Jakub Hrůša has been named Artist of the Year at the 2026 International Classical Music Awards. This honour follows his being named Musical America’s 2026 Artist of the Year in December. The Bamberger Symphoniker also received a Special Achievement Award. The winners will receive their honours at the annual award ceremony on 18 March at Bamberg’s Keilberth Hall, where several of the winners will perform alongside the Bamberger Symphoniker, conducted by Jakub Hrůša.
The ICMA writes:
“Jakub Hrůša, who has restored the Bohemian sound of the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, must surely be counted among the greatest conductors of our time and is at home equally in the symphonic and operatic worlds, as he is now demonstrating as music director of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. His conducting is characterized by a sense of breathing with the music and optimal transparency, which never compromises the inner harmony of the score. Every piece of phrasing, rubato, accelerando and accentuation makes sense, fitting logically into the overall flow and serving the performance, giving the scores their deep, meaningful character.”
Of the Bamberger Symphoniker, the ICMA writes:
“At just 80 years old, the Bamberger Symphoniker are still considered a young orchestra by German standards. However, from the outset, they have been among the world’s top orchestras. They are not only ambassadors of music, having played in over 60 countries worldwide, but also a mainstay of European and German culture. Led by their Czech chief conductor, Jakub Hrůša, this orchestra is a beacon of excellence.”
Photo: Ian Ehm