About us
Festival organiser
Collegium Marianum - Týnská škola
Vodičkova 700/32, Praha 1
info@collegiummarianum.cz
+420 224 229 462
About the festival
Summer Festivities of Early Music is the only festival focussing on historical performing arts organised in Prague. Since its establishment in 2000 it has become acknowledged for its carefully prepared, thematic programming and for the high level of performance guaranteed by some of the foremost specialists – instrumentalists and ensembles, vocal artists, conductors, dance and theatre companies – from various countries around the world.
Many festival projects introduce historical music in modern Czech or world premieres. Owing to the presentation of interdisciplinary projects combining period music with baroque dance and theatre the undertaking is unique among early music festivals not only in the Czech Republic, but in the whole of Central Europe. Member of the European Early Music Network (REMA), the festival is the fruit of collaboration of many years’ standing with cultural institutes and transnational foundations.
Also extraordinary and unique in the Czech environment is the significant focus on early music education. As part of its additional programme, the festival regularly organises masterclasses for students and young professionals (interpretation workshops with artists performing at festival concerts; International Masterclasses of French Baroque Music "Akademie Versailles").
The organiser, Collegium Marianum – Týn school, is an educational and cultural centre with 20 years of experience in the area of historical arts. Since 2000 the main focus of the organisation’s cultural activity has been the Summer Festivities of Early Music.
The Summer Festivities of Early Music is a proud recipient of the prestigious EFFE Label 2024–2025.
Collegium Marianum
The Centre of Historical Performing Arts
For 34 years now, the Collegium Marianum Centre of Historical Performing Arts has been contributing to the preservation of national and European cultural heritage, as well as to the cultivation and orientation of Czech society. All the activities of the institution are inspired by respect for the cultural legacy of our ancestors.
The Collegium Marianum is a leading and today’s longest-established institution that systematically contributes to the expansion of music education in this field, as well as to the growing interest and knowledge of the general public. The almost 100 per cent attendance at most of the organised events and the enthusiastic response of both the audience and professional critics show that the long-term and targeted effort to “educate through art” holds undeniable significance in shaping general cultural awareness.
In addition to its regular concert series (Baroque Soirées, since 2001), it organises masterclasses with foreign lecturers and conducts early music workshops for children (PICCOLI). It supports the activities of the ensembles Collegium Marianum and Cappella Mariana, both of which are among the top performers in Europe today.
