Discover One-of-a-Kind Music Projects at the Alternativa Festival
Festival Alternativa is a yearly event that features creative and rich musical performances. With one of the longest histories of similar events in Prague, the festival aims to offer an alternative to the mainstream lineup of commercial festivals while discovering new connections between artists from different backgrounds, both local and international. Initially focused on highlighting prominent figures in the experimental, free-jazz, and improvisational scenes, Alternativa has evolved into an event where well-known artists collaborate with rising talents from the local and global music scene. This festival is about exploring new perspectives in music that dares to be different.
This year’s festival will be held over two weekends: November 14 and 15, and then again on November 21 and 22. During these four nights, performances will take place at ARCHA+, Studio Hrdinů, and the U Salvátora Church. Artists participating include Jules Reidy, Maria W Horn & Sara Parkman, expandcollapse, Kamafutra, Johana Klára Kratochvílová, MSHRMakan, Quinton Barnes & Black, the Bratislava Improvisation Orchestra, and Angelica Castelló & Jérôme Noetinger.
Funeral Folk at U Salvátora, Apnea at Studio Hrdinů, two nights at ARCHA+
The Alternativa festival this year is split over two weekends. The first evening will kick off on Friday, November 14, at the Church of St. Salvator. Attendees will experience performances by Jules Reidy and the Funeral Folk group, which includes Maria W Horn and Sara Parkman. Their music explores themes like destruction and rebirth, the loss of the self, and surrendering to the universe. Jules Reidy’s music, traditionally based on acoustic guitar, has developed into a unique style. His latest album, Ghost/Spirit, captures these deep themes. The collaboration between Swedish musicians Maria W Horn and Sara Parkman embodies elements of mourning rituals, seamlessly blending experimental styles with folk influences. This performance is notable because Funeral Folk has only performed live at significant European festivals up to this point.
On Saturday, November 15, the festival will continue at Studio Hrdinů, featuring performances by expandcollapse, Kamafutra, Johana Klára Kratochvílová, the Apnea ensemble, Further Down, Scheissburg, and DreamFlowers. This evening will predominantly highlight Czech artists. The highlight of the night will be conducted by the collective /|\ Anabasis, who will present the album Apnea, first released by the Koonda Holaa project in 2015. While the original recording featured only solo guitar with effects and loopers, an enriched orchestration involving thirteen musicians from the Apnea ensemble will be featured at Alternativa.
The festival will then transition to Friday, November 21, and Saturday, November 22, at ARCHA+. On Friday, expect to see MSHR, a duo from Oregon comprised of Birch Cooper and Brenna Murphy. MSHR has gathered a dedicated following within the experimental underground scene and has received praise in galleries and academic circles. Their work merges sculpture, ritual, and performance, using custom-made electronic instruments where visual appeal is just as crucial as the sound produced.
Joining them will be Quinton Barnes, a Montreal-based musician known for his award-winning creations that typically incorporate unique twists on electronic soul and R’n’B.
They will also showcase Hüma Utku, a trained psychologist from Turkey, who creates electronic music. She often integrates elements from her psychology background into her work. For her latest piece, Dracones, she draws from her experiences with pregnancy and childbirth, while her previous work, The Psychologist, studied various psychological phenomena. Also slated to perform is Project Makan. Originally a duo featuring synthesizer player Jano Doe and Palestinian singer and zither player Kanonaki Shafeeq Alsadi, they are now joined by Finnish electronic artist Saku Liimatainen for their first-ever performance at Alternativa under this name.
On November 22, ARCHA+ will again host an exciting program. Audiences will experience performances by Kenji Araki, the Bratislava Improvisation Orchestra, Angelica Castelló & Jérôme Noetinger, Daniel Kordík & Eddie Prévost, and the Ghost Ship Ensemble. The latter project is particularly unique, as it was initiated by the Alternativa Festival, aiming to connect a French oud lute player and multidisciplinary artist Grégory Dargent with selected musicians from the local scene. This concert will center on blending Middle Eastern musical traditions with modern electronic sounds, supported by six musicians from Prague. Double bassist Luan Gonçalves and violinist Milan Jakes are both skilled improvisers and collaborators from the Prague Quiet Music Ensemble. Pianist Miloš Kunc is an active figure in the Prague jazz and improvisation community, while singers Silvia Morasten (vocals, kamanche) and Ljuba Plavska (percussion) are also educators and participants in ModalMusic.cz. Rounding out the Ghost Ship Ensemble is Mikulas Mrva (saz, yayli tanbur, electronics), who is involved in both the modal music scene and the Ostrava Days festival.
