Jakub Hrůša

Jakub Hrůša (born 23 July 1981) is a Czech conductor. He is chief conductor of the Bamberg Symphony, the music director of the Royal Opera House and the music director designate of the Czech Philharmonic (2028/29).

Education Hrůša was born in Brno on 23 July 1981 in Brno, the son of the architect . There were no professional musicians in his family who were drawn mainly from technical and scientific sectors. Radomil Eliška and Leoš Svárovský. In 2000 he participated in the Prague Spring International Music Festival conducting competition. In 2003, he was a prizewinner in the International Competition of Young Conductors Lovro von Matačić in Zagreb. He also began to build up his experience in the Czech Republic, where he conducted Janáček's The Cunning Little Vixen in 2005 and Marcel Mihalovici's Krapp, or The Last Tape, at the National Theatre in Prague. From 2005 to 2008, Hrůša was principal guest conductor of the Prague Philharmonia, then chief conductor from 2008 to 2015. In September 2011, he was named the next music director of the Royal Danish Opera and of the Royal Danish Orchestra, effective September 2013. However, in January 2012, in the wake of the resignation of Keith Warner from the artistic directorship of the Royal Danish Opera following proposed budget cuts, Hrůša announced that he would not take the post, in solidarity with Warner's action.

In September 2015, after five appearances as a guest conductor, Hrůša was named the next chief conductor of the Bamberg Symphony, from the 2016–2017 season, with an initial contract of four seasons. This was extended firstly to the 2025–2026 season, then through to the 2028–2029 season.

In March 2017, the Philharmonia Orchestra announced the appointment of Hrůša as one of its two new principal guest conductors, effective with the 2017–2018 season. In July 2021, the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia announced the appointment of Hrůša as its next principal guest conductor, effective with the 2021/22 season, with an initial contract of three seasons. His Proms debut in 2017 was an unconventional programme of the Hussite Chorale 'Ktož jsú Boži bojovníci', Smetana's Tábor and Blaník from Má vlast, Martinů's Field Mass, Dvořák's Hussite Overture, Janáček's Song of the Hussites and Suk's Praga. His next Prom concert in 2019 consisted of the complete Má vlast preceded by Dvořák's Violin Concerto.

Hrůša first guest-conducted at the Royal Opera House (ROH) in February 2018, in a production of Bizet's Carmen. He returned to the ROH in April 2022 to conduct Wagner's Lohengrin. In October 2022, the ROH announced the appointment of Hrůša as its next music director, effective in September 2025, taking the title of music director designate with immediate effect.

In 2020, a bi-lingual (Czech–English) anthology entitled Hrůša on Martinů was published, consisting of essays on Bohuslav Martinů by Hrůša, and an interview in his role as president of the International Martinů Circle. Although he had not conducted a Martinů opera in a theatre at the time of publication, he had conducted several performances of Martinů's symphonies.

Personal life Hrůša and his wife Klára Hrůšová have two children.