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Festival News: Opening in the Municipal House and in Kampa

Prague Spring is back with an exciting updated program that will feature over forty concerts running from May 12 until June 3, 2025. What interpretation will the celebrated Semyon Bychkov bring to this year’s Prague Spring Festival? And how will this performance impact the festival’s legacy? These intriguing questions will find their answers during the gala opening concert on the 12th and 13th of May 2025, marking the significant 80th anniversary of Prague Spring.

This year, we welcome the new ČEZ Open Air Zone on the right bank of the Vltava River, situated near Prague’s Rudolfinum, which replaces the traditional festival opening in Kampa. Partnering with ČEZ Group, the principal partner of the Prague Spring Festival, the ZUS Open initiative of the Magdalena Kožená Foundation and Czech Television will provide a free public program on May 11 and 12 from 2 PM to 10 PM. Attendees can look forward to a rich “pre-festival” musical mix, culminating in a live stream on May 12 at 8 PM for the Opening Concert of the Prague Spring Festival 2025 from the Smetana Hall of the Municipal House featuring the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Semyon Bychkov. The program will also include performances from the Clarinet Factory, Kalabis Quintet, Skety Vocal Sextet, and Wihan Quartet, along with music ensembles from art schools across the Czech Republic as part of the ZUŠ Open project. Unique recordings, such as a tribute concert to Antonin Dvorak by the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1993, conducted by Seiji Ozawa, will also be screened, featuring soloists like Rudolf Firkušný, Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, and Frederica von Stade.

The Vienna Symphony Returns After Thirty-Three Years at the Prague Spring Festival

An exciting highlight of the 80th Prague Spring Festival is the orchestral lineup. Along with esteemed Czech orchestras like the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Prague Symphony Orchestra FOK, and Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra, we will also feature international powerhouses, including the Boston and Chicago Symphony Orchestras, the NHK Symphony Orchestra from Tokyo, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, and the much-anticipated Vienna Symphony Orchestra. Their last appearance at the Prague Spring Festival dates back to 1992, marking a remarkable gap of thirty-three years. This year, the Vienna Symphony will perform works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Josef Strauss, and Richard Strauss.

Prague Spring 2025 Concerts on TV, Radio, and Social Media

The opening concert of Prague Spring 2025 will be live-streamed on May 12 at 8 PM on Czech Radio Vltava and the Czech Television channel CT art, along with an online broadcast via iBroadcast CT. Festival-goers can also watch the live stream on Facebook through the profiles @PrazskeJaro, @ceskatelevizeart, @ceskafilharmonie, and @GroupCEZ. The Facebook recording of the concert will remain available until May 19.
Czech Radio Vltava will broadcast several key concerts from the festival, including Arvo Pärt 90 (May 19 from the Rudolfinum), Prague Spring Debut (May 28 from the Municipal House), and Ensemble Modern I (May 30 from the DOX Contemporary Art Centre). These concerts will feature world premieres by composers such as Pavel Šabacki, Jan Ryant Dřízal, Barbora Tomášková, and Haštal Hapka. “I’m thrilled that, even though all these concerts are sold out, we can share these musical experiences with a wider audience through the radio,” states Pavel Trojan, director of the Prague Spring Festival. Additionally, Czech Radio Vltava will air a special program on May 14 at 8 PM titled Evening on the Theme: Prague Spring, featuring discussions with guests including Magdalena Hajóssyová, Jiří Chvala, Peter Jarůšek (Pavel Haas Quartet), Ivo Kahánek, Yvette Koláčková, Jiří Panocha, and Pavel Zejfart (Panocha Quartet), alongside contributions from director Pavel Trojan and pianist Jan Čmejla.
Czech Television will also document this year’s festival, covering not just the Opening Concert of the Prague Spring but also the performance titled Fragments of Love by the French ensemble Ensemble Correspondances on May 26 at the Rudolfinum. From May 11 to June 4, the ČT art channel will provide a traditional series named ECHO of the Prague Spring, including brief reports from each festival day, along with a comprehensive documentary entitled That Was Prague Spring 2025.

80th Jubilee Prague Spring Festival Overview

1. Festival Dates & Venues

• Kick-off: May 12, 2025

  • Opening Concert: Smetana Hall, Municipal House, Prague

• Concluding Rounds: May 13–14, 2025

  • Venue: Dvořák Hall, Rudolfinum, Prague

2. Star-Studded Orchestral Line-Up

• Czech Philharmonic Orchestra

• Vienna Symphony

• London Symphony Orchestra

• Boston Symphony Orchestra

These world-renowned ensembles will deliver the festival’s central orchestral performances.

3. CEZ Open Air Zone

A brand-new festival area featuring:

• Pre-festival Music Events

  • Concerts by emerging and established artists

  • Rare film screenings with live musical accompaniment

• Live Stream of the Opening Concert

  • Public screenings in the Open Air Zone

4. Broadcast & Online Streaming

• Television: Czech Television

• Radio: Czech Radio

• Online:

  • Official festival website livestream

  • Facebook streaming

5. Competition Highlights

• Record Participants: 457 contestants

• Concluding Rounds:

  • Held on May 13–14 in Dvořák Hall

  • Judging by an international panel of experts

6. New Features & Expanded Program

• Revamped Schedule: Over forty concerts added

• ČEZ Open Air Concert Area: First-time outdoor stage

• Prague Spring Art Salon: Exhibition of music-inspired visual art

• Benefit Auctions & Special Events: Fundraisers and unique musical gatherings

Experience the unforgettable ambiance of this milestone 80th-anniversary edition, where tradition meets innovation in one of Europe’s most celebrated classical music festivals.