Motus Harmonicus is a chamber ensemble that from the outset has focused mainly on 17th-century music. Since its inception in 2010, its members have considerably expanded the scope of their interests to include medieval, Renaissance and even folk music, while stressing the interrelationship between the planes of music, word, symbol and myth. Under the artistic direction of Jakub Michl and Isabella Shaw, the performers are alternated, depending on the specific repertoire’s type of programme, instrumentation and musical period. Among the ensemble’s main concert programmes are contemporary premieres of works by Samuel Capricornus, Karel Pelikán, Karel Rabovius, and the Prague composer and nun Marie Juliana.
The standout program of medieval music is Mirail de Prez (Merit’s Mirror), which focuses on the songs of the trobairitz (female troubadours). The ensemble has performed at international early music festivals, such as the Haydn Music Festival, the Sidney Sussex Arts Festival in Cambridge, Theatrum Kuks, and the American Spring Festival. It has also appeared in the early music concert series Hudební lahůdky (Musical Delicacies) and in the Chamber Music Series of the Prague Philharmonia.