Prague Offspring Heads to Frankfurt am Main
Ensemble Modern, one of the world’s most highly respected contemporary music ensembles and ensemble-in-residence at Prague Offspring 2025–2027, will perform the German premieres of Grain, Chaff and Fire by Slavomír Hořínka, Pulsum Noctis by Barbora Tomášková, Awakening by Pavel Šabacký and Unravel by Michaela Antalová on 10 October 2026 at the Alte Oper in Frankfurt am Main, in collaboration with the Prague Spring Festival, to mark the Czech Republic’s participation as Guest of Honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair. All four works were commissioned by Prague Spring and received their world premieres at Prague Offspring in 2025 and 2026. Ensemble Modern has also included A Tribute to Vladimír Holan by Marek Kopelent in the programme.
“I am very pleased that works by Czech and Slovak composers, commissioned by the Prague Spring, will be performed as part of such a significant event as the Frankfurt Book Fair. I see the Prague Spring as an ambassador not only of traditional but also of contemporary Czech music, consistently supporting domestic composers through its commissions and giving them a valuable opportunity to engage with top international creative output. For many of them, this represents another valuable professional experience and an opportunity to gain wider international recognition. At the same time, I am already looking forward to May 2027, when Ensemble Modern’s three-year residency at Prague Offspring will culminate as part of the 82nd Prague Spring Festival, with another exciting series of concerts featuring five world premieres and three Czech premieres,” says Robert Hanč, Director of the Prague Spring Festival.
The concert in Frankfurt am Main will be conducted by Ustina Dubitsky, who works with the Bavarian State Opera and the orchestra Les Siècles, among others. The concert is part of the programme of the Year of Czech Culture in German-speaking Countries, which runs from October 2025 to December 2026 in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
