TOMÁŠ HANUS

Tomáš Hanus is Principal Guest Conductor of the Iceland Symphony, a position he commenced in the 2024-25 season.

Highlights of the current season include his highly anticipated debut at the Metropolitan Opera conducting a new production of Jenůfa, a new production of Verdi’s Macbeth at the Hamburg State Opera, and productions of Don Giovanni and The Bartered Bride at the Vienna State Opera. In concert, as well as Iceland Symphony, Tomáš returns to the Prague Symphony and Staatstheater Hannover amongst others. 

During Tomáš’s 10-year tenure as Music Director of Welsh National Opera (2016 – 2026) Tomas conducted many acclaimed productions including a new production of The Flying Dutchman, Peter Grimes, Così fan tutte, The Makropulos Case, The Barber of Seville, Jenůfa, Carmen, The Cunning Little Vixen, Der Rosenkavalier, Die Fledermaus and Khovanshchina. He recently led Sir David Pountney’s production of From the House of the Dead at the Janáček Festival in Brno, where he was awarded the Leoš Janáček Memorial Medal in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the composer’s legacy.  

Recent seasons have brought an appearance at the Prague Spring Festival with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, his debut as Principal Guest Conductor of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, several collaborations with the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Prague Symphony Orchestra, debuts with Staatsoper Stuttgart (Salome) and Staatsoper Berlin (Rusalka) and a return to the Bayerische Staatsoper for The Bartered Bride. Other notable engagements include his debut with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Dalibor at Brno Theatre, Rusalka at Teatro alla Scala, and further performances of Rusalka at Vienna State Opera.  

Since his triumphant debut at the Vienna State Opera with Rusalka, Hanus has become a regular guest, conducting works including Hänsel und Gretel and The Makropulos Case (using his own critical edition of the Bärenreiter score), as well as new productions of Jenůfa, Rusalka and The Bartered Bride. He enjoys a similarly close relationship with the Bayerische Staatsoper, where he has conducted an extensive range of repertoire since his debut in 2009.  

On the international opera stage, he has appeared at Opéra national de Paris, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Dresden Semperoper, Danish National Opera and Teatro Real Madrid. He began his career as Music Director of the Janáček Opera, Brno National Theatre, from 2007 to 2009, and has since returned regularly to his native Czech Republic, most recently for The Makropulos Case at the National Theatre in Prague.  

As a symphonic conductor, Hanus has worked with orchestras including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Hallé, London Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, MDR Leipzig, SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden, Czech Philharmonic, DSO Berlin, Camerata Salzburg, Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra (New York), and the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia, among many others. 

August 2026