Jakub Rataj is a Czech composer of orchestral, chamber, and electroacoustic music. In his work, he explores the physical dimension of sound, which he understands as a relationship between the outer and inner world, perceiving the human body as a fragile filter between the two. He is particularly interested in how the structure of sound and the process of composition relate to the inner space of musical perception.
His music has been presented at festivals and major cultural events across Europe and beyond, including Prague Spring, ISCM World New Music Days in New Zealand, Impuls Festival Graz, Festival Mixtur and Tehran Contemporary Music Festival. He has collaborated with leading ensembles and performers including Klangforum Wien, Trio Catch, NeoQuartet, Quatuor Tana, Ostravská Banda, Prague Modern, and Orchestr BERG.
In 2015, he founded Ensemble Terrible, an ensemble of young musicians based at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, which he artistically led for four years. Alongside his work as a composer, he has worked as a sound designer and music director at Czech Radio since 2015 and has taught at the Faculty of Art and Design of the University of West Bohemia in Plzeň since 2023.
He studied composition at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, where he completed his PhD in 2020, as well as composition and new technologies at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris. Since 2025, he has been a member of the Neos Musikstiftung and Artistic Director of the international contemporary music festival CONTEMPULS.
Author's Debut Vinyl / CD
Comprehensive survey of key orchestral, chamber and electroacoustic compositions with cover visual line-art by Jakub Rataj.
Inhale (Prague Modern)
Live recording from the prestigious Prague Spring International Music Festival at the Rudolfinum Dvořák Hall.
Solaris 3 Trio
Studio recording of commissioned piano trio composition ES.23 performed by the celebrated Solaris 3.
Capriccio No. 1
Virtuoso solo violin cycle performed and recorded by the extraordinary Slovak violinist Milan Pala.
Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Original analog and digital film score for Emil Křižka's thriller, featuring brutal acoustic timbres and deep sub-bass.
PQMC Edition
Electroacoustic and contemporary experimental miniatures exploring tape resonance, acoustic noise, and electroacoustic morphology.
Brutal, claustrophobic acoustic-electronic score constructed with extended instrumental techniques, cello shrieks, distorted microtonal textures, and tactile sub-frequencies.
Breathless psychological tempo driven by physical percussion, synthesized pulses, and minimalist motifs tracking 24 hours of frantic urgency.
A brooding, poetic sonic universe mirroring the austere winter landscape of post-WWