On 17 October 2026, Cēsis Concert Hall will host the eighth “Friends for Andrejs Žagars” concert, organised by the Andrejs Žagars Cultural Development Foundation in collaboration with the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra.

This year’s concert will feature the acclaimed Czech tenor and audience favourite Pavel Černoch, performing works by Giuseppe Verdi, Antonín Dvořák, Giacomo Puccini and Richard Wagner. Maestro Jaroslav Kyzlink will conduct the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra.

PAVEL ČERNOCH is one of today’s leading tenors, regularly appearing at the world’s foremost opera houses, including Teatro alla Scala, the Vienna State Opera, the Paris Opera, the Bavarian State Opera, Dutch National Opera and the Royal Opera House in London, as well as the Salzburg and Glyndebourne festivals. He frequently collaborates with internationally renowned conductors such as Daniel Barenboim, Kirill Petrenko, Simon Rattle, Andris Nelsons, John Eliot Gardiner, Charles Dutoit and Semyon Bychkov.

The singer has developed a special connection with the Latvian National Opera, where he has been a frequent guest since the beginning of his international career, including appearances in productions directed by Andrejs Žagars. This versatile artist is particularly celebrated for his interpretations of music by Czech and other Slavic composers, while being equally at home in the German, French and Italian repertoire.

On the concert stage, Pavel Černoch regularly collaborates with leading orchestras, including the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Bamberg Symphony.

Maestro Jaroslav Kyzlink is one of Central Europe’s leading opera conductors. He has held positions as Chief Conductor and Artistic Director at the National Theatre Brno and the National Opera in Prague. With an extensive repertoire encompassing works by Mozart, Verdi, Janáček and Dvořák, as well as contemporary composers, Maestro Kyzlink is a sought-after guest conductor with leading European orchestras and opera houses. His stylistic versatility and profound understanding of Czech music are highly regarded in his interpretations of both operatic and symphonic works.