Prague Sounds – The Festival’s 30th Anniversary Begins in Early November

Three decades of musical innovation come together in Prague this November, with a diverse programme spanning jazz, electronica and contemporary classical music. International stars and Czech talents promise a memorable anniversary edition across some of the city's most iconic venues.

Prague Sounds – The Festival is celebrating its 30th anniversary this November, having originally been established as Strings of Autumn in 1996. Prague Sounds invites world-class international artists and local talent in jazz, electronica, contemporary classical music and hybrid genres, featuring selected groups and artists in collaboration.

The Festival is celebrating its jubilee with an opening night at Signal Space, a new multimedia venue, in collaboration with Studio Lunchmeat for lighting and visuals. Musically, it will feature Brooklyn Rider, an ensemble of contemporary musicians, performing Temples of Resonance, the sacred and trance-like compositions of the futuristic minimalist Philip Glass (who is 89 years old and still active).

Photo: Hiromi | Prague Sounds

The jazz headliner and overall biggest artist this year is Hiromi. Hiromi Uehara played at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, and she returns to the festival after 14 years. She should be just as energetic as ever – she has been described as a jazz “hurricane” on stage, an energetic wizard of a pianist who merges Japanese pop and traditional Japanese folk music with modern jazz-rock-electronica.

Electronica artist Max Cooper (from the UK) is a frequent performer in Prague, as festivals love him. However, this will be the first time he performs in such a revered classical music venue, the Rudolfinum. There will be a high-tech video-mapping projection accompanying his soundscapes.

Another UK artist is Shabaka, otherwise known as Shabaka Hutchings, a jazz saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist and classically trained clarinettist, who has been leading the British modern jazz scene with Sons of Kemet and The Comet Is Coming. However, his solo recordings are calmer, meditative and spiritual, mainly influenced by traditional African folk music. As one of the most accessible artists at the festival, Samara Joy is a younger American jazz vocalist in the tradition of classic American jazz divas like Sarah Vaughan. Meanwhile, Kojey Radical brings gritty, streetwise British rap, which is also influenced by R&B and hip-hop.

Photo: Max Cooper | Prague Sounds

One of the most adventurous artists is Scottish composer, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Anna Meredith, who merges chamber ensemble musicians (tuba and cello) with drums, an electric guitarist and herself on synths and other instruments – it’s absolutely something fresh, with short, futuristic 21st-century pop epics.

More contemporary classical performances include the master vocal ensemble Paul Hillier & Theatre of Voices (from the UK), presenting new compositions by contemporary American composers, and a tribute to another pioneering American minimalist composer, Steve Reich, for his 90th birthday, performed by the Mivos Quartet, featuring members of Brandt Brauer Frick alongside the Czech group Agon Orchestra.

Czech artists are always given appropriate space at the festival, and this year it highlights Ondřej Pivec (a Hammond B-3 jazz organist who has been based in New York City for at least the past decade) and a unique duo created solely for the festival, featuring Lenka Dusilová and Katta – a rock-pop vocalist (Dusilová) and an ethereal organist and vocalist (Katta), merging sacred, modern and pop music.

Photo: Anoushka Shankar | Prague Sounds

Sitarist Anoushka Shankar is the daughter of sitar master Ravi Shankar, and she concludes the festival by performing Indian ragas with the Prague Symphony Orchestra on the stage of the Rudolfinum.

Venues for the festival include Signal Space, the Rudolfinum, Lucerna’s Grand Ballroom and Music Bar, La Fabrika, Divadlo X10 and the Church of St Salvator. For dates, see Prague Sounds – The Festival.



Prague Sounds 2026
2 - 22 November 2026 | Prague
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