The Operngala-Nacht on 2 November 2026 shows how a touring orchestra, international soloists and a landmark venue turn into a reason to visit Berlin.
Cities sell experiences, and few experiences travel as well as a night at a famous concert hall. The Operngala-Nacht at the Philharmonie Berlin on Monday, 2 November 2026 – the Filharmonie Brno under Maestro Arkady Beryn, with tenor René Barbera, baritone Florian Sempey and soprano Alisa Medvedeva – is a compact illustration of how cultural tourism is assembled: a landmark, a date, an international cast and a price point.
The landmark is Hans Scharoun’s Philharmonie, opened in 1963 and home of the Berliner Philharmoniker, whose 2,440-seat Großer Saal is one of the most recognisable interiors in classical music.
The orchestra is an attraction in itself. Founded in 1956 and supported by the City of Brno, the Czech Ministry of Culture and the South Moravian Region, the Filharmonie Brno tours as part of its public mission.
Maestro Prof. Arkady Beryn, who conducts, has more than forty years of professional experience and was Chief Conductor of the Internationale Symphoniker Deutschland from 2003 to 2011. He has worked with the Berliner Symphoniker, the Württembergische Philharmonie, the Camerata Salzburg, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and the Győr Philharmonic, has conducted in the Philharmonie Berlin, the Vienna Musikverein and the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, and has appeared with Aida Garifullina, José Carreras and Maxim Vengerov; the German press has described him with the headline “Dirigent Beryn ist der Star”.
The cast supplies the international pull. Barbera, from Texas, was the first singer to win all three top prizes at Plácido Domingo’s Operalia competition and sings at the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala and the Opéra de Paris. Sempey, French, built his reputation on Rossini’s Figaro at the Opéra de Paris and Covent Garden and holds the title Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres. Medvedeva, trained at the Saint Petersburg Conservatoire and based in Geneva, has performed with Andrea Bocelli and Il Divo.
The price point – tickets from €26.50 via Eventim – positions the evening for the broad visitor market rather than a premium niche. The programme is correspondingly accessible: “Largo al factotum”, the Toreador Song, “Che gelida manina”, “Una furtiva lagrima”, Musetta’s waltz, Bellini’s “Oh! quante volte”, “Là ci darem la mano” and the Brindisi from La traviata, with the Onegin Polonaise, the finale of Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony, the overtures to Le nozze di Figaro, La forza del destino and La gazza ladra, the intermezzi from Manon Lescaut and Cavalleria rusticana, a Dvořák Slavonic Dance and “Tico Tico no fubá” from the orchestra.
The concert begins at 20:00.
EVENT INFORMATION
Operngala-Nacht – Opera Gala at the Philharmonie Berlin
Monday, 2 November 2026, 20:00
Philharmonie Berlin – Großer Saal
Herbert-von-Karajan-Straße 1, 10785 Berlin, Germany
Conductor: Maestro Arkady Beryn
Soloists: René Barbera, tenor; Florian Sempey, baritone; Alisa Medvedeva, soprano
Orchestra: Filharmonie Brno (Brno Philharmonic)
Programme: Arias, duets, overtures and intermezzi by Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Puccini, Bizet, Verdi, Mascagni, Bellini, Donizetti, Rossini, Dvořák and Zequinha de Abreu
Tickets: from €26.50 via Eventim – eventim.de/artist/philharmonie-berlin/operngala-nacht-philhamonie-berlin-4122419
Event page: Philharmonie Berlin – berliner-philharmoniker.de/en/concert/calendar/57371
Event listing: visitBerlin – visitberlin.de/en/event/brno-philharmonic-opera-gala-night