Tomáš Hanus is Music Director of the Welsh National Opera, a position he has held since the 2016/17 season as well as Principal Guest Conductor designate for the Iceland Symphony, a position which commences in the 2025-2026 season.
As well as conducting symphonic concerts this season with the WNO orchestra, Tomáš conducted Peter Grimes at the Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff and on tour. Previous seasons with Welsh National Opera have included productions of Cosi fan tutte, Makropoulos Case, Barber of Seville, Jenufa, Carmen, The Cunning Little Vixen, Der Rosenkavalier, Die Fledermaus and Khovanshchina. Tomáš recently performed Sir David Pountney’s WNO production of House of the Dead in his home-town of Brno at the Janacek Festival and was presented with a Leoš Janáček memorial medal as recognition as an outstanding performer promoting Janáček’s music.
Outside of Wales in the 2024/25 season, Tomáš made his debuts with Stuttgart Opera conducting Salome and the Berlin Staatsoper conducting Rusalka along with return visits to Iceland Symphony, Prague Symphony and the Prague Radio Symphony.
Recent performances include a return visit to the Brno Festival for both a symphonic concert and Makropoulos Case with the WNO orchestra, his debut with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, a new production of Dalibor at the Brno Theatre, his debut at Teatro alla Scala with a new production of Rusalka and further performances of Rusalka at the Vienna State Opera.
Since making his triumphant debut with performances of Rusalka at the Vienna State Opera, Tomas has returned each season recently adding Hansel und Gretel to his list of works there. He returns regularly to the Bavarian State Opera since his debut in 2009 with Jenufa directed by Barbara Frey, and has conducted new productions of Rusalka directed by Martin Kušej in 2010, Hänsel und Gretel directed by Richard Jones in 2012 and Věc Makropulos directed by Árpád Schilling using Tomáš’s critical edition of the Bärenreiter score, in 2014 and The Bartered Bride directed by David Bösch, in 2017.
As an opera conductor, in the past seasons, Tomáš returned to the Opera National de Paris for Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta having made his debut there in 2007 with Leoš Janáček’s Věc Makropulos directed by Krzystztof Warlikovwski. He has recently conducted new productions and revival performances at the Grand Theatre de Geneve, the Dresden Staatskappelle, the Danish National Opera and Teatro Real Madrid. Having assisted Jiri Belohlavek in 2003 at the Finnish National Opera with a new production of Katya Kabanová he was invited to conduct the revival in 2005. Since making his debut in 2001 with the National Theatre Prague and a production of Bedřich Smetana’s Devil’s Wall he has worked regularly in the house and most recently conducted performances of Věc Makropulos directed by Christopher Alden. From 2007/08 to 2009 Tomas was Music Director of the National Theatre Brno, Janacek Opera House.
As a symphonic conductor, Tomáš made his debut with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and has a good relationship with both the Hallé and DSO Berlin. Other orchestras he has conducted include MDR Leipzig, London Symphony Orchestra, SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden, Prague Symphony, the Czech Philharmonic, Stuttgart Opera Orchestra, Bremen Philharmonic, the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia, the Ensemble Intercontemporain (performing at the Prague Spring Festival) Teatro Real Symphony Orchestra, Camerata Salzburg on tour in the UK, Prague Radio Symphony, Stuttgart Opera Orchestra, Madrid Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra and Mostly Mozart Festival New York with the Festival Orchestra.
Tomáš has made several recordings with both the Prague Philharmonia and the State Philharmonic Orchestra Brno, and also records for Czech Radio. More recently, he has recorded the Viktor Ullmann symphonies with the Prague Symphony Orchestra FOK and has collaborated with outstanding Czech soloists for Lotos Records.
June 2025
