Projects

This cycle of solo piano recitals introduces Slovak and international composers of 20^th and 21^st centuries. Piano 20/21 includes premiers of young composers, their dialogue with classical music. The project discovers lesser-known pieces, confronts the production at home with production abroad, and brings new experiences with music. 

Supported using public funding by Slovak Arts Council in the form of a stipend

Interdisciplinary art group Cluster ensemble emerged in 2009 around the key figure of Slovak musician Ivan Šiller. It all started with a Slovak premiere of Steve Reich’s Six Pianos, performed by Šiller and his students in a piano store in Bratislava, Slovakia. Since then, the loose grouping of guest artists surrounding artistic duo Šiller and Király regularly performs both in Slovakia and abroad. Their repertoire consists of interpretation of works of contemporary composers as well as great composers of 20thcentury, interdisciplinary art projects focused on breaking the boundaries of artistic interpretation and various educational projects. Besides performative projects they also develop their own musical instruments. Till today almost 50 great musicians, dancers, fine artists and other artists from Europe and USA collaborated with Cluster Ensemble. Their first album, Cluster ensemble plays Philip Glass, was released in June 2016 on Slovak label Hevhetia and on Orange Mountain Music in USA.

http://www.cluster-ensemble.com

The Ensemble Ricercata is an ensemble which interprets chamber music, focusing on the works of composers from the 19th and 20th centuries, and on contemporary music. The ensemble’s permanent members are Helga Varga Bach (soprano), Milan Paľa (violin, viola) and Ronald Šebesta (clarinet), joined regularly by Tomáš Boroš (piano), David Danel (violin), Balázs Adorján (cello), Andrej Gál (cello), Veronika Vitázková ( ute), Ivan Siller (pianist and artistic director) and others. The years 2014 and 2015 belonged to an important period for the Ensemble Ricercata, when they performed concerts in the Great Concert Studio of Slovak Radio in Bratislava with the motto “Let’s meet on the stage” as Radio Devín’s residential ensemble.

Ensemble Ricercata

VENI Ensemble is the oldest among the still-existing ensembles of contemporary music in Slovakia. Its existence has lasted continually since 1988. The impulse for the establishment of the ensemble was mainly a lack of options to present works of Slovak composers of the then younger generation as well as the western or American contemporary music scene. The aim of the foundation was to enrich Slovak concert life with alternatives and to some extent with a provocative element, which since the collapse of avant-garde of the 60s was almost totally absent. The founder and “spiritus movens” of this ensemble is a composer and theoretician Daniel Matej, who brought together composers Martin Burlas, Peter Zagar, Marek Piaček, which performed there as instrumentalists, and a number of young Slovak performers, many of which eventually ranked among the top of Slovak performing arts.

The basis of the repertoire of VENI Ensemble is music of 20th century composers who stood outside of the “mainstream” and outside of the interest of the majority of official music institutions, such as Erik Satie, Charles Ives, Giacinto Scelsi, so-called New York Avant-Garde (John Cage, Earle Brown, Morton Feldman), minimal music, and authors of the postminimal and postcage orientation.

Veni

Prague Modern is an ensemble of flexible size comprised by the cream of young Czech instrumentalists. The ensemble grants both the youthful enthusiasm and the experienced attitude whenever it comes to performing contemporary music via solo recitals as well as chamber music concerts or even smaller orchestra pieces. (source: Prague Modern)

Prague Modern

VENI ACADEMY is a project aimed at forming an ensemble which systematically educates young people, students of conservatoires and music academies in the interpretation of 20th-century and contemporary music. The idea is the brainchild of several members of VENI ensemble (namely Marián Lejava, Daniel Matej, and Ivan Šiller), whose principal activities lie in contemporary music and who feel
its absence on all levels of majority of the educational systems worldwide. Through workshops, seminars, and summer master courses, the aim of the pursuits of VENI ACADEMY is public presentation of the results of their accumulated knowledge and experience.

Veni Academy

New Music for Kids and Teens targets at giving children and teenagers from all around Slovakia a chance to actively get to know contemporary music. The project would like to introduce the language of contemporary music also on the lowest level of specialized musical education in Slovakia, i.e. at elementary music schools (EMS), actively involve children and teenagers in performance of new scores, gain new audience and performers of contemporary music and provide for a means of familiarizing with European and non-European contemporary music.

