This contemporary music ensemble was formed by members of the Jung Deutsche Philharmonie in 1980 in Germany with no chief conductor or artistic director. It now comprises around 19 musicians, who are also soloists, that hail from across Europe, Asia and the United States. The ensemble performs music for orchestras, ensembles, chamber music multimedia projects, dance and theatrical works. It performs concerts at many major musical venues nationally and internationally.
The ensemble, based in Frankfurt am Main since 1985, performs approximately 100 concerts annually which include 70 new compositions each year, including 20 world premieres, often where the music is performed after working closely with the composer. It offers a subscription series at the Alte Oper Frankfurt and host productions at the Oper Frankfurt and have regularly toured and appeared at numerous music festivals.
In 1998 the Ensemble Modern Orchestra was founded and in 2000 it started its own record label Ensemble Modern Media with at least 150 other audio media productions being released by other labels such as Sony Music and ECM Records.
Some of the composers and artists that have worked alongside the ensemble include John Adams, George Benjamin, Hans Werner Henze, Gyorgy Ligeti, Steve Reich, Wolfgang Rihm, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Rebecca Saunders, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Frank Zappa and Hans Zender along with numerous others.
In 2024 the ensemble was presented with the Silver Lion of the Biennale Musica di Venezia Award.
In the field of musical education it founded the International Ensemble Modern Academy (IEMA) in 2003 which has put together all its education projects and includes projects for children and teenagers, a Master’s Degree Programme Contemporary Music Performance for young musicians where it works with the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts.
Frank Zappa and Ensemble Modern recordings
Outrage at Valdez (Frank Zappa)
Barking Pumpkin 8122-71600-2 (The Yellow Shark)
Sources: