68th Smetana Litomyšl Festival

Name: 68th Smetana Litomyšl Festival
Start: 2026-06-12
End: 2026-07-05
Location: Litomyšl

took place · 12 Jun 2026

Litomyšl, Svitavy

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Description was written before the event

The traditional Smetana Litomyšl music festival takes place in the unique setting of the arcaded courtyard of Litomyšl State Castle.

About the venue: Litomyšl

Litomyšl Castle is a Renaissance monument inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1999. It was built in 1568–1581 by Vratislav II of Pernštejn and later enriched with baroque and classicist modifications in the 17th–18th centuries. A unique highlight is the preserved castle theatre from 1797. The castle is the birthplace of composer Bedřich Smetana, and since 1949 it has hosted the Smetanova Litomyšl music festival.

Jiráskova 93, 570 01 Litomyšl Get directions

Line-up

MenART 14:00
Matyáš Papp Trio 16:30
Trio Fluenti 14:00
České Milovy – Passion for Glass 16:00
Divadlo světla & Geisslers Hofcomoedianten 17:00
Big Band Konzervatoře Brno 14:00
Balet Praha Junior 2 21:00
Gankino Quintet 19:00
Matyáš Novák 19:30
Sulobo Quintet 19:00
Balet Praha Junior 21:00
Štefan Pecha 18:00
Komorní orchestr & Jazz v konzervě 18:00
Máří 16:00
Big Band Pražské konzervatoře 18:00
Katta Sonic Meditation 22:00
Infinita musica 21:00
London Symphony Orchestra & Antonio Pappano 17:00
Kateřina Kněžíková & Bennewitz Quartet 21:00
No Name Trio 14:00
Tiburtina Ensemble 17:00
Susanna & Collegium 1704 20:00
Tour Guide Blonde 19:30
Holektiv: Vrány 21:00
Pluto & Emanon Sextet 18:00
Vlnotaj 18:00
Dechový orchestr Tutti 18:00
Laco Deczi 20:00
SILENTIUM! ensemble & Tomáš Netopil 17:00
Olha Poltorak 21:00
Il Polifemo & Collegium 1704 14:00
Oedipus Rex & Petr Popelka 19:30
Dismanův rozhlasový dětský soubor 16:00
Národní dechový orchestr & Clarinet Factory 18:00
MENDEL MEGAKING 11:00
DEKKADANCERS & ČF 21:00
Floex Ensemble 20:00

About: Česká filharmonie

One of the world's oldest and most celebrated orchestras, at home in Prague's Rudolfinum since 1896. Under chief conductor Semyon Bychkov, it collects international awards and performs regularly on the most prestigious stages, from Carnegie Hall to Tokyo's Suntory Hall.

150000

estimated attendance for the 2025/2026 season

58K

followers on Facebook

10+

Grand Prix du Disque de l'Académie Charles Cros awards

373

concerts performed in Japan (total)

What's new

2026-04
The Czech Philharmonic will enter its 131st season (2026/2027) under the direction of Semyon Bychkov with more than 20 international concerts and resident artist Janine Jansen.
2025-06
The Czech Philharmonic announced that from the 2028/2029 season, Jakub Hrůša will become its new chief conductor and music director, succeeding Semyon Bychkov after his tenth season.
2025
The recording of Smetana's Má vlast with Bychkov, released in March 2024 on Pentatone, won the BBC Music Magazine 2025 Orchestral Award.

Tour

PrahaVídeňLondýnPařížAmsterdamBruggyTokioNagojaÓsakaJokohamaNiigataSoulTeguStockholmHelsinkiBad Kissingen

Tracks

Smetana: Má vlastrecording with Byčkov (Pentatone, 2024) - BBC Music Magazine Orchestral Award 2025, released for the 200th anniversary of Smetana's birth

Mahler: Symfonie č. 1-9 (cyklus)ongoing recording cycle with Byčkov for Pentatone, complete box set to be released in spring 2026

Čajkovskij: Symfonie (komplet)7CD box set recorded with Byčkov for Decca Classics (2019), key project of the Byčkov era

Dvořák: Symfonie č. 7, 8, 9recording for Pentatone (2024) as part of the Year of Czech Music, part of a tour concluded with three concerts at Carnegie Hall

Dvořák / Martinů / Klein: písně (Magdalena Kožená, Simon Rattle)album released by Pentatone in June 2024, awarded by Gramophone magazine

About: Geisslers Hofcomoedianten

Prague-based Geisslers Hofcomoedianten take baroque heritage and make it entirely their own - with wit, energy and creative freedom. Their productions connect historical source material to a contemporary worldview, and the company is a regular presence at the Moravský Parnas festival in Mikulov.

