Jakub Hrůša

Czech conductor Jakub Hrůša is recognized as a world-class figure in classical music. He regularly guest-conducts some of the world's leading orchestras across Europe and beyond. Since September 2025, he has served as Music Director of The Royal Opera, Covent Garden, becoming only the second Czech to hold this prestigious position.

Honoured with the “Oscar of Classical Music”

Czech conductor Jakub Hrůša is among the busiest conductors in the world. He currently serves as Chief Conductor of the Bamberg Symphony and Principal Guest Conductor of the Czech Philharmonic. He has also served as Principal Guest Conductor of the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. He has been appointed Music Director of The Royal Opera, Covent Garden, effective from autumn 2025, and is set to become Chief Conductor and Music Director of the Czech Philharmonic in the 2028/29 season.

AWARDS:
Musical America, the oldest American magazine dedicated to classical music, has named Czech conductor Jakub Hrůša Conductor of the Year 2026. Hrůša was also honoured at the International Classical Music Awards as well, where he was named Artist of the Year 2026 - an award often referred to as the “Oscar of Classical Music.”

Hrůša is a two-time winner of a prestigious award from BBC Music Magazine and has received the distinguished German Opus Klassik Award in the Conductor of the Year category. He was awarded the Antonín Dvořák Prize for promoting Czech music abroad and has also won the Anděl Award in the classical music category.

“People are amazed at how many superb composers we have in such a small country that can really compete with the best," he said of Czechia, his native country.

Born in Brno in 1981, Jakub Hrůša studied conducting at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague under the renowned Jiří Bělohlávek, former head of the Czech Philharmonic. He is particularly acclaimed for his outstanding interpretations of works by the great classical composers from the 18th to the 20th century, as well as for his performances of both famous and lesser-known compositions ranging from Bedřich Smetana to contemporary composers.

Jakub Hrůša was the patron of the Smetana 200 project and the ambassador for the Year of Czech Music 2024. During these celebrations of Czech music, his appearances included conducting at the prestigious Smetana’s Litomyšl, the opera Libuše at the Prague Spring in the Rudolfinum and Janáček Brno.