Gershwin: Porgy and Bess
An American opera intertwined with jazz, blues, and gospel rhythms in a concert version. Porgy and Bess will bring an intense musical and dramatic experience to the open air, performed by leading international soloists.
This concert is part of the Second Festival Weekend, which includes three following concerts:
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- Moon & Kačo / Brahms, 24.7. 19:30, Riding Hall Český Krumlov
- Gershwin: Porgy a Bess, 25.7. 20:30, Brewery garden Český Krumlov
- Labyrinth of the World and Paradise of the Heart with Marek Eben, 26.7. 18:00, Church of Corpus Christi and the Grieving Virgin Mary
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Artists
Bongani Justice Kubheka - bass-baritone
Miriam Clark - soprano
Ronald Samm - tenor
Angela Renée Simpson - soprano
Alena Hron - conductor
The Kühn Choir of Prague, choirmaster Marek Vorlíček
Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra Olomouc
Program
George Gershwin: Porgy a Bess (Concert Version)
Alena Hron
Alena Hron was appointed chief conductor of the South Bohemian Philharmonic Orchestra in 2024, becoming the first woman in the history of the Czech Republic to hold this position. Thanks to the prestigious TAKI Fellowship, she made her debut in the US that same year alongside Marin Alsop, conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. In the 2025/26 season, she will perform with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam, make her debut with the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker, MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra, Polish National Radio Orchestra, and Kyoto Symphony Orchestra, and return to the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra. She made her debut with the Prague Symphony Orchestra at the Prague Spring Festival in 2024. Her recording of the complete orchestral works of Vítězslava Kaprálová with the Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra won the Diapason d’or award and was nominated for a Gramophone Award. She has also collaborated with the Czech Philharmonic, Prague Philharmonia, Göttinger Symphonieorchester, Basel Collegium Musicum, and Košice Philharmonic.
Angela Renée Simpson
Dramatic soprano Angela Renée Simpson has been hailed by critics worldwide as powerful, fascinating, and thrilling. She has appeared at La Scala, Teatro San Carlo, Moscow’s Novaya Theater, San Francisco Opera, Washington National Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Houston Grand Opera, San Diego Opera, New York City Opera, and Florida Grand Opera. Ms. Simpson sang Serena in Porgy and Bess in Austria under Nikolaus Harnoncourt and at Paris’s Opéra Comique. On the concert stage, she has performed with the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, Rome’s Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Dallas Symphony, Alabama Symphony, and at Carnegie Hall and Weill Recital Hall.
Bongani Justice Kubheka
South African baritone Bongani Justice Kubheka has built an impressive career on major opera stages around the world. Recently, he performed as Escamillo (Carmen), Gonzales (Il Guarany), and as Crown in a new production of Porgy and Bess at Theatro Municipal São Paulo. He also sang Marcello (La bohème) on the Cape Town Opera National Tour, Don Fernando (Fidelio) at Teatro La Fenice in Venice, and Gcina in Nkoli: The Vogue-Opera at the Market Theatre. Other engagements include the Sacristan in Tosca at Joburg Theatre and the Artscape Opera House, and a role in Handel’s Messiah with the Playhouse Company. Winner of multiple international competitions, including Operalia, Neue Stimmen, and SWR Junge Opernstars, Kubheka continues to impress audiences with his commanding stage presence and versatility, performing roles that span traditional repertoire and contemporary works across South Africa, Europe, and South America.
Miriam Clark
German-American soprano Miriam Clark has performed a wide range of demanding operatic roles across Europe. In recent years, she has taken on challenging parts such as Salome at Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe, Irene in Wagner’s Rienzi at Oper Leipzig, and Aida at the Royal Danish Opera in Copenhagen. She made her house debut at the Bayerische Staatsoper in 2018 as the Dama di Lady Macbeth in Verdi’s Macbeth under Pinchas Steinberg. From the 2016/17 season, Clark was a member of the Nationaltheater Mannheim, where she sang major roles including Chrysothemis (Elektra), Aida, Amelia (Un ballo in maschera), Elvira (Ernani), Elisabetta (Don Carlo), Leonora (Il trovatore), and the Empress (Die Frau ohne Schatten). Among her more recent engagements are appearances as the Empress at the Opéra de Lyon and Aida at Cluj National Opera in the current season.
Ronald Samm
Ronald Samm was born and grew up in Trinidad, West Indies. He studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Royal Northern College of Music and National Opera Studio. In recent seasons he has performed Father Grenville Dead Man Walking, Earl of Ruthven Mary, Queen of Scots, Uncle Billy It’s a Wonderful Life, Reverend Blue, Reverend Horace Adams Peter Grimes (English National Opera); Shabby Peasant Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk (BBC Proms); andPangloss/Voltaire Candide (Scottish Opera). Other performances include Otello, (Birmingham Opera Company, Opera North); Lazarus The Gospel According to the Other Mary (Theater Bonn); Canio Pagliacci (Scottish Opera); and Siegmund Die Walküre (Teatro Nacional de São Carlos). In Porgy and Bess he has performed Sportin’ Life, Jake and Peter (English National Opera, Dutch National Opera, Theater an der Wien, Opéra de Lyon, Edinburgh International Festival), and in concert across Europe.
The Kühn Choir of Prague
The Kühn Choir was founded in 1959 by Pavel Kühn, an important figure in the Czech choral tradition. The choir performs repertoire from all periods, including contemporary music, performs large vocal-instrumental works, and also focuses on recording contemporary music. It has gradually established itself in concert halls and recording studios as a top-class ensemble focusing on a cappella works of the Romantic period and the oratorio and cantata repertoire.
The ensemble has partnered with prestigious symphony orchestras in Czechia (Czech Philharmonic, Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, Prague Philharmonia) and abroad (Concertgebouw Orchestra, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, etc.) and has collaborated with leading conductors (Sir Charles Mackerras, V. Ashkenazy, Z. Mehta, and E. Jaffe). It has made a number of outstanding recordings of works from all stylistic periods (including the complete choral works of B. Martinů, Fibich’s Hippodamia trilogy, L. Fišer’s opera Lancelot, etc.) and is also involved in film music (e.g. M. Forman: The People vs. Larry Flint and music by Z. Liška). Since 2014, the choir has been collaborating with the National Theater Opera (D. Shostakovich: Orango; B. Smetana: Libuše; G. Puccini: Turandot, etc.).
The Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra Olomouc
The Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra Olomouc is one of the most important and oldest Czech symphony orchestras. It is based in the historic center of Moravia and began its 80th concert season in September 2025. Since its founding on May 26, 1945, it has been a key center of musical life in the region. Its artistic profile has been influenced by prominent Czech and foreign artists, including Otto Klemperer, Václav Neumann, Josef Suk, Gidon Kremer, and Pierre Fournier. The orchestra has built up an exceptionally broad repertoire focusing on the great composers of the 19th and 20th centuries, while also systematically supporting contemporary works. It is also one of the leading interpreters of the works of Dvořák, Smetana, Janáček, and Martinů. The Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra regularly performs at major international festivals and has a rich discography. It plays a fundamental role in the cultural life of Olomouc, organizing the Dvořák’s Olomouc and International Organ Festival and implementing a number of educational programs for children and young people.
Brewery Garden
Imagine the magical view of the Český Krumlov Castle, a refreshing summer evening, the murmur of the river nearby and music interpreted by world-famous stars.
