International Opera Festival Smetana┤s Litomysl is after the Prague Spring the second oldest musical festival organised in the Czech Republic. Its tradition dates back to 1949. The festival is an open scene for presentation of beautiful music of various genres û next to operas being the backbone of drama theory, there are vocal and instrumental, symphonic works as well as folk songs and chamber music presented. Regular guests of the festival include the top home ensembles, fore bodies and soloists of the European and international musical scene. The festival thus welcomes opera ensembles from Prague, Brno, Czech Philharmonic, Prague symphonists, JanßΦek┤s Philharmonic from Ostrava. Major attention is drawn by singers, recently namely Dagmar Peckova, Eva Urbanova, Ivan Kusnjer and Pavel Kamas. Galaconcerts of Sherill Milnes, Pauletta de Vaughn, Katia Ricciarelli and Bruno Pola represent the international participation. A natural centre of the festival activities is the area of the State Castle in Litomysl being a national cultural monument. That is where you can find an amphitheatre with the capacity of 2.200 viewers and a perfect acoustic II. courtyard that houses as many as 1.200 viewers. For other concerts the areas of the unique castle theatre, Smetana┤s house and Litomysl monasteries are used. The festival taking place on the brink of June and July is visited by some 10.000 people from the Czech republic and the entire Europe. The traditional general sponsor of the festival is the major Czech monetary institution Ceskß sporitelna, a.s..

Secretariat of Smetana┤s Litomysl Festival: P.O.BOX 41, 570 01 Litomysl, tel./fax: +420 (464) 612575