FUAIM Friday Lunchtime Concerts – Ostravská banda

Friday 11th October 2024 

Formed in 2005 as the resident chamber orchestra for the biennial Ostrava Days, Ostravská banda consists of instrumentalists, often soloists, from Europe and the US whose primary interest is the performance of contemporary music. In addition to Petr Kotík, artistic director of Ostravská Banda, Bruno Ferrandis, Johannes Kalitzke, and Jiří Rožeň will also lead the orchestra this year. The repertoire of Ostravská banda includes major compositions of the 20th century (John Cage, Morton Feldman, György Ligeti, Luigi Nono, Edgard Varèse, and Iannis Xenakis) and works of contemporary composers (Richard Ayres, Petr Bakla, Petr Cígler, Petr Kotík, Bernhard Lang, Alvin Lucier, Phill Niblock, Frederic Rzewski, Rebecca Saunders, Salvatore Sciarrino, Martin Smolka, Ana Sokolovic, Miroslav Srnka, Miroslav Tóth, andChristian Wolff). Apart from regular performances at Ostrava Days festivals, Ostravská banda tours and performs at such venues as the Paris Conservatoire, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center (NY), Akademie der Künste in Berlin, Vredenburg Music Centrein Utrecht, Prague Spring Festival, musicadhoy in Madrid, and at NODO (New Opera Days Ostrava), where it serves as the festival’s opera orchestra. Ostravská banda is renowned for its high work commitment and ability to perform even the most complex of 20th and 21st century works. Ostravská banda has also been the inspiration behind various composers’ new pieces.