South Bohemian Philharmonic

The South Bohemian Philharmonic was founded in České Budějovice in 1981 under the name South Bohemian State Orchestra. Today, it is the only professional philharmonic in the South Bohemian Region.

The orchestra was founded by conductor Jaroslav Vodňanský, followed by conductors Ondřej Kukal, Břetislav Novotný, Jaroslav Krček, and Stanislav Vavřínek. Since 2008, the chief conductor has been Jan Talich. The orchestra has 37 members and focuses on interpreting the music of classical composers at the highest quality. At the same time, it follows the modern trend of genre fusion and explores new approaches to the interpretation and presentation of music.

The ambition of the South Bohemian Philharmonic is to maintain the interest of existing subscribers while also targeting younger audiences and the broader public, including South Bohemians who have so far largely avoided classical music.

The concert hall of the South Bohemian Philharmonic is named after Otakar Jeremiáš, a native of České Budějovice and one of our prominent composers. The hall boasts excellent acoustics and has seating for 218 visitors. The concert atmosphere is enhanced by a view of the modernly designed organ.