CNBC under the baton of Otto M. Schwarz

The Czech National Concert Band performed on the national holiday, 28 September 2026, in the Fibich Hall of the Regional Museum in Chrudim. The special guest of the concert was the renowned Austrian composer and conductor Otto M. Schwarz, who also took up the baton for the entire evening.

The concert programme consisted exclusively of his works. The audience had the opportunity to hear a selection of his well-known compositions, including Around the World in 80 Days, Cyrano, Eiffel Tower, The Story of Anne Frank, and Sisi – Kaiserin von Österreich. Meeting the composer of the works they were performing was an extraordinary experience and a great source of inspiration for all members of the orchestra.

The Czech National Concert Band prepared the entire programme during two intensive rehearsal weekends at the Přelouč Primary Art School (ZUŠ Přelouč). Special thanks go to the conductors who prepared the programme with the orchestra during the first weekend – Markéta Linhart and Jiří Pohnán. The project also included a discussion with Otto M. Schwarz, which took place on Monday morning in the hall of ZUŠ Přelouč. The orchestra members and the school’s students thus had a unique opportunity to meet a prominent representative of contemporary wind band composition, learn more about his work as a composer, and gain insight into the background behind the creation of his works.

The concert in Chrudim therefore became not only the culmination of the Czech National Concert Band’s intensive work, but above all an extraordinary musical encounter with a composer whose works have long been part of the orchestra’s repertoire.