Why isn't BRNO building a new concert hall?

AN OPEN LETTER

Dear Ms. Mayor and members of the city council,  

We, concerned citizens of Brno, are writing to you in reference to the construction of Brno’s new concert hall. Given the fact that all actions necessary for issuing an invitation to tender concerning the construction of this hall have been completed for more than a year but no such invitation has yet been issued, we are worried that there may be serious obstacles to continuing work on this project that have yet to be made public. Therefore, we would like to know what the real situation is because ‘a lack of information leads to speculation’. The construction of a multifunctional hockey stadium at the Brno Fairgrounds is a hot topic of discussion in the Czech media and among the public and experts. There has been speculation that the focus on this investment has come at the expense of some of the large, strategic projects that the City of Brno has planned.  

Therefore, we must pose the question, Why has the city not yet issued an invitation to tender concerning the construction of the new concert hall?  

Brno is home to an orchestra of exceptional quality that is currently directed by world-renowned conductor Dennis Russell Davies. Davies has forged links between the Philharmonic and some of the greatest living composers, and has significantly increased the orchestra’s international prestige. In February, a sold-out Carnegie Hall, with Philip Glass in the audience, applauded the Brno Philharmonic. This season, besides New York City, the Philharmonic has also put on successful concerts in Salzburg, London, and Leipzig, among other places. It is no coincidence that this construction project has received the backing of world-famous figures such as Milan Kundera, Magdalena Kožená, and Jakub Hrůša.  

The Brno Philharmonic does a stellar job of representing our city throughout the globe. At home, however, the Brno Philharmonic does not have a space large enough for the full orchestra to rehearse or perform. Brno is a UNESCO Creative City of Music; it is a city with which the life of one of the greatest composers in music history, Leoš Janáček, is intertwined. Although Brno has great potential, it lacks a first-rate concert hall with a modern acoustic design where our orchestra can play for its fans. At the same time, it is a well-known fact that the new concert hall will contribute to the city’s prestige not just regionally and nationally but also internationally.   

Therefore, we pose the following questions to you, the leaders of Brno: 

Why has an invitation to tender concerning the construction of the concert hall not yet been issued?
Are there currently any objective obstacles preventing the completion of this project?
When is the estimated opening date of the new concert hall?  

Thank you for answering our questions.  

Concerned citizens of Brno and supporters of the new Brno concert hall