About us
Established in 2008 in Prague, the Tiburtina Ensemble of female voices specializes in the interpretation of Gregorian chant, Medieval polyphony, and contemporary music. The ensemble ranks among the best in Europe in the field of early music performance thanks to its unmistakable timbre and its ardent expression, very much appreciated by listeners. Concert programmes are devoted not only to vocal-instrumental compositions of the Middle Ages but also to non-traditional projects combining Medieval music with other musical genres. The ensemble records for labels as Supraphon, Ricercar, Deutsche Harmonia Mundi and Accent.
Tiburtina Ensemble performs at leading concert venues all over Europe (e.g. The Summer festivities of Early Music Prague, The Prague Spring Festival, Festival Alte Musik Knechtsteden, Musikfest Bremen, Festival Voix et Route Romane, TAM Regensburg, Klangvokal Dortmund, Muziekcenter De Bijloke Gent, BOZAR Bruxelles, Laus Polyphoniae Antwerpen, Festival van Vlaanderen Brugge, Oudemuziek Utrecht, Accademia delle Crete Senesi, Ellas Crean Madrid etc.).
The ensemble took its name from a figure in Medieval history: Tiburtina (or the Tiburtine Sibyl) was a prophetess who became the best known sibyl of the Middle Ages mainly because her oracles were closely connected to Christianity. The parallels between the pagan sibyl and the Christian prophetess are obvious: their noble origin, their preaching expeditions, inquiries from persons in positions of power, and the ability to see all the way to the end of the world, something which was denied to men however learned they might be.
The ensemble’s artistic director is singer and musicologist Barbora Kabátková (born Sojková) who has been playing piano and singing since her childhood. In 1995 she became a member of the Prague Philharmonic Children’s Choir. She studied church choir conducting at the Charles University Faculty of Education in Prague, and musicology at the same school’s Faculty of Arts where she is now a Ph.D. student specializing in Gregorian chant. She is intensively involved in the performance of early solo vocal music, and also plays the medieval harps and the psaltery. She performs with such ensembles of early music as Collegium Vocale Gent, Collegium 1704, Il Gardellino, Ricercar Consort, Collegium Marianum, Concerto Palatino, Musica Florea, Cappella Mariana, Concerto Melante, Accentus Austria. As a contemporary music singer she worked with NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, the Berg Orchestra, and Ostravská Banda in last years.
Barbora has performed at leading Czech and European festivals, as well as in Canada and USA.