From 24 May to 8 June 2015 the International Music Festival Janáček May will celebrate its 40th jubilee. The roots of the festival, though, date back much further: previously organised under the name Ostrava Music Spring, the festival looks back on a total history of 65 years. Continuing in its tradition, the festival will present soloists, such as Rafal Blechacz, Soňa Červená, Jiří Bárta, Adam Plachetka, Jonas Vitaud, Paul Lewis, prominent local and foreign orchestras, including Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Czech Radio Symphonic Orchestra, Amsterdam Sinfonietta, and chamber ensembles, such as Bennewitz Quartet or the Wroclaw Baroque Ensemble.

One of the exclusive happenings of the jubilee festival year will be the Silesian Organ Day; various concerts will take place in Ostrava, Hlučín and Ludgeřovice. The Prague Philharmonic Choir will perform chamber cantatas by Bohuslav Martinů and, at the same time, present Božičevič’s and Whitacre’s choir works as festival premiers.

Each of the festival concerts is conceived as a dedicated programme night: complete performance of suites for solo violoncello by J. S. Bach, compositions for violoncello ensemble, melodrama evening, symphonic jazz concert etc.

Thanks to its scope and content, Janáček May 2015 will be one of the dominating events of the musical, artistic and social life of Ostrava and the entire Moravian-Silesian Region.

Programme details can be found on the EFA website and on the festival’s website. 

The Janáček May Festival will host the 2015 General Assembly of the European Festivals Association (EFA) from 4-7 June in Ostrava.