Soňa Červená

The National Museum – Czech Museum of Music opens an exhibition on 10 September 2025 dedicated to one of the most prominent figures in Czech and world music – Soňa Červená. The exhibition project marks the centenary of the opera singer's birth (9 September 1925 Prague – 7 May 2023 Prague) and recalls her extraordinary artistic career, personal story, and cultural legacy. The exhibition runs until 9 April 2026.

Visitors can expect more than 200 exhibits from the collections of the National Museum – Czech Museum of Music and the Soňa Červená Foundation: personal items, theatrical costumes by leading designers, archival photographs, audio and video recordings, and unique documents. From the museum's foyer, visitors can walk down a red carpet into the life of the opera singer – symbolically passing between her red portraits.

The first hall, named "Hradec Heritage", presents Soňa Červená's great-grandfather, wind instrument maker Václav František Červený. The next section tells the story of young Soňa, who began her career as an actress alongside Voskovce and Werich, and her path to opera through communist persecution to emigration to West Berlin. Soňa Červená performed for 75 seasons on stages across five continents, including Bayreuth and Milan's La Scala; her career encompasses more than 5,500 performances in operas, plays, musicals, and films. The role of Carmen brought her to the top. After 1989, she devoted herself to experimental theatre, drama, and melodrama. The final hall of the exhibition presents the awards and recognition she received.

The accompanying programme includes author-led guided tours with commentary on the first Wednesday of each month at 17:00 (1 April, 6 May, 3 June 2026) and educational programmes for schools.