Jakub Hrà ¯à ¡a (born 23 July 1981) is a Czech conductor. He is chief conductor of the Bamberg Symphony, the music director of the Royal Opera House and the music director designate of the Czech Philharmonic (2028/29).
Hrà ¯à ¡a was born in Brno on 23 July 1981 in Brno, the son of the architect . There were no professional musicians in his family who were drawn mainly from technical and scientific sectors. Hrà ¯à ¡a studied piano and trombone, and developed an interest in conducting, during his years at Gymnázium tà ÂÃÂda Kapitána Jaroà ¡e in Brno. While at school he had lessons with Evà ¾en Holià ¡, an experienced repetiteur and conductor at the National Theatre in his home city, where he became familiar with the work and atmosphere of an opera house.
He entered the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague at age 18, where his teachers included Jià ÂàBÃÂlohlávek (from his second year) for conducting, Radomil Elià ¡ka and Leoà ¡ Svárovský. In 2000 he participated in the Prague Spring International Music Festival conducting competition. In 2003, he was a prizewinner in the International Competition of Young Conductors Lovro von MataÃÂiàin Zagreb. He has researched the work of contemporary Czech composers for a dissertation. He acknowledged his debt to BÃÂlohlávek's teaching at the academy, and admired him for taking care to teach, not just to give masterclasses, and his generosity: "... in sharing ideas, inviting me to rehearsals, and actually I remember observing him work on Katya Kabanová in Helsinki with Karita Mattila. I owe him a lot."
Hrà ¯à ¡a's first conducting position after graduation was with the Bohuslav Martinà ¯ Philharmonic orchestra of ZlÃÂn, with which he toured Spain in 2004; during long bus trips, he and the players were able to bond before he took up his post officially in 2005. He also began to build up his experience in the Czech Republic, where he conducted JanáÃÂek's The Cunning Little Vixen in 2005 and Marcel Mihalovici's Krapp, or The Last Tape, at the National Theatre in Prague. He also worked as an associate conductor with the Czech Philharmonic. From 2005 to 2006, he was an associate conductor with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, his first international appointment. In April 2006, he signed a six-CD recording contract with Supraphon, where the first three CDs were with the Prague Philharmonia. From 2005 to 2008, Hrà ¯à ¡a was principal guest conductor of the Prague Philharmonia, then chief conductor from 2008 to 2015. He became principal guest conductor of the Czech Philharmonic with the 2015âÂÂ2016 season.
In February 2009, Hrà ¯à ¡a was named the music director of Glyndebourne on Tour, effective January 2010. In September 2011, he was named the next music director of the Royal Danish Opera and of the Royal Danish Orchestra, effective September 2013. However, in January 2012, in the wake of the resignation of Keith Warner from the artistic directorship of the Royal Danish Opera following proposed budget cuts, Hrà ¯à ¡a announced that he would not take the post, in solidarity with Warner's action.
In September 2015, after five appearances as a guest conductor, Hrà ¯à ¡a was named the next chief conductor of the Bamberg Symphony, from the 2016âÂÂ2017 season, with an initial contract of four seasons. This was extended firstly to the 2025âÂÂ2026 season, then through to the 2028âÂÂ2029 season.
In March 2017, the Philharmonia Orchestra announced the appointment of Hrà ¯à ¡a as one of its two new principal guest conductors, effective with the 2017âÂÂ2018 season. In July 2021, the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia announced the appointment of Hrà ¯à ¡a as its next principal guest conductor, effective with the 2021/22 season, with an initial contract of three seasons. His Proms debut in 2017 was an unconventional programme of the Hussite Chorale 'Ktoà ¾ jsú Boà ¾i bojovnÃÂci', Smetana's Tábor and BlanÃÂk from Má vlast, Martinà ¯'s Field Mass, Dvoà Âák's Hussite Overture, JanáÃÂek's Song of the Hussites and Suk's Praga. His next Prom concert in 2019 consisted of the complete Má vlast preceded by Dvoà Âák's Violin Concerto.
Hrà ¯à ¡a first guest-conducted at the Royal Opera House (ROH) in February 2018, in a production of Bizet's Carmen. He returned to the ROH in April 2022 to conduct Wagner's Lohengrin. In October 2022, the ROH announced the appointment of Hrà ¯à ¡a as its next music director, effective in September 2025, taking the title of music director designate with immediate effect.
In 2020, a bi-lingual (CzechâÂÂEnglish) anthology entitled Hrà ¯à ¡a on Martinà ¯ was published, consisting of essays on Bohuslav Martinà ¯ by Hrà ¯à ¡a, and an interview in his role as president of the International Martinà ¯ Circle. Although he had not conducted a Martinà ¯ opera in a theatre at the time of publication, he had conducted several performances of Martinà ¯'s symphonies. In June 2025, the Czech Philharmonic announced the appointment of Hrà ¯à ¡a as its next chief conductor and music director, effective with the 2028-2029 season, with an initial contract of five seasons.
Hrà ¯à ¡a and his wife Klára Hrà ¯à ¡ová have two children. The family have a residence in London.