The Janáček Academic Orchestra was founded in the 20th century to train young promising musicians for their future professions. From the very beginning it became an integral part of the Faculty of Music of the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts. The orchestra’s players are mostly students of the faculty itself. As part of their studies, they participate in several projects related to the orchestra, such as two individual concerts and several concerts and performances in collaboration with other ensembles or groups. This provides the players with a wide range of repertoire applicable to their future employment.

doc. MgA. Jakub Klecker

renowned conductor, who in 2019 became the JAO’s principal conductor. He studied conducting at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague under Jiří Bělohlávek and Tomáš Koutník. Since 2004 he has been the principal conductor of the Janáček Opera ensemble at the National Theatre Brno, later he also became the music director of the National Moravian-Silesian Theatre in Ostrava and in 2019 he became the chief conductor of the Moravian Philharmonic. During his career he has gained several international experiences. He was the first to perform Antonín Dvořák’s opera Rusalka in the Arabian Peninsula, and has also conducted in countries such as Japan, Germany, Poland and at prestigious music festivals such as Prague Spring, Smetana Litomyšl and Janáček Brno.

With us you will gain experience not only in philharmonics and symphony orchestras, but also in theatres and opera houses.
We are one of the few professional student orchestras in the Czech Republic.
We’re not afraid of novel ideas.
We’re a great team.
We advise each other and gain experience together.
The best of us have the opportunity to play solo with the accompaniment of our teammates.

An important part of the JAO projects is the cooperation with the Chamber Opera of the JAMU Faculty of Music. Not only our orchestra participates in the projects, but also conducting students, who can experience what it is like to have a real ensemble under their baton.

The Janáček Academic Orchestra also organises its own concerts, where selected soloists from among the students are also presented.