Overview
Tomáš Hanus is Music Director of WNO, a position he has held since the 2016/17 season, and from 2025/26 takes up the role of Principal Guest Conductor of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra.
His WNO tenure has been distinguished by acclaimed performances of 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. This Season he is conducting The Flying Dutchman.
Highlights of the 2025/26 Season include his debut as Principal Guest Conductor of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, a return to the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, and an appearance at the Prague Spring Festival with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin. On the opera stage he returns to the Vienna State Opera for a new production of The Bartered Bride and revival performances of The Makropulos Case, and also to the Bayerische Staatsoper for The Bartered Bride.
Recent Seasons have brought debuts with Staatsoper Stuttgart (Salome) and Staatsoper Berlin (Rusalka), as well as guest appearances with orchestras including the Prague Symphony Orchestra. Other notable engagements include his debut with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Dalibor at Brno Theatre and Rusalka at Teatro alla Scala.
Since his triumphant debut at the Vienna State Opera with Rusalka, Tomáš 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 operas including Jenůfa and Rusalka. 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, where he worked from 2007 to 2009. He 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, Tomáš has worked with orchestras including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Hallé Orchestra, LSO, 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.
He has recorded widely with the Prague Philharmonia and State Philharmonic Orchestra Brno, and more recently with the Prague Symphony Orchestra FOK, including symphonies by Viktor Ullmann. His collaborations with leading Czech soloists have been released on Lotos Records.
The role of WNO Music Director is supported by Marian and Gordon Pell
What’s On Stage[Tomáš Hanus] wove a rich tapestry of confections from the extravagant score in a reading of delicate tenutos, sensitive tempo choices and impeccable orchestral playing
The Guardian… fiery and fabulous tribute to Mahler
