About the Festival

International Music Festival Kutná Hora 2026 – 19th Edition

June 4 – June 15, 2026

Artistic Director: Jiří Bárta

120 Years

(Not) Only Dmitri Shostakovich

(1906 – 1975)

The repertoire of this year’s festival edition was created in honor of the 50th anniversary of the death of a composer whose name is deeply inscribed in the cultural and political history of the twentieth century. The work of Dmitri Shostakovich fascinates through its artistic intensity just as much as through the story of his life as a composer in Stalinist Soviet Russia. His struggle for artistic freedom, his inner conflict, and the anxiety of a man whose every artistic act or personal expression was judged by the apparatus of communist ideology, as well as by the public and by artistic friends and enemies alike. A timeless and immortal story.

We place Shostakovich’s chamber works in contrast with works of world literature. Examples include an evening of Shostakovich’s preludes alongside Chopin’s preludes, Shostakovich’s songs set against Mahler’s songs, Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet against Shostakovich’s Piano Quintet. Lighter moments are offered by the jazz suites of Bolling and Shostakovich, or a more popular-style evening with the Epoque Quartet in contrast to Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto. An attempt at reconciliation between two nations is represented by placing the violin sonata of Ukrainian composer Valentin Bibik next to the violin sonata of Dmitri Shostakovich.

In connection with Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, I would like to add a short reflection. I have just returned from a longer tour with the Lviv National Philharmonic in Great Britain, and I had also been a guest in Lviv twice before during the time of war. From countless conversations with my new friends in the orchestra, a clear and unequivocal rejection of everything Russian emerged—of the Russian language, Russian culture, including Shostakovich. To find his name in the programs of Ukrainian orchestras is currently unthinkable. I stand with the Ukrainian nation, but at the same time I believe that the music of a composer who himself suffered under a dictatorial regime does not bear responsibility for the actions of today’s Russian government. On the contrary, reminding us of his music can help us come to terms with history and with the present. That is my wish, that is the meaning of this year’s International Chamber Music Festival in Kutná Hora, and I hope listeners will accept it in this spirit.

In conclusion, I would like to remind you that the entire festival is rehearsed on site and that each program is unique to the festival. Invitations have been accepted by artists such as, among others, Kyiv-born Konstantin Lifschitz, Moldovan violinist Alexandra Conunova, Slovak violinist Milan Pala, violist Vladimír Bukač, pianist Terezie Fialová, clarinetist Irvin Venyš, and the already mentioned Epoque Quartet.

– Jiří Bárta

Since its founding in 2008, the International Music Festival Kutná Hora has gained a reputation as one of the most important chamber music events in the Czech Republic. Dramaturgy of the festival is overseen by internationally renowned cellist and artistic director Jiří Bárta. His programming is characterized by great diversity (from classical chamber repertoire and forgotten works, through contemporary music and lesser-known composers, to projects on the borders of genres).

It is a major regional event with significance beyond the region. The festival is attractive both to knowledgeable audiences and to local listeners, enthusiasts, and supporters who have truly taken the festival as their own.

The International Music Festival Kutná Hora is a classical chamber music festival that takes place in the first or second week of June.

Besides the enthusiasm of the musicians and the unique atmosphere of the concerts, the festival’s strength lies in its carefully crafted dramaturgy. The program is based on contrasts, and Jiří Bárta succeeds in creating a balanced combination of artistic challenge and audience appeal.

The form of a creative workshop, in which the festival program is realized, requires from musicians a high level of interpretative skill, chamber ensemble ability, and the capacity to work under pressure. Rehearsals take place during the festival week itself, during which artists study works daily and present a varied concert program.

Jiří Bárta selects top international and Czech artists who are open to this very demanding way of artistic creation.

Since its founding, the festival has also been distinctive in its focus on presenting works by contemporary composers. Martin Smolka, Miroslav Srnka, Gavin Bryars, Ondřej Kukal, Sofia Gubaidulina, Arvo Pärt, Zygmunt Krauze, Henryk Górecki, Wojciech Kilar – this is only a small selection of composers whose works have been performed at the Kutná Hora festival, often in Czech premieres (and in Smolka’s case, a world premiere). These works are placed dramaturgically next to classical compositions; contemporary music lives in synergy with the classical repertoire. This model has proven successful, and we dare to say that it has helped raise a large audience that not only accepts contemporary music but actively seeks it out.

Over seventeen years, the festival has become an inseparable part of the cultural life of the region and enjoys high attendance from across the Czech Republic and abroad.

The festival is produced by the renowned agency Lotos, s. r.o., founded in 1992. It specializes in organizing concerts and festivals and in producing CDs, primarily of classical music. In the past it collaborated with many outstanding artists. With Josef Suk, it prepared the chamber concert series “Hradčany Musical” in the Spanish Hall of Prague Castle (1995 – 2002). Lotos recorded 36 albums with Josef Suk and organized many concerts with him and other major musicians. It has released 170 recordings, mostly of classical music. The agency has worked with the Czech Philharmonic, Václav Neumann, Libor Pešek, Jiří Bělohlávek, Prague Chamber Philharmonia, Wihan Quartet, Zuzana Růžičková, Magdalena Kožená, Ludmila Peterková, Vladimír Mikulka, Milan Svoboda, Jiří Stivín, Emil Viklický, Hradišťan, Jiří Pavlica, Ida Kelarová, and many others. Since 2008, its main focus has been the preparation and organization of the International Music Festival Kutná Hora.

The festival is one of the most important musical events in the region, enabling artistic presentation at the highest international level. The festival is organized in cooperation with the Kutná Hora Music School, whose students and teachers can attend rehearsals, find motivation, and gain inspiration. We also offer discounts to students, holders of disability cards, and seniors over 65. Students of music schools are admitted free of charge.

We believe that the attractive and unusual dramaturgy will again this year draw many listeners.