The three-year residency of the Frankfurt-based Ensemble Modern at Prague Offspring, a two-day contemporary music format held during the Prague Spring festival, will culminate in 2027 in an exceptional concentration of creative energy. Enno Poppe, one of the most striking and most distinctive figures on the current European music scene, will come to Prague to assume his role as Composer-in-Residence. His fascinating world of sound, in which precise and highly complex structures blend with irony, humour and an almost visceral vulgarity, will form the imaginary axis of the entire programme. In addition to pivotal works by Poppe, the DOX Centre for Contemporary Art in Holešovice will also come alive with music by five Czech and Slovak composers, who have written brand new works commissioned by the Prague Spring.  

The three-year residency of the Frankfurt-based Ensemble Modern at Prague Offspring, a two-day contemporary music format held during the Prague Spring festival, will culminate in 2027 in an exceptional concentration of creative energy. Enno Poppe, one of the most striking and most distinctive figures on the current European music scene, will come to Prague to assume his role as Composer-in-Residence. His fascinating world of sound, in which precise and highly complex structures blend with irony, humour and an almost visceral vulgarity, will form the imaginary axis of the entire programme. In addition to pivotal works by Poppe, the DOX Centre for Contemporary Art in Holešovice will also come alive with music by five Czech and Slovak composers, who have written brand new works commissioned by the Prague Spring.  

#MeetBeethovenLive 

The disposition of the creative spirit can sometimes seem inscrutable: After the Eroica I faced a long, seventeen-month struggle with the score of my only opera Fidelio, yet my Violin Concerto saw the light of day in December 1806 within the space of a single month. A crystalline piece. Soaring, full of feeling, much like my Fourth Symphony. The timpanist begins with a gentle “dum-dum-dum-dum”, announcing the entry of the oboes, clarinets and bassoons in the first movement… My friend Schuppanzigh complained to me about the difficulty of the violin part. But how could I possibly take into consideration his tiny little fiddle when I had been inspired by God Himself?   

The delectable, elegant tone and ethereal technique of Franz Clement, whom I entrusted with the premiere of the work with its endearing dedication “Concerto par Clemenza pour Clement”, were wonderfully suited to the character of the piece. It is sad indeed how fate treated this violinist par excellence. I recall that, in 1811, he was accused of espionage in Russia and his imprisonment cost him all his Viennese estates. The Violin Concerto fell into oblivion for several decades, until it was performed by that prodigious twelve-year-old boy from Kittsee [Joseph Joachim]. By then, of course, I was looking down upon him from the musical firmament. 

“Jazz has always been a forum for truth-telling,” says singer, songwriter and dramatist Kurt Elling. This two-time Grammy Award winner and recipient of many other international awards, including the ECHO Jazz Prize and awards from the Académie du Jazz de Paris, has extended the parameters of vocal jazz. He has led DownBeat magazine’s Critics and Readers Polls for the last two decades and has won fifteen Jazz Journalists Association Awards for “Male Vocalist of the Year.” The New York Times hailed him as “the standout male jazz vocalist of our time” and the British daily The Guardian described him as “a kind of Sinatra with superpowers”. “His vocal technique – featuring unique phrasing, use of space, and scatting – is as captivating as his choice in lyrics,” stated respected jazz critic Jim Hynes for the online magazine PostGenre in a review of Elling’s performance on the album Kurt Elling & Yellowjackets Play Weather Report, recorded live and released in August 2026.

“Kurt Rosenwinkel can say more in a few lines [of music] than most guitarists manage over the course of an entire career. A relentless explorer […] Rosenwinkel has staked out a singular position in jazz’s firmament as a player, composer, and bandleader with a vast and supremely sophisticated harmonic vision and melodic sensibility,” wrote The New York Times. His reputation as the most important jazz guitarist of his generation, a status he has built up since the 1990s when he moved to New York and became a fixture at the club Smalls, is cemented across almost two dozen albums as leader/co-leader, released by Verve, WOM Music and his own label Heartcore Records, which he established in 2017. The music of this major fan of David Bowie reaches far beyond genre boundaries with his blend of jazz, rock, ambient and classical. “I have always had a thirst for the depth and complexity of music and so it’s just led me through in jazz,” he says. “I have been writing my own music since I was nine years old and my tastes have just been growing since then and my music has been growing since then.” In addition to the guitar he is also an excellent pianist and plays the double bass and percussion instruments as well. All this has shaped Rosenwinkel’s musical identity, typified by complex, mysterious harmonies, a wonderful tone, virtuosic playing influenced by post-bop and fusion, the use of pedal effects, and a sound that partly draws on his albums Heartcore and Star of Jupiter. His melodic lines are inspired by the likes of Charlie Parker, John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins, and his harmonies by Herbie Hancock or Bill Evans. Eric Clapton, Rosenwinkel’s friend and also guest on his album Caipi, often describes him as a musical genius. Kurt Rosenwinkel’s appearance at the DOX Centre for Contemporary Art will provide a rare opportunity to enjoy a live performance by this superb guitarist which is not only technically brilliant but also emotive and open-minded.

Composer-in-Residence Enno Poppe is one of the most striking and most distinctive figures on the current European music scene. His fascinating world of sound, in which precise and highly complex structures blend with irony, humour and an almost visceral vulgarity, will form the imaginary axis of Prague Offspring.

The opening concert of 2027 will enter the festival’s history books as the very first opening of the Prague Spring performed by an orchestra from outside Europe. The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO) will appear in the Smetana Hall at Municipal House on 12 and 13 May with its own interpretation of My Country (Má vlast), the six symphonic poems by Bedřich Smetana (1824–1884) depicting the beauty of the Czech landscape, significant moments in Czech history, and Ctirad’s love for the devious Šárka; the orchestra will be conducted by its Music Director Jaap van Zweden. “We feel both tremendous excitement and a deep sense of responsibility as we prepare for this historic occasion. Smetana’s Má vlast lies at the very heart of Czech culture. It speaks of landscape, history, identity and a people’s connection to their homeland, yet its message reaches far beyond national borders. We approach this deeply cherished work with the utmost respect, while bringing to it the Seoul Philharmonic’s own collective voice and artistic perspective,” says Jaap van Zweden. 

An afternoon entertainment programme for audiences of all ages, culminating in a live broadcast of the opening concert of the Prague Spring 2027 festival from 8.00 pm at the Municipal House. You can look forward to, for example, the AZ Quiz, a hosted show, and an open-air concert.