Baroque Music Ensemble
Hofmusici is a period-instrument ensemble of young musicians specialising in the performance of baroque music. The German-Latin name Hofmusici (meaning Court Musicians) reflects the ensembles at aristocratic courts in the former Habsburg Monarchy headed by Imperial court ensemble (Kaiserliche Hofmusik-Kapelle). Not only the international cast of the ensemble harks back to this tradition, but also its repertoire, focused on works of Italian baroque opera and on works by Italian, Austrian and Czech composers who were employed in the first half of the 18th century at the imperial court in Vienna. Hofmusici frequently perform modern world premieres of compositions, which have until now lain unknown in Czech and foreign music archives.
The orchestra was founded in Prague in 1991 under the name of Cappella Accademica and soon became one of the leading early music ensembles in the Czech Republic. The orientation of the ensemble towards fully staged period-style performances of baroque opera led in 1995 to the begining of cooperation with the Foundation of the Baroque Theater in Český Krumlov. Hofmusici regularly perform at concerts and festivals in the Czech Republic and abroad: Prague Spring (Czech Republic), Smetana´s Litomyšl (Czech Republic), Printemps des Arts in Nantes(France),Feste Musicali per San Rocco in Venice (Italy), Intenationale Händel-Festspiele Göttingen (Germany), Baroque à Saint-Roch Liège(Belgium), Haydn´s Festival on chateau Esterháza (Hungary), Festival Galuppi in Venice (Italy), Varaždin baroque evenings (Croatia), Handel Festival Japan (Tokio). Ensemble Hof-Musici have been also the residential orchestra of Festival of baroque arts in Český Krumlov since 2008. The Music Director of the ensemble is harpsichordist Ondřej Macek.
