The project is co-financed by the Governments of Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia through Visegrad Grants from International Visegrad Fund. The mission of the fund is to advance ideas for sustainable regional cooperation in Central Europe.
Sounds of Diversity
Creative Center Ostrava (Tvůrčí centrum Ostrava) introduces a new project „SOUNDS OF DIVERSITY“ in order to promote the creation and reception of contemporary music across V4 countries.
The Sounds of Diversity concert project arose from the need to establish creative contact between the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary. The desire for a connection and renewed artistic discussion between countries whose cultures were closely linked in the past was behind the idea of updating these relations in the form of an artistic project based on diversity. The result is the creation of a new ensemble, representing all four countries, and a programme of new compositions that will be performed successively in Ostrava and Katowice in March 2025.
The project is based on the collaboration of artists from four countries and aims to bridge borders – both geographical and cultural. Four composers from four countries will present their new compositions, created especially for this project. These compositions will be interconnected by a contemporary dance in the form of a continuous music flow. The performance will trigger and interact with the audience, using elements of improvisation, interwoven throughout the evening, which also foresees the active participation of the audience.
The concert mini-tour is our challenge to cross borders, a call for collaboration and an offer of a shared experience filled with art, respect and diversity. The motto of this second edition 2025 will be based on the importance of wellbeing and life ballance- the themes resonating with the individuals but also with the whole society.
Creative Center Ostrava
Musical Present Ostrava is one of the oldest festivals in Ostrava. It is organised by the association TVŮRČÍ CENTRUM OSTRAVA, which brings together Ostrava composers and performers. In recent years, the festival has developed into a unique event focusing on contemporary art in various forms.
We present contemporary music mainly by regional composers. In recent years we have established active cooperation with Polish and Slovak artists and composers in the form of joint concerts.
We are creating an artistic platform enabling active cooperation between artists of different disciplines and genres. Crossing borders and searching for new forms of artistic expression has become a common part of most Music of Today events. Very important for us is the multimedia dimension, which in practice manifests itself, for example, in the scenic or visual design of all concerts. Our main aim is to open up the possibilities for understanding contemporary art not only to a small circle of insider listeners, but to a wide range of people interested in music and art in general.
Projects Partners
Polish Composers’ Union – Katowice Branch (PL)
Polish association of composers and musicologists
ZKP (pl. Związek Kompozytorów Polskich) organizes concerts, musicological conferences, exhibitions, composer competitions and collects information on contemporary Polish music (available on www.polmic.pl). Since 1949 it has also awarded an annual prize. Until 1991, awards were given to composers and performers of new music; since 1991, winners can also be musicologists, pedagogies, and organizers of musical life who are meritorious in promoting Polish contemporary music.
The Katowice Branch of the ZKP was founded in 1953.
UMZE ENSEMBLE (HU) The New Hungarian Music Association (UMZE) is the spiritual heir of the original Association that was founded by Bartók and Kodály in 1911. As well as keeping twentieth-century works that have already become classics at the heart of its repertoire, its mission is to perform the latest pieces by contemporary Hungarian and foreign composers alike.The Association was refounded in 2005 by 17 major artists and performers from the world of Hungarian music. András Batta, Gábor Csalog, László Dobszay, Péter Eötvös, Zoltán Jeney, András Keller, Brigitta Kovács, György Kurtág, György Ligeti, Miklós Perényi, Ferenc Rados, Zoltán Rácz, Béla Simon, András Szőllősy, László Tihanyi, László Vidovszky and András Wilheim. Following its foundation, the Association immediately supported the UMZE Chamber Ensemble, formed by Zoltán Rácz, the artistic director of the Amadinda Percussion Group, and the music historian András Wilheim in 1997, and it has always guaranteed financing for the Ensemble’s concerts. The chairman of the Association is the composer Balázs Horváth, the vice-chairs being László Tihanyi and Béla Simon.
Project Coordinator
Petra Šuško petra.susko@gmail.com