Ladies and gentlemen,
Let me present to you the official program of 77th concert season of the Slovak Philharmonic. The preparation of such an event-filled season begins well in advance, and it involves a great deal of work by the entire Philharmonic team. Thanks to the dedication of the whole team, we manage to showcase excellent performances of our own artists and guest performers each year. These performances thus become unforgettable experiences for you, our audiences, that you will not find elsewhere. Reduta’s magnificent auditoriums and excellent acoustics are an integral part of these experiences.
So what is in store for you, our audiences, during the 77th concert season? At the end of August, the season will open with open air concerts of the Slovak Philharmonic at the Freedom Square in Bratislava and in Trenčianske Teplice. These concerts will be followed by gala concerts with world-renowned tenors Jonas Kaufmann at the Symphony of Art Festival and Andrea Bocelli in Bratislava.
Reduta will be the centre of the 60th Jubilee Bratislava Music Festival from 19th September to 5th October 2025. In addition to guest artists, all the ensembles of the Slovak Philharmonic will perform with acclaimed conductors and eminent soloists.
The current season will mark the 80th anniversary of the Slovak Philharmonic Choir. The choir was founded in 1946 as the Mixed Choir of the Czechoslovak Radio in Bratislava and it became a permanent part of our institution in 1957. It will perform in a separate advent ‘a cappella concert’ under the direction of choirmaster Jan Rozehnal, as well as in joint programs with the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra. We will host guest choirmasters Thomas Lang, Petra Torkošová, Jozef Chabroň, Zuzana Kadlčíková and Adam Sedlický. In addition to the Philharmonic program cycles, the Slovak Philharmonic Choir will perform at the Slovak Radio, as part of the subscription season of the State Chamber Orchestra Žilina, at the Košice Music Spring Festival 2026 as well as the stage of the National Theatre Košice. Our lead vocal ensemble will also represent us abroad – in the Czech Republic with the Brno Philharmonic and at the Vienna State Opera in the production of Le Grand Macabre by G. Ligeti.
The Slovak Chamber Orchestra also celebrates its 65th anniversary in October. In February 2026, a commemorative concert will be performed with an identical programs the Slovak Chamber Orchestra performed at its first ever public performance in 1961 under the direction of its founder Bohdan Warchal. It will also perform three concerts at St Martin’s Cathedral as part of the Music in the Cathedral’s series. Along with the artistic director and violinist Ewald Danel, we will welcome guest soloists Dalibor Karvay, Ivan Ženatý, Jonian Ilias Kadesha, Igor Ardashev and many more. The Slovak Chamber Orchestra will also perform on international stages in the Czech Republic, France and Greece.
For the lovers of a more intimate concert atmosphere, the delicate sound of old instruments, the details of solo instrumental and vocal performances, or the unique sound of an organ, we have prepared chamber concerts in the cycles such as Piano and the Pianists, Chamber Music, Evenings of Songs, Early Music and Organ Concerts.
The Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra will feature most prominently during the 77th concert season. In addition to major strumental and oratorio works, the orchestra will premiere pieces by Slovak composers Ľ. Bernáth, Ľ. Čekovská and L. Borzík. The Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra will work under the guidance of two permanent guest conductors – Daniel Raiskin, who has retired as the chief conductor in June 2025, and the young upcoming Slovak conductor Ondrej Olos. Both of these conductors in collaboration
with the orchestra will also record new orchestral pieces by Bratislava born composers F. Schmidt, J. N. Hummel and E. von Dohnányi. The Philharmonic will welcome leading guest conductors – Juraj Valčuha, Tomáš Brauner, Emmanuel Villaume,
Min Chung, Tomáš Netopil, Rastislav Štúr, Robert Jindra, Petr Valentovič, Kaspar Zehnder, Sascha Goetzel, Rémy Ballot, Martin Leginus, Jaroslav Kyzlink, Marián Lejava, Maroš Potokár and Petr Altrichter.
The Slovak Philharmonic will represent Slovak performing arts on several tours abroad. In October, it will perform at the Lednice-Valtice Festival in the Czech Republic; in November it will play a series of concerts at the Salzburg Festspielhaus in Austria; later in March 2026 the orchestra will go on a Spanish tour; at the turn of June and July it will take stage in Japan; and at the end of July our lead orchestral ensemble will travel and perform in Portugal.
As it is our tradition, we have prepared a series called the Philharmonic Nursery cycle for our youngest audiences, preschoolers.
The 77th concert season will feature the Music Academy cycle aimed at the primary school pupils while the Junior and Family Concerts cycles will enable entire families to attend these performances. Additionally, visitors of all generations will once again be welcomed to the popular film music concerts. All of these cycles will be an integral part of this concert season.
The House of Arts Piešťany, which has been a part of the Slovak Philharmonic for the past three years, will offer a whole spectrum of events. Visitors may look forward to a concert by the Slovak Youth Orchestra, the international festival Piešťany
Organ Days 2025 and the international film festival Cinematik. The theatre season will open in September with a gala
performance of Nová scéna theatre company from Bratislava. Popular live broadcasts from the Metropolitan Opera in New
York are an integral part of the House of Arts programs The International Music Festival Piešťany 2026 will open its 71st
year on 15th May with a gala concert by the Slovak Philharmonic.
Enjoying cutting-edge artistic experiences is not a given. These experiences are cultivated by artists’ perserverance and determination, which all of us must preserve and continually refine. Thanks to you, our loyal audiences, and thanks to all our supporters, we are succeeding to cater to you and I believe we will continue to do so.
I heartily welcome you all to experience the Slovak Philharmonic’s 77th concert season.
Marián Turner
Managing Director
of the Slovak Philharmonic