The Czech National Symphony Orchestra (= CNSO) was established in 1993 by trumpeter Jan Hasenöhrl. The orchestra is made up of approximately eighty skilled, experienced musicians who have found in the orchestra a unique place to be able to express themselves. A spiritual father at the birth of the CNSO was the legendary conductor Zdeněk Košler. He was always there for the orchestra with his wide-ranging artistic knowledge and he recorded several CDs with them. In the year 1996, the American Paul Freeman took over as Chief Conductor, and he is also the orchestra’s artistic director.
The ambitious project of this orchestra (under the umbrella of ICN Polyart Prague) is one of Freeman’s greatest successes on the Czech and world music scenes. The CNSO’s recordings are on sale in the USA and Japan, and successful tours have taken place over the British Isles (1997, 2000, and 2001), France (2000), Japan (2001) and Mexico (2003).
The orchestra takes great pride in its own recording studio, located in Prague-Hostivař, and the several Gold CDs (for more than 30,000 copies sold) that it has produced. Other accolades include the Gustav Mahler Prize, awarded for the interpretation of Gustav Mahler’s works, and the prestigious agreement the orchestra signed with IMG Artists London for world-wide representation. |