The Janáček Cultural Centre will offer the Brno Philharmonic a venue with first-class acoustics, elevating the city’s prestige within the European cultural scene. Brno’s Mayor Markéta Vaňková elaborates on the project’s importance, its financial framework, setbacks caused by archaeological discoveries, and plans for the facility’s future use.
Brno has been waiting for a new concert hall for decades. How do you expect the Janáček Cultural Centre to transform the city’s position on the European cultural map?
The Janáček Cultural Centre will finally provide the internationally renowned Brno Philharmonic with a venue featuring premier acoustics tailored for symphonic music. This will also significantly enhance the city’s ability to attract elite foreign artists to guest perform. When choosing venues to perform in, these performers consider not only the quality of the orchestra but also the hall’s capacity and acoustic parameters. With sound design by the world-class acoustician Yasuhisa Toyota, Brno is set to become a highly attractive destination for artists across Europe.
The construction project is one of the largest cultural investments in the Czech Republic. How is the city monitoring the project’s schedule, cost, and quality?
The City of Brno and its partner, the company Brněnské komunikace, have extensive expertise in managing large-scale public tenders and overseeing major construction. When it comes to culture, I must, of course, mention the multi-purpose hall at the Brno Exhibition Centre, opening later this year. We have also completed construction of three
What risks do you consider to be the most serious at this stage of construction, and what contingency plans does the city have in place?
Construction within the city limits is always risky. Transport links must be managed, and noisy work must be restricted. It also happens that, even with the best surveys, you may uncover previously unknown underground networks, which can cause complications and delays. In the historic centre, there is also a high probability of archaeological finds. This happened in the case of the Janáček Cultural Centre. Although we had expected some finds from previous research in the area, we could not have predicted that they would be the remains of a 13th-century house. We want to move it to the future courtyard of the Janáček Cultural Centre, where it will be freely accessible. However, this is quite complicated and time-consuming, so unfortunately the whole construction project will be delayed.
In addition to the city, the Ministry of Culture, the South Moravian Region, and the company Brněnské komunikace are also contributing to the funding. Why did the city choose this particular model, and what role do municipal companies play in the project?
The significance of the new state-of-the-art concert hall extends far beyond the city’s boundaries. It is therefore logical that we applied to the Ministry of Culture and the South Moravian Region for co-funding, and I am very pleased that we have secured grants from both of these bodies. The company Brněnské komunikace is a co-investor be cause it will complete the underground car park, the structural work for which was the project’s first phase in 2018. It will subsequently operate the facility as well.
How is the hall’s economic model supposed to work after opening, and how will the city’s cooperation with the Brno Philharmonic be organised?
We are currently deciding who will operate the Janáček Cultural Centre. The first option is for the Brno Philharmonic to become the operator. The second option is to have another entity manage the operations. However, our decision will not affect the extent to which the Philharmonic uses the hall, nor will it affect expenditure from the City of Brno’s budget. The opening of the new hall should not lead to a significant increase in operating subsidies. Even in pessimistic scenarios, we anticipate that subsidies would increase by a few percentage points, at most by ten per cent.
Could such a large investment in a single cultural project weaken support for smaller cultural institutions, festivals, and the independent scene, or could it, on the contrary, strengthen it?
The new hall will reinforce the importance and impact of the arts in our city. While Brno already possesses a vibrant and diverse cultural scene, the Janáček Cultural Centre is set to significantly elevate its international prestige. The venue’s appeal will extend far beyond South Moravia, drawing an international audience to Brno. These visitors are expected to not only attend concerts at the new hall but also explore the city’s other cultural offerings during their stay. The City of Brno has an approved Strategy for Culture and Creative Industries. This clearly defines the irreplaceable role of key subsidised organisations and cultural infrastructure. The Brno Philharmonic and the Janáček Cultural Centre fall into these categories. Its construction, commissioning and the provision of a programme of events are therefore among our key objectives in the field of culture. And this is reflected in the City of Brno’s budgetary outlook. Furthermore, it is important to realise that budgets distinguish between capital expenditure, such as the construction of a new auditorium, and operating expenditure, which comprises the funds the city allocates to support cultural activities across the entire spectrum from the large theatres we run, through smaller state-subsidised organisations, to the independent scene. In other words, the fact that we are making a one-off investment does not mean a long-term reduction in funding for other cultural activities.