30+

full-length productions during the period of existence

What's new

2025-10
In October 2025, the opera Divadlo světla premiered under the direction of Petr Hašek, created in collaboration with the orchestra Musica Florea; the production runs until September 2026.
2025-07
At the Moravský Parnas festival in Mikulov (July 24-26, 2025), the ensemble presented the production Projekt Casanova: Jak voní ramlice dedicated to the 300th anniversary of Giacomo Casanova's birth.
2025-05
In May 2025, the production Rezavá Anna aneb Zač je toho kost! premiered, a grotesque noir loosely based on legends about Rezavá Anna and the phenomenon of figural reliquaries.

Tour

PrahaKuksMikulovÚstí nad LabemČeské Budějovice

Tracks

27 - exekuční show Jana Mydlářeaward-winning production, Mark Ravenhill Prize 2023 for best new text

Projekt Casanova: Jak voní ramliceCzech-German co-production with Dresden's Theaterkahn, premiere 2025

Divadlo světlaopera in collaboration with the Musica Florea orchestra, premiere October 2025

Tanec smrtisite-specific production inspired by frescoes in the hospital in Kuks, renewed premiere 2025

Římská Lukrécieopera nominated for the Theatre Newspapers Prize in the music of the year 2021 category

About: Pavel Haas Quartet

Pavel Haas Quartet is a Czech string quartet founded in Brno in 2002, named after Czech composer Pavel Haas, a pupil of Leoš Janáček. The ensemble has gained international acclaim through recordings on the Supraphon label and awards including the BBC Music Magazine Award.

Recent shows

About: Laco Déczi

Slovak-born Laco Déczi is one of Central Europe's longest-active jazz trumpeters, with more than six decades on stage. Touring with his New York band Celula, he brings a blend of hard bop and electric fusion that he first honed in Prague's clubs of the 1960s and has kept refining ever since.

monthly listeners on Spotify

20+

studio and live albums total

What's new

2026-05
Déczi performed on May 1, 2026 in Ústí nad Labem in a duo with Jakub Zomer.
2025-10
The autumn tour 2025 included stops in Prague (Bez zábradlí Theatre, Jazz Dock), Nová Paka, Zlín, Nové Mesto nad Váhom and Šternberk.
2025-05
In May 2025, Déczi performed a concert with the band New York Celula at Prague's Jazz Dock.

Tour

PrahaNová PakaZlínNové Mesto nad VáhomŠternberkOstravaÚstí nad LabemBrnoZnojmo

Tracks

Sentimental Trumpetsolo album with strings from 1970, one of Deczi's most famous recordings

Jazz na Hradě (live album)live album from 2005 recorded under the patronage of President Václav Klaus

Jazz Goes To Beatfamous big band recording by Václav Zahradník, on which Déczi performed as a soloist

Recent shows

Jun 18, 2026 Klub Starý pivovar, Kroměříž
Jun 29, 2024 Klub Starý pivovar, Kroměříž
May 9, 2024 Club No. 1, Příbram

About: Matyas Novak

Hradec Králové-born Matyáš Novák is among the most active Czech pianists of his generation, with over forty orchestral appearances and hundreds of solo works in his repertoire. His Smetana Reborn project - presenting the complete piano transcription of Smetana's Má vlast - has already had premieres in Rome, New York, and Madrid.

40+

concerts with orchestra in the repertoire

546

followers on Instagram

Tour

New YorkRomeMadridSantiago de CompostelaSingaporeKošiceBratislavaPřelouč

Tracks

Franz Liszt: Années de pèlerinage - Première année: Suissedebut CD from 2017, released after winning the Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition

Mozart: Piano Concertos K. 413, K. 414, K. 415CD released in 2021 under the Nimbus Alliance label, recorded with Wihan Quartet

Czech Dreamalbum released in December 2024, recorded in New York, produced by NU AVE ART

Smetana / Kàan z Albestů: Má vlast (kompletní klavírní transkripce)flagship project Smetana Reborn - world premieres in Rome, New York and Madrid (2026)

Matyáš Novák: Fantazie na operu Rusalka (dle Dvořáka)original compositions, regularly featured in recitals worldwide

Recent shows

Jun 16, 2026 Smetanův dům, Litomyšl
Apr 7, 2026 Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York (US)
Dec 16, 2025 PETROF Gallery, Hradec Králové

Here's how it looked last time

Photo: Národní památkový ústav

68th Smetana Litomyšl Festival

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