Designed as a platform to prepare instrumental students for professional life, each year selected members of the Czech Philharmonic will be in residence at the Academy, working with students in a programme of masterclasses, professional audition sessions, and side-by-side chamber music and orchestral concerts.

The Czech Philharmonic’s inaugural 2018 residency at the Academy, which recognised the 100th anniversary of the founding of Czechoslovakia, marked a defining moment in the relationship between the organisations, strengthening bonds and paving the way for a more permanent working partnership. The London concert in October 2018, presented with major contribution of the Embassy of the Czech Republic in London, was the catalyst for an ongoing education project.

The sold-out events in the 2018 programme included Academy ensembles performing Czech chamber music coached by members of the Czech Philharmonic and two lectures by the Academy’s Professor of Public Engagement Raymond Holden. It culminated in a critically acclaimed side-by-side concert of Czech music attended by the Czech Prime Minister.

The Czech Philharmonic joins the growing list of prestigious and forward-thinking orchestras connected with the Academy, including the Knussen Chamber Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Leipzig Gewandhaus.

The Czech Philharmonic’s general manager, Robert Hanc, said: ‘The Czech Philharmonic had a wonderful experience at the Royal Academy of Music, both in its one-to-one encounters with the students and when it came to sharing the concert platform. Education and outreach are a really important part of the Orchestra’s identity and having the opportunity to share our heritage with such talented and professional students is a real privilege. We could not be more delighted that this relationship now has time to grow into an even more meaningful partnership'.

The Academy’s Principal, Jonathan Freeman-Attwood CBE, said: ‘One of the most significant appointments at the Academy has been our Klemperer Chair of Conducting, Semyon Bychkov. Soon after he was appointed Chief Conductor of the great Czech Philharmonic in 2018, the Academy was proud to host in October that year the London concert to mark 100 years of Czech Independence. This concluded a week of side by side concerts and masterclasses – including the main celebratory event live on BBC Radio 3 – in which the quality, character, range and generosity of the orchestra made a lasting and deep impression on our young musicians. ‘Having identified common values alongside new friendships, this formal educational bond between the Royal Academy of Music and the Czech Philharmonic will offer inspiring opportunities to which I look forward with enormous excitement.’

The Royal Academy of Music:

The Royal Academy of Music has been training musicians to the highest professional standards since its foundation in 1822. Every year some of the most talented young musicians from more than 50 countries come to study here, attracted by renowned teachers and a rich culture that broadens musical horizons, develops professional creativity and fosters entrepreneurial spirit.

The Czech Philharmonic Orchestra:

The 123 year-old Czech Philharmonic gave its first concert – an all Dvořák programme conducted by the composer himself - in the famed Rudolfinum Hall on 4 January 1896. Acknowledged for its definitive interpretations of Czech composers, the Orchestra is also recognised for the special relationship it has to the music of Brahms, Tchaikovsky and Mahler, who conducted the world première of his Symphony No. 7 with the Orchestra in 1908. Since September 2018, Semyon Bychkov has led the Czech Philharmonic as their fourteenth Chief Conductor and Music Director.

For more information please contact Communications Co-Ordinator, Harry Cole, on hcole@ram.ac.uk or 02078737433.

Also, the Czech Philharmonic under Chief Conductor and Music Director, Semyon Bychkov, is returning to the BBC Proms for the first time since 2014, with a concert on 10th September in the Royal Albert Hall at 7pm. He will open the programme with the Overture and Three Dances from Smetana's The Bartered Bride before playing The Letter Scene from Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin with soprano Elena Stikhina. The performance concludes with Shostakovich's rarely performed Symphony No. 8.

Bychkov's first year with the Czech Philharmonic marked the 100th anniversary of Czechoslovak Independence with concerts in London, New York, Washington and Vienna, and extensive tours of the US and Germany. The London concert, presented in collaboration with the Embassy of the Czech Republic in London, was the catalyst for an on-going education project with the Royal Academy of Music starting in spring 2020.

Press release (PDF, 96 KB)