Centennial Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra Opens Prague Spring With Má Vlast

The Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra is scheduled to open the 81st edition of the Prague Spring International Music Festival on May 12, 2026. The opening performance will take place in the Smetana Hall of the Municipal House and will feature Bedřich Smetana’s symphonic cycle Má vlast.

The concert serves as a dual milestone for the ensemble and its leadership. The event marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, a principal Czech symphony orchestra. The performance will be the final appearance of Petr Popelka in his role as the ensemble’s Chief Conductor and Artistic Director.

In a press release issued on November 4, Popelka stated that Opening the Prague Spring Festival with the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra is an immense joy for me.

The selection of Smetana’s work carries specific artistic intent for the conductor. Regarding the piece Má vlast (My Country), Popelka noted the following:

Má vlast (My Country) is not about blind nationalism. We see written with genuine and entirely disarming love for our native land

Petr Popelka

The Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra has a long history with the Prague Spring festival and Smetana’s cycle. The orchestra has performed Má vlast eleven times throughout its history, with the first performance occurring in 1950 and the most recent in 2009.

The May 12 performance is part of a broader series of events, including the Prague Spring ČEZ Open Air event. The same program is scheduled to be performed again for Opening Concert II on May 13, 2026, also at the Municipal House.

The concert on May 12 will be broadcast live by Czech Television, with recordings subsequently made available on the broadcaster’s channel and website.

The occasion highlights the career trajectory of Petr Popelka, who has transitioned from a performing musician to a conductor. In 2019, Popelka left a position as a double bassist with the Staatskapelle Dresden to pursue conducting. Following a year as an assistant to Principal Conductor Alan Gilbert with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, he was appointed Chief Conductor of the Norwegian Radio Orchestra in 2020.

Popelka joins a lineage of conductors who have led the orchestra at the Prague Spring, including Krzysztof Penderecki, Neeme Järvi, Claudio Abbado, Vladimír Válek, Václav Neumann, and Karel Ančerl. The Times has described Popelka’s capabilities as Top-level musicianship, plainly.