Prague, March 2010The offer of classical music festivals set to take place in the Czech Republic in the coming months will satisfy even the most demanding audience. Great attention will be paid this year to the Czech native Gustav Mahler in connection with the 150th anniversary of his birth, while compositions of other greats will of course be heard as well. Each festival will have a truly varied programme, due also to the fact that in the Czech Republic classical music is often combined with other music genres.

International music festival Prague Spring (12 May-4 June 2010)

The work of Gustav Mahler will form one of the foundations of the festival's 65th year, while it should also be mentioned that a song cycle from the work of the composer's wife, Alma Mahler, will be presented as well. The two-year celebrations of the 120th anniversary of Bohuslav Martinů's birth also will culminate during the festival. Even before the official opening on May 9, people can look forward to a performance by the famous British ensemble The English Baroque Soloists and The Monteverdi Choir conducted by Sir John Eliot Gardiner. Other prominent celebrities include the world renowned violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, one of the most notable singers of today - Matthias Goerne, the conductors Herbert Blomstedt and Pierre Boulez, the conductor and pianist André Previn, as well as jazz singer Dianne Reeves. All this is yours to enjoy in a beautiful city whose entire historical centre is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The 9th year of this festival, The Music of Thousands Mahler Jihlava 2010, is being held entirely under the banner of the Mahler jubilee celebrations. The organisers are placing greater emphasis on Mahler's orchestral works, with works of other composers being in the minority this year. Concerts will take place not only in Jihlava but also in Pelhřimov, Třebíč and Kaliště near Humpolec, and listeners can look forward to top Czech and foreign performers. On the jubilee day (7 July), a concert by one of the festival's stars, the renowned baritone Thomas Hampson, will be held in Gustav Mahler's house of birth in Kaliště near Humpolec. Other illustrious names include, for example, the mezzo-soprano Dagmar Pecková.

In addition to Ostrava, Opava, Frýdek Místek and other Moravian towns also will host concerts. During this festival, as well, organisers will remind the audience of Mahler's important anniversary. What else can visitors expect? The festival's 35th year will be literally crammed with many fine concerts from the works of Bohuslav Martinů, Antonín Dvořák, Bandedřich Smetana, as well as compositions of other world greats. The programme includes 25 concerts altogether and will even feature various music genres and spoken word. The festival will feature a number of eminent personalities, including the phenomenal pianist Garrick Ohlsson and the world famous composer and conductor Krzysztof Penderecki, to name but two.

The centre of festival events is the magnificent premises of the UNESCO-listed Litomyšl Castle. The current 52nd year will host artists from the three largest Czech opera houses - the National Theatre Prague, the State Opera Prague and the National Theatre Brno. The audience can expect to see, for example, The Bartered Bride, Tosca and The Magic Flute. The theme of celebrations of the 700th anniversary since John of Luxembourg's accession to the Czech throne runs through the entire festival. This will be commemorated by, among others, the Luxembourg chamber orchestra Les Musiciens. Smetana's Limomyšl also will commemorate the jubilees of other influential composers. In addition to Mahler's jubilee, this year will mark 200 years since the birth of Frédéric Chopin and organisers also will commemorate Jacques Offenbach and Bohuslav Martinů.

Even the name itself hints at the idea of the whole project. After all, "PROMS" stands for PROMENADES, and thus within the festival you may promenade from genre to genre and from concert to concert. This 6th year can once again boast names that grace world stages, the prominent example being the soprano Tiziana Fabbricini. The star of Prague Proms will be the film music composer Lalo Schifrin, who has composed music for dozens of Hollywood films and television series. In Prague, he will conduct a concert of the Czech National Symphonic Orchestra entitled Jazz Meets Symphony. The festival also will commemorate the music of the Beatles, Michael Kamen and Gustav Mahler and will feature jazz concerts as well.

This summer music show takes place in another UNESCO town, Český Krumlov. The festival offers a wide spectrum of music of various genres from the 15th to the 21st century performed by prominent Czech and foreign artists. This year will feature performances by 3 symphony orchestras, 12 chamber orchestras and ensembles, and over 20 artists from all over the world. There will also be a traditional opera performance which the audience will enjoy from the unique Revolving Auditorium in the chateau garden. The biggest stars of the festival's 19th year will undoubtedly include the world-famous tenor José Cura, violinists Gidon Kremer and Pavel Šporcl, jazz trumpeter James Morrison and musical singers from American Broadway.

CzechTourism, tajanovska@czechtourism.cz