Quartet resumed performing in 2022 and in the same year released the album Best of & More, which brought together older and newer pieces.

The split of the original group came paradoxically at a moment when the ensemble had just completed a sold-out tour. The previous Broadway Tour had been planned for twelve concerts but one more had to be added due to demand. The end of the old line-up was therefore more of a crossroads than a full stop: one name split into two and both carry on.

From Žofín to Japan: how a group of students became a phenomenon

Before they became a YouTube phenomenon, they were students who played for a few hundred people in Prague. From there the road led all the way to Asian stages and hundreds of thousands of subscribers.

The quartet made its debut in autumn 2006 at the Žofín palace in Prague, playing to several hundred listeners. The unexpected success convinced the members to continue the project, and what had been a chamber idea gradually became a professional ensemble. In its current form the original foursome played together from 2012.

From there things moved quickly. The ensemble completed a tour of Japan in 2016, and a year later set off to China and South Korea - an exception for a Czech instrumental group. At home they are sustained by the internet: their YouTube channel has over 356,000 subscribers and ranks among the two hundred most-watched in the entire Czech Republic.

Alongside regular concerts, the quartet has for years also run educational programmes for schools, where among other things it explains the basics of concert etiquette to pupils. Its discography is also substantial: the debut album No.1 was released in May 2011, followed by Top Secret (2013), Happy, Broadway and the aforementioned Best of & More. A complete overview of performances and the ensemble's profile can be found on its artist page in our database.

What to expect from the evening and how to buy tickets

A few practical notes to finish, so you know what you are getting into. Ticket sales run mainly through GoOut and Bandsintown, but not in the same way for every date, so it is worth checking the detail of the specific event.

For some concerts the event detail includes a direct link to online sales. Tickets through GoOut are available for dates in Hradec Králové, Plzeň and Ostrava; Bandsintown handles sales for concerts in Nový Jičín and Moravské Budějovice. For other evenings - for example in Neratovice, Náchod or Zábřeh - there is currently no direct sales link in the data, so the safest approach is to follow the organiser's website or the venue box office.

If you have a choice, think about the space as well as the date. The Great Synagogue in Plzeň will offer a completely different atmosphere from a philharmonic hall or a traditional theatre, and the experience differs accordingly. The start time and exact address are always listed directly on the event page. And if none of the autumn dates work for you, check our events calendar for more concerts nearby.

Frequently asked questions

When is the next Prague Cello Quartet concert?

The nearest performance takes place on 29 September 2026 at the Společenský dům in Neratovice. It is also the opening concert of the entire autumn series.

Where will the ensemble play in autumn 2026?

In addition to Neratovice, they will perform in Hradec Králové, Nový Jičín, Plzeň, Náchod, Moravské Budějovice, Ostrava and Zábřeh. Dates run from the end of September through to 6 November.

What repertoire will I hear at the concert?

Expect original arrangements of film and musical music, pop, jazz and classical works. The programme features melodies from The Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables and Moulin Rouge, as well as hits by Queen and Coldplay, all performed by three cellos and a double bass. The pieces are interspersed with witty and educational sketches.

Is the original line-up playing in the quartet?

No. Of the founding foursome, only Jan Zvěřina remains, leading the ensemble. Three of the original members left and, together with Matěj Štěpánek, founded Cello Republic. Today Zvěřina is joined by Štěpán Švestka, Michal Haring and double bassist Tomáš Otevřel.

Where can I buy tickets?

Tickets for most concerts are sold online through GoOut or Bandsintown. The link is found on the specific event detail page, which also lists the start time and exact address. For some dates no direct sales link is yet available; in those cases follow the organiser's website or the venue box office.

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