Jakub Hrůša

Biography

Photo: Hanya Chlala/ArenaPal, IMG Artists Born in the Czech Republic in 1981, Jakub Hrůša studied conducting at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, where his teachers included Jiří Bělohlávek. He is currently continuing his studies with a dissertation on the work of contemporary Czech composers. In the 2002/2003 season he was Associate Conductor with the Czech Philharmonic, and in 2005/2006 Young Associate Conductor with Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France. In the 2003/2004 season he made his debut at the National Theatre Prague, where he conducted Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen and the contemporary opera Krapp’s Last Tape by Marcel Mihalovici. During recent seasons, Jakub Hrůša has made successful debuts with many of Europe’s top orchestras, including Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Südwestrundfunk Orchester Stuttgart, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and the Orchestra of La Monnaie, Brussels. He is also a regular visitor to Asia and has appeared with the Hong Kong Philharmonic, New Japan Philharmonic and the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra. In the field of opera he made debuts in 2008 with Opera Hong Kong (Massenet’s Werther) and at the Glyndebourne Festival, where he conducted Bizet’s Carmen with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Highlights in 2008/2009 include his debut with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Orff’s Carmina Burana with the BBC Symphony, guest appearances with Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano G. Verdi and Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, his American debut with the Milwaukee and Indianapolis Symphonies, Carmen with Glyndebourne on Tour, and a new production of Dvořák’s Rusalka for the National Theatre, Prague. In addition he continues a busy schedule of subscription concerts, tours and recordings with the Prague Philharmonia. In April 2006 he signed an exclusive six-disc recording contract with Supraphon, and the first three CDs – with the Prague Philharmonia and works by A. Dvořák and J. Suk – have already been released to critical acclaim. From 2005 to 2008 Jakub Hrůša was Music Director of the Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic. He has taken up the post of Music Director and Chief Conductor of the Prague Philharmonia from the 2008/2009 season, having served as the orchestra’s Principal Conductor between 2005 and 2008. Update: January 2009