New Music For Kids and Teens

A multiday workshop for kids which leads to a joint concert/performance. Every child should experience the joy of creation, sounds and cooperation. And that’s what we strive to achieve.

The kids’ own graphic- and video scores are supplemented by pieces by various composers. The days are filled with quest for new sounds,music stories and playing with silence.

SoundOrchestra

Superar is a European initiative which supports the presence of music and art in everyday life of children and youth. It operates under the auspices of the Wiener Konzerthaus, the Vienna Boys Choir, and Caritas at the Archdiocese of Vienna. Superar offers the highest quality education which invigorates young people and sparks their enthusiasm. The program is based on equality of opportunities, respectful coexistence, and social integration. SUPERAR Slovakia has been a member of SUPERAR since 2013. 

Superar

The name D3 communicates the effort of the non-governmental organization to support the development of personal identity and mission in physical, psychological, as well as spiritual dimension of life. D3 is an environment which helps students, families, and professionals discover their personal identity and fulfill their mission in correspondence with the D3 values. It focuses on the following activities: education; organization of conferences, seminars, and residencies; counselling and mentoring. 

Združenie D3

Since its foundation in 1994 (following the dissolution of the former Czechoslovak Section), the self-standing Slovak section of the ISCM has been active in fostering and promoting contemporary music in Slovakia, both by Slovak and foreign composers, regardless of race, religion or political views. Its main activities include music festivals and concerts, seminars and workshops for kids, students and music teachers.

Several important festivals of contemporary music have been founded and organised by the ISCM – Slovak Section (20 years of Evenings of New Music, festival of chamber music SPACE, concert series (New) Music at Home in Šamorín synagogue, educational project Meet the Music and finally – ISCM New Music Days festival in Košice.

ISCM – Slovak Section

InMusic was established in 2009 with the vision to create artistic and educational projects outside of the largest cities in Slovakia. The projects are focused on music of various art periods – from Bach to contemporary Slovak composers. The primary goal of the organization is to create an intense experience of live music. 

In Music

Chamber concert cycle at the Ernest Zmeták Gallery in Nové Zámky.

Galéria plná hudby

Chamber concert cycle at the Ľudovít Fulla Gallery in Ružomberok

Hudba u Fullu

In 2013 ISCM Slovak Section organised the festival ISCM World New Music Days which took place in Košice and Bratislava, Slovakia, and Vienna, Austria. Alongside concert activities fringe events (such as workshops and lectures), installations and art exhibitions were prepared. ISCM General Assembly sessions were also part of the festival schedule, although not open to general public. The festival was organised within the framework of the European Capital of Culture – Košice 2013 as one of its top projects.

The goal of the Encounters with Music project (cycle of creative workshops and concerts) is to contribute to the improvement of the quality of education at primary art schools, elementary schools,and high schools in regions of Slovakia. In an interactive form of creative workshops, the project introduces students and teachers to the lesser-known music of various art periods. Workshops are followed by concerts. Progressive concert programs include crucial works of solo and chamber music which still lack on concert stages. 

Stretnutia s hudbou

Festival of 20^th and 21^st century music connected to lectures, discussions, and creative workshops especially for students of music high schools and universities.

The project´s goal was to create an opportunity for a more intense acquaintance with authentic instrument – hammerklavier- and authentic interpretation and sound of music at the turn of 19th century. 

There were two main goals of this project: to establish a tradition of international art courses in Slovakia and to create a new cultural centre in the small village of Veľký Kamenec in the south-east part of Slovakia. By opening the seminair to wider public, we wanted to create a bridge between high art and the public. Concerts and happenings created especially for locals were a great contribution of this project. 

Chamber concert cycle focused on the work of F. Schubert and his contemporaries. The concerts took place in Bratislava, Želiezovce, and Dolná Krupá.

Ostravská banda was established in 2005 as a resident chamber orchestra of Ostrava Days. The ensemble consists of young instrumentalists from Europe and the US whose primary interest is the performance of new music. (source: Ostravská Banda)

New Music Ostrava

Chamber concerts cycle at the Nitra Gallery

https://nitrianskagaleria.sk/event/galeria-hudby/

All-Slovak youth choir of the Brotherin Church in Slovakia

Eben Ezer

Children choir  of the Brotherin Church in Slovakia

Kvapôčky