Mary Halvorson & Sylvie Courvoisier
Music is

After 18 years of its existence, the American Spring Festival has entered 2023 with a new name Music Is. The festival will offer mainly concerts of contemporary classical and jazz music. The dramaturgy reflects contemporary musical developments and current themes without genre restrictions. In addition to the name change, the festival also introduces the option to purchase a festival pass for a discounted price with a Music Is t-shirt and bag as a bonus. For a reduced admission price, the pass holders will be guaranteed a seat at all concerts of the first year under the festival’s new name. The American Spring Festival was founded in 2006 by writer and publicist Jiřina Rybáčková. The current form of the festival has evolved since 2016, when Zdenka Bodor (Součková) took over. Since her tenure, the festival has expanded dramaturgically and deepened its artistic contacts.

Mary Halvorson & Sylvie Courvoisier

“We are both tempted to dress things up in darker shades. Often, we start with a happy melody, which we can then play with in different ways, distorting it.” So much for guitarist Mary Halvorson’s collaboration with pianist Sylvie Courvoisier. The two experienced improvisers were introduced to an international audience in 2017 when their album Crop Circles was released. Now they are coming to Prague to present their project Searching for Disappeared Hour, in which the peculiar artists playfully and unexpectedly balance between improvisation and composed sections, into which they often sneak less and more familiar quotations from the classical and jazz canon. Searching for Disappeared Hour is one of The Wire’s Top 10 jazz and improvisational albums of 2021. The New York Times described Courvoisier as a performer building bridges between free jazz and European classical music, and Halvorson as a deconstructive guitar improviser. Both women have capitalized on their distinctive talents in independent projects, including collaborations with John Zorn and Anthony Braxton.

Admission – presale: seating CZK 600, standing CZK 300, at the door: seating CZK 700, standing CZK 350. No club discounts. Thank you for understanding. There is no need to reserve a seat when purchasing a seating ticket.

Band website: musicis.cz