Strings of Autumn
Since its inception in 1996, Strings of Autumn has established itself as one of the Czech Republic's major music festivals, whose wide-ranging programming illuminates the relationships between genres ranging from early and contemporary classical to jazz, hip-hop, and electronica. The festival provides its audience with unique and intimate concert-going experiences across a range of Prague venues. Over its 25-year history, Strings has presented both iconic established artists and the best of the new generation, often in their Czech Republic debuts. Respectful of the past, alive to the present, and with one eye on the future, the festival continues to develop. Check out the Strings of Autumn programme at www.strunypodzimu.cz.
Marek Vrabec
Prague Sounds is the new project of Strings of Autumn co-founder Marek Vrabec. Vrabec is a graduate of the the Fellowship Programme of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. He is also a graduate of the Academy of Music in Prague in the field of music management (1998) and the Teplice Conservatory (1991, percussion). Over a quarter-century at Strings of Autumn, he has brought hundreds of international artists to Prague, many of them for their first ever performances in the Czech Republic. He brought together American singer Gregory Porter with Czech Hammond organist Ondřej Pivec - a meeting that led to the pair collaborating on a Grammy-winning album - and paired Bobby McFerrin with the Czech Philharmonic and Dan Bárta. From 2013-18, Vrabec was Artistic Director of the Dvorak Prague festival. He responded to the challenges presented by the global pandemic in 2020 by putting on a special concert, Hope for Prague, with the British violinist Daniel Hope. The concert took place on a specially-constructed floating stage on the Vltava river, and was broadcast and streamed by TV ARTE in co-production with Czech Television, which brought it to the world's attention. The concert inspired Vrabec to make Prague Sounds a new, yearly open-air festival in the heart of the city.