Robert Kružík receives Sir Charles Mackerras Prize for young Czech conductors

Conductor Robert Kružík has been named this year’s recipient of the Sir Charles Mackerras Prize for young Czech conductors. The Leoš Janáček Foundation grants the award only once every decade, and Kružík is just the second conductor ever to receive it.

Kružík, chief conductor of the Janáček Opera at the National Theatre Brno, received the honor during the opening of the Moravian Autumn festival at the Janáček Theatre on Sunday.

The prize was presented by Catherine Mackerras, daughter of the celebrated British conductor Sir Charles Mackerras, a lifelong champion of Czech music. This year’s edition of the festival commemorates the 100th anniversary of his birth.