Smetana's Litomysl International Opera Festival gets underway

The Czech Republic's largest open-air classical music event - Smetana's Litomysl International Opera Festival kicked off on Friday evening with a concert by popular Czech soprano Eva Urbanova. The annual event, which is held in the town of Litomysl where Czech composer Bedrich Smetana was born, attracts around 14,000 visitors from all over the world. Highlights of this year's festival include a rare performance of Bedrich Smetana's opera Smetana's The Kiss and Giacomo Puccini's Manon Lescaut with renowned foreign soloists. The festival will run until 1 July.