UMZE Ensemble: Renewable Music

The aim of the Renewable Music project is to draw attention to the global sustainability crisis and encourage dialogue in the contemporary music community regarding this topic. As part of this, it is presenting new musical works inspired by the idea of renewability by selected composers representing the countries of the Visegrad Group: Máté Balogh (HUN), Samuel Hvozdík (SVK), Katarzyna Krewińska (POL) and Ian Mikyska (CZE). The commissioned works will be performed at four different concerts (in Warsaw, Prague, Bratislava and Budapest), each time by a different local ensemble. In Budapest, it will be the UMZE Ensemble, joined by musicians from the partner countries as part of the international artist exchange program. The individual pieces are also adapted to the unique conditions of outdoor concert venues, reflecting their connection to their immediate environment. One could say that all music is intrinsically renewable, since musical material is inexhaustible. Each performance brings with it the unique interpretation of the artists, thus renewing the listener’s image of the piece. Beyond this definition, the capacity of music for renewal must also be taken into account at the level of production, performance and consumption. This project aims to continue the international dialogue on the topic and delve deeper into the search for different meanings of this multidimensional metaphor.