Highlights of Prague Spring 2026
The 81st edition of the Prague Spring International Music Festival brings more than 60 events to Prague, including 38 concerts, 19 workshops and masterclasses, and 7 accompanying events such as the traditional Prague Spring Art Salon exhibition. The festival will welcome 97 artists, chamber ensembles, and orchestras from 28 countries around the world.
The festival opens with Má vlastby Bedřich Smetana, performed by the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra under conductor Petr Popelka, celebrating the orchestra’s 100th anniversary. Concerts take place in iconic venues such as the Smetana Hall and the Rudolfinum.
A major highlight is the residency of Barbara Hannigan, one of today’s most innovative classical artists, who will perform in several concerts and lead a masterclass. The programme also features world-renowned performers including Martha Argerich, returning to the festival after more than 50 years, and conductor Klaus Mäkelä.
Opera, vocal music and premieres
Prague Spring 2026 places a strong focus on vocal-instrumental works, including La Damnation de Faust by Hector Berlioz and Messa da Requiem by Giuseppe Verdi. The festival will also present numerous Czech and world premieres, showcasing contemporary composers such as Unsuk Chin, Artist-in-Residence of the Prague Offspring series.
Top orchestras and international stars
Visitors can enjoy performances by leading ensembles including the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, and Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden. The programme spans music from the Renaissance to contemporary works, appealing to both classical music enthusiasts and new audiences.The festival will showcase an entire generation of prominent Czech conductors: Petr Popelka, Jakub Hrůša, Tomáš Netopil, Tomáš Hanus, Václav Luks, and Robert Jindra.
More Than Just the Music
The festival will not be confined to concert halls: music lovers are also invited to the ČEZ Open Air Zone in front of the Rudolfinum, to tune in via radio or television, or to visit the Prague Spring Art Salon, an exhibition featuring leading Czech visual artists and designers, culminating in a charity auction in support of future artistic projects of the festival.
Through the Window of Time
The origins of the Prague Spring Festival are connected with the first celebrations marking the end of World War II and since then it has been attracting fans of music and first-class performers. Leonard Bernstein, later to become a noted conductor, made his international debut at the Prague Festival in 1946 and 1947.
There are many other famous performers, who have graced the festival, such as violinists David Oistrakh, Yehudi Menuhin and Shlomo Mintz; pianists Sviatoslav Richter, Arthur Rubinstein and Rudolf Firkušný, along with singers Galina Vishnevskaya, who met her professional and life partner Mstislav Rostropovich at the Prague Spring Festival, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Dagmar Pecková and Magdalena Kožená, Peter Schreier, Luciano Pavarotti and Peter Dvorský.
Concerts and performances held within the festival are staged throughout the whole of Prague, so apart from excellent music presentations you can relish the historical backdrops of monasteries, churches and museums. However, the main festival activities are centred on the majestic building of Rudolfinum on the bank of the River Vltava and the Municipal House, a true gem of Art Nouveau architecture.
