Prague Spring Supports the Future of Czech Music
At its second press conference, held on 18 March, the Prague Spring International Music Festival presented projects focused on the future of Czech music, both in performance and composition. One of the festival’s aims is to create concert opportunities for young soloists and ensembles, to develop young talent through masterclasses, and to commission new works from Czech and Slovak composers, including their subsequent performance by top-tier international ensembles. The 80th jubilee edition will feature ten world premieres, nine of which have been commissioned by the Prague Spring. Most of these will be performed as part of the Prague Offspring project, whose Ensemble-in-Residence for the next three years will be Ensemble Modern, one of the world’s leading groups specialising in contemporary music performance.
The Prague Offspring project, dedicated to contemporary music, has been an integral part of the festival since 2022. “During this time, we have initiated the creation of 34 new compositions,” says the festival’s Programme Director, Josef Třeštík. “Last year marked the conclusion of Klangforum Wien’s successful three-year residency, and this year, we are beginning a new three-year chapter of Prague Offspring with the renowned German orchestra, Ensemble Modern,” he adds. Founded in 1980, Ensemble Modern is celebrating its 45th anniversary this year. Over the years, it has closely collaborated with countless outstanding composers, including György Ligeti, Wolfgang Rihm, Helmut Lachenmann, Steve Reich, Heiner Goebbels, Unsuk Chin, and the Prague Offspring 2025 Composer-in-Residence, Sir George Benjamin. Among Ensemble Modern’s landmark projects was its collaboration with Frank Zappa on the album Yellow Shark in 1992.
At present, three compositions commissioned by Prague Spring are being created for Ensemble Modern as part of the so-called Reading Lessons initiative, along with five new works that will receive their premieres at the Prague Offspring 2025 concerts. The composers invited to collaborate are Pavel Šabacký, Haštal Hapka, Jan Ryant Dřízal, Barbora Tomášková, and Slavomír Hořínka, who has written a half-hour composition Grain, Chaff, and Fire for Prague Offspring, inspired by the ideas of Teilhard de Chardin and biblical parables about the baptism of fire by the Holy Spirit.
Overview of World Premieres at Prague Spring 2025
Slavomír Hořínka: Grain, Chaff, and Fire (commissioned by PS)
Haštal Hapka: A Lay in the Dive (commissioned by PS)
Jan Ryant Dřízal: Morphing Amadeus (commissioned by PS)
Barbora Tomášková: Pulsum Noctis (commissioned by PS)
Pavel Šabacký: Awakening (commissioned by PS)
Petr Wajsar: composition for the final concert of the SpringTEEN project (commissioned by PS)
Beata Hlavenková: Emily’s Spring, composition for the wind and vocal section of students from the MenART Academy (commissioned by PS)
Jan Klusák: Just for myself on oboe (commissioned by PS)
Pavel Zemek-Novák: Sonata for Cello Solo No. 5 – “Frammenti e Canto” (commissioned by PS)
Jindřich Feld: Four Songs about Happiness
Prague Spring Debut
One of the festival’s most closely watched events is the traditional conducting Prague Spring Debut, which is taking place for the twelfth time this year. The project was initiated in 2014 by Jiří Bělohlávek. Over the years, it has introduced conductors who are now well established, such as Jiří Rožeň, Marek Šedivý, and Alena Hron. “The Prague Spring Debut is an absolutely crucial springboard for any conductor,” says this year’s debutant, 25-year-old Jan Sedláček. “We have been following this talented Czech conductor since his victory in the Karlovy Vary Symphony Orchestra Conducting Competition in 2024. Last year at the festival, he assisted Jakub Hrůša in preparing Smetana’s Libuše, in the summer he took part in Paavo Järvi’s Academy, and this February he did not hesitate to fly to Philadelphia for a week of intensive study of the Prague Spring repertoire with conductor and pedagogue Leonid Grin. He is an artist of great talent and creative potential, but also one who is capable of working extremely hard,” says Prague Spring Director Pavel Trojan. Under Jan Sedláček’s baton, the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra will perform Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 10 by Antonín Dvořák, Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major, Op. 19 by Sergei Prokofiev, featuring last year’s Prague Spring Competition winner Tsukushi Sasaki, and Divertimento for Orchestra by Leonard Bernstein. “Bernstein wrote it to mark the centenary of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, which is an interesting connection, as this orchestra will be making its Prague Spring debut this year. The piece repeatedly features the notes B and C, which stand for Boston and Centennial,” says Jan Sedláček, highlighting intriguing links in the programme of his debut concert. His big moment at Prague Spring will take place in the Smetana Hall of the Municipal House on 28 May.
Music School Salon ZUŠ and Collaboration with the MenART Academy
For the eighth time, graduates of the MenART Academy will conclude their year-long collaboration with top mentors from the Academy with a concert at Prague Spring titled Music School Salon. The concert will take place on 24 May in the Church of St Simon and St Jude. “This concert is not only a significant musical celebration for our students but also an inspiring meeting of generations united by a deep connection to music and the arts. It is a joy to witness how young personalities develop under the guidance of exceptional mentors, bringing a fresh perspective and new energy to classical music. We consider it important and an extraordinary honour that Prague Spring provides a platform for the youngest talents as well,” says Dana Syrová, Director of the MenART Academy. “Young talent must not only be recognized early but also nurtured with patience and great care. Performing at Prague Spring is a tremendous motivation for Academy students to improve, overcome challenges, and immerse themselves in the world of music. It is wonderful that Prague Spring has been involved in the valuable project that MenART truly is from the very beginning,” adds Pavel Trojan. This year’s Music School Salon will showcase graduates of the vocal and wind instrument sections, who have worked under the guidance of soprano Kateřina Kněžíková, conductor and horn player Radek Baborák, oboist Vladislav Borovka, and bassoonist Tomáš Františ. Under the baton of Radek Baborák, the concert will feature the world premiere of a new composition for bassoons, oboes, French horn, and voice, Emily’s Spring, inspired by poem 1472 by Emily Dickinson. The piece was commissioned by Prague Spring and composed by Beata Hlavenková, a two-time Czech Lion Award nominee and founding mentor of the MenART Academy.
Workshops at Prague Spring 2025
This year’s festival offers masterclasses for students of art schools, featuring Pierre-Laurent Aimard, French pianist, on 22 May at Rudolfinum, and members of Ensemble Modern, on 31 May at the DOX Centre for Contemporary Art. The Prague Spring has also commissioned short compositions as part of the Reading Lessons programme. “In this programme, young composers have the opportunity to consult their scores with the Ensemble-in-Residence of Prague Offspring. They receive invaluable feedback on the graphic notation of their sonic ideas and discover new sound possibilities of instruments through collaboration with highly skilled and experienced contemporary music performers,” explains Josef Třeštík, the festival’s Programme Director. All the mentioned courses are free of charge for active participants and open to the public.
A new addition to Prague Spring 2025 is a series of specialised group and individual courses for Prague Spring Competition participants, focusing on communication strategies and self-promotion. These courses will be led by international specialists in artistic consulting, including experts from Hauser-Schmolck Public Relations for Music, Green Room Creatives, and artistic advisor Aimée Paret, former director of the International Artist Promotion Department at Teldec Classics, who has worked closely with renowned artists such as Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Claudio Abbado, Martha Argerich, Pierre Boulez, and Thomas Hampson. With the support of Prague Spring, she will also provide several months of mentorship to both winners of the Prague Spring Competition 2025. This exceptionally valuable programme for young emerging artists has been made possible thanks to the support of the ČEZ Foundation.
