The Prague Symphony Orchestra FOK is the representative orchestra of the city of Prague. The orchestra was founded in the autumn of 1934 by the conductor Rudolf Pekárek. He defined the new ensemble’s fields of activity with the words Film-Opera-Koncert, and as such, the abbreviation FOK became part of the orchestra’s title. By recording music for the majority of Czech films in the 1930s and performing regularly in live broadcasts on Czechoslovak Radio, the FOK Orchestra made a name for itself.
The orchestra is housed in the wonderful Smetana Hall of the Municipal House, which is one of the most famous Art Nouveau buildings in Prague. Every season the orchestra performs about 50 concerts in the hall and travels on foreign tours. The orchestra has built a distinguished reputation collaborating with internationally recognised conductors such as Sir Georg Solti, Seiji Ozawa, Zubin Mehta, Sir Charles Mackerras, Gennady Rozhdestvensky and Helmuth Rilling among others, as well as top soloists.