Acclaimed Canadian composer Flore Laurentienne will perform for the first time in the Czech Republic as part of the Spectaculare Festival on April 10 at Palác Akropolis.Behind the moniker stands Mathieu David Gagnon, an artist who fuses sweeping orchestral sounds with vintage analog synthesizers, creating evocative compositions that move between ambient, cinematic soundscapes and modern classical music. His work, inspired by nature, time, and the shifting quality of light, has drawn comparisons to Stars of the Lid and Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, yet it carries a distinct voice of its own – a delicate, melancholic orchestral poetry with the soul of the North.
In his music, Flore Laurentienne captures the wild landscapes of his native Québec. His compositions blend majestic string arrangements with the warm tones of early analog synths, forming a sonic world that feels both monumental and deeply intimate. A classically trained musician who studied in France, Gagnon later returned to Québec to work as a producer for several Canadian experimental rock bands. The project’s name refers to the writings of biologist Marie-Victorin Kirouac, who documented the flora and fauna of southern Québec in the 1930s. Like him, Flore Laurentienne seeks to portray the beauty and mystery of nature — this time through music.
His debut album Volume 1 (2019), exploring the relationship between humans and nature, earned a Polaris Music Prize nomination and received recognition at the Félix and Juno Awards. The follow-up, Volume 2 (2022), uses rivers as a metaphor for the human journey through life.
Zuzanna Całka is a Polish pianist and composer whose music blends piano minimalism with elements of ambient, jazz, and impressionism—evoking affinities with artists like Nils Frahm or Ólafur Arnalds. Her work moves between delicate, intimate piano sketches and more layered, subtly psychedelic compositions. Her debut EP Late Night Takes earned her a spot on the Piano Day vol.4 compilation released by Nils Frahm’s label Leiter, and her music has also been featured on KEXP’s Pacific Notions. She has performed at festivals such as ESNS, Waves Vienna, and at Ólafur Arnalds’ OPIA Festival, where her improvisational, almost ritualistic approach became a defining element of her live presence.
On April 10 in Prague, audiences will witness one of the most original voices of the contemporary neoclassical scene — with music that has the power to make time stand still.
This concert is supported by Liveurope – the first pan-European initiative to support concert clubs in their efforts to host concerts by emerging European artists. Liveurope is co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union.
