Krumlov Festival brings classical music to Kaplice for the first time ever

20 / 01 / 2025

Kaplice Music Day. One of the novelties of the 34. International Music Festival Český Krumlov, which is currently being prepared. It will take place on Thursday, 31 July 2025 and will feature three concerts: the Academy of Chamber Music (AKH), Organ Soirée: Katharina Zauner and Nocturne – Breathe Deep: Tomáš Jamník & AKH. Kaplice will have a festival premiere, the town on the Czech-Austrian border will be involved in the South Bohemian festival of classical music for the first time.

The upcoming edition of Festival Krumlov will begin on 11 July and run until 2 August 2025. It will offer at least 47 concerts in 7 concert series and the main theme will be Unexpected Connections.

“Our aim at the 34th edition of the festival is to bring visitors unexpected locations and connections. Concerts will be performed in 17 extraordinary venues, 4 of which will be premieres. These will be the Visitors’ Centre (Portal) and the courtyard of Krumlov’s Port 1560, and the aforementioned Church of St Peter and St Paul and the Kaplice City Park,” says Gabriela Rachidi, Director of Festival Krumlov, adding: “It is important for us to offer new locations and to diversify the festival programme. This way, visitors can discover (so far) undiscovered gems. We perceive that people come for a comprehensive experience, so we are trying to spread the concerts around the South Bohemia region more than before. We also see the educational and socially responsible role of the festival.”

Three concerts await guests during the Kaplice Day of Music. The first two will take place in the Church of Saints Peter and Paul. From 17:00, the Academy of Chamber Music (AKH), talents that are united by precision and unbridled youth, will perform. From 20:00, Katharina Zauner, a rising star organist from Linz, Austria, will play a royal instrument. And as the sun sets at 9:30 pm, Tomas Jamnik and the AKH scholarship holders will draw visitors to the city park into the heart of music.

“It is very good that Festival Krumlov has found its way to Kaplice. We have a lot to show, people from all over South Bohemia come to play our organ. They are in our two churches, which is why, among other things, regular organists’ meetings are held here. I am also pleased that during the Kaplice Music Day, Czech-Austrian cooperation, the support of young talents and the historical and new beautiful places we have in our country will be shown in practice,” says mayor of Kaplice Libor Lukš and adds: “The three concerts during Kaplice Music Day on the last day of July will also mean three different concert series: the Young Talents, Organ Concerts and Site-specific. In fact, a wide range of offerings, including a talk debated with the organisers, has a better chance of reaching more people.”

Hundreds of artists from around the world, from Europe to Asia to North and South America, will perform at the 34th Krumlov Festival. For example, guitar master Pablo Sáinz-Villegas will offer a Spanish guitar repertoire spiced up by flamenco dancer Virginia Delgado. Israeli violin virtuoso Maxim Vengerov will be accompanied by the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Daniel Raiskin. American 10 Grammy-winning vocal geniuses Take 6 will appeal with velvety voices, absolute rhythm and inspiring lyrics. Also, and for the second time, there will be a concert “performance” of “The Unserious Classics” directed by Jan Budar and moderated by Václav Kopta, with a musical performance by Martina Masaryková accompanied by the Prague Symphony Orchestra FOK. And the actual opening of the festival? It is called Unexpected Baroque and will bring the music of Baroque masters and dance directly to the water surface of the castle park pond. Then, at the very end of the four-week classical music feast, there will be The Passionate Carmen: an opera, a ballet starring famous singers and dancers choreographed by Jiří Bubeníček. There will also be world premieres of compositions, organ masterclasses by the Mecca of Organists and a free accompanying programme in the Festival Zone full of concerts, workshops, theatre for children, films, exercises with music, discussions with artists, playing instruments, etc.

• Štěpánka Filipová, filipova@festivalkrumlov.cz, +420 724 302 802
• Programme:https://www.festivalkrumlov.cz/program