Prague Spring announces the programme of the Rudolf Firkušný Piano Festival 2026

From 3 to 9 November 2026, the Rudolf Firkušný Piano Festival, presented under the auspices of Prague Spring, will hold its 14th edition at the Rudolfinum, offering five concerts this year. The festival will welcome to Prague for the first time the piano duo Evgeny Kissin and Sir András Schiff, who will appear together on stage. The winner of the ARD International Music Competition in Munich, Lukas Sternath, will make his festival debut. The Czech performing tradition will be represented by Marek Kozák, recipient of the Jiří Bělohlávek Prize 2025, while the legendary Grigory Sokolov and the winner of the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels, Anna Vinnitskaya, will return to the festival after four years.

“Romantic music of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries will predominate, including works by Czech masters. The opening concert, bringing together Evgeny Kissin and Sir András Schiff on the same stage, is, in my view, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Personally, I am also very pleased that Grigory Sokolov will be returning, as he comes to the Czech Republic more or less exclusively for the Firkušný Festival,” says the festival’s Artistic Director Josef Třeštík. As for the performers, the festival once again combines established tradition with the energy of young talents. One of the most anticipated events will be the debut of Lukas Sternath, winner of the ARD Competition Munich 2022 and recipient of the ECHO Klassik Award 2024[JR1] , as well as the return of the outstanding pianist Anna Vinnitskaya, whose artistic profile includes appearances with the Berlin Philharmonic and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The Czech performing tradition will be represented by Marek Kozák, last year’s laureate of the Bach Competition in Leipzig and recipient of the Jiří Bělohlávek Prize 2025 (his festival debut in 2020 was streamed online). The 14th edition of the Firkušný Festival will conclude in grand style with one of the most original pianists on the planet, Grigory Sokolov, whose programme – as always – remains a closely guarded secret.

Ticket sales for all festival concerts will begin online at firkusny.cz/en/ on Thursday, 19 March at 11 a.m. Until 4 June, a 20% Early Bird discount will be available for individual tickets.