Ensemble Modern I
29 May 2026, 8:00 PM
Let’s get straight to it, before we divert you
How much does a ticket cost? 700 CZK
For all Prague Offspring events, you can purchase a discounted Prague Offspring season ticket for 1 100 CZK.
Concert is a part of the Prague Spring festival 2026.
Multifunctional hall DOX+
Poupětova 3, Praha 7
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The first evening at the Prague Offspring with Ensemble Modern, during which you will step through the looking–glass, discover the endless possibilities of percussion instruments, and experience a world premiere.
The performance given by Ensemble Modern at Prague Offspring 2025 was simply sensational. “To be left speechless by their artistry as players […] is entirely irrelevant, given that this is one of the finest ensembles in the world specialising in contemporary music,” wrote a critic on the KlasikaPlus website. “Yet it has to be said that perhaps no-one present was prepared for the level of expressivity and the resoluteness with which they performed the works (which were in certain places extremely difficult).” In 2026 the ensemble returns to the Prague Spring to take up their residency for a second year, and on this occasion they bring with them one of the most distinctive figures on the contemporary music scene, South Korean composer Unsuk Chin. This artist, who has received the highest honours any living composer could attain, states that music is “a reflection of my dreams […] a play of light and colours floating through the room”. The first Prague Offspring concert presents two of her key compositions: Akrostichon–Wortspiel from 1991 and Double Concerto for piano, percussion and ensemble from 2002. The programme also features the famous piece Rebonds by Greek-French composer Iannis Xenakis and the world premiere of a new, extensive composition commissioned by the Prague Spring from Czech composer Michal Nejtek. This time Ensemble Modern will be conducted by Ilan Volkov, regarded as one of the greatest living authorities on contemporary music.
Programme
Unsuk Chin: Akrostichon-Wortspiel
Michal Nejtek: New work commissioned by the Prague Spring (world premiere)
Iannis Xenakis: Rebonds
Unsuk Chin: Double Concerto for piano, percussion and ensemble
Artists
Ensemble Modern
Ilan Volkov – conductor
Sarah Aristidou – soprano
Orlando Bass – piano
David Haller – percussion
Rainer Römer – percussion
Keep exploring
Ensemble Modern II
The acoustic world of South Korean markets or Japan’s Noh and Bunraku theatre. During the second evening of Prague Offspring, Ensemble Modern will present, in addition to four World premieres, music inspired by the Far East.
Masterclass – Ensemble Modern
Explore new performance techniques with members of Ensemble Modern as part of Prague Offspring. Part of the Prague Spring festival 2026.
Reading Lessons – Ensemble Modern
The Ensemble Modern players, who master their instruments in thousands of ways, guide young composers and the audience of Prague Offspring through a realm of new possibilities in sound. The concert takes place as part of the Prague Spring Festival 2026.
Ensemble Modern I
The first evening at the Prague Offspring with Ensemble Modern, during which you will step through the looking–glass, discover the endless possibilities of percussion instruments, and experience a world premiere. The concert is part of Prague Spring festival 2026.
Unsuk Chin in Conversation
Public interview with Unsuk Chin, Prague Offspring Composer-in-Residence, holder of the Grawemeyer Award and the Ernst von Siemens Musikstiftung Preis.
Jazz at the Spring Fest
Living jazz legend and seventeen-time Grammy nominee Fred Hersch makes his Prague Spring debut with his trio, named Jazz Group of the Year 2019 by DownBeat magazine.
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New season’s opening concert. Psychedelico-lyrical fresco WhatsPop by French composer Aurélien Dumont combines contemporary music, pop culture, philosophy, and literature. The composer Aurélien Dumont will be present in person for the Czech premiere of his work in Prague.
Alžběta Tichá: Frekvence
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