Orchestre e Teatri Lirici
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South Bohemian Theatre Orchestra
South Bohemian Theatre
Opera company with an orchestra in České Budějovice
The first professional theatre in České Budějovice opened on September 6, 1919, with a ceremonial Smetana's Dalibor. In the 1930s, the permanent opera ensemble of the South Bohemian National Theater ceased to exist and was restored on April 17, 1950 (The Bartered Bride). The ensemble was formed mainly b
South Bohemian Theatre
Opera company with an orchestra in České Budějovice
The first professional theatre in České Budějovice opened on September 6, 1919, with a ceremonial Smetana's Dalibor. In the 1930s, the permanent opera ensemble of the South Bohemian National Theater ceased to exist and was restored on April 17, 1950 (The Bartered Bride). The ensemble was formed mainly by the artistic directors and conductors like Emil Křepelka, Iša Krejčí, Karel Nosek, Josef Průdek, Václav Nosek, Milan Kaňák, Miloslav Veselý. České Budějovice spectators still remember important singers who passed through the opera stage in the past half-century.
At present, important inland and foreign soloists and conductors often appear on the stage of the South Bohemian Theater. One of the peaks that the opera ensemble has reached in the recent past is the hosting of world tenor star José Cura in the performance Comedians in front of the Revolving Theatre in Český Krumlov (2011, 2012). From the 2015/16 season, Tomáš Studený was the head of the opera ensemble, and from the 2020/21 season, he was replaced by Tomáš Ondřej Pilař. In 2018, Svatopluk Sem won the Thalia National Opera Prize for his role as Giorgio Germont in Verdi's opera La Traviata. The general music director of the opera, maestro Mario De Rose, was replaced by David Švec, who is the chief conductor of the opera in South Bohemian Theater since 2022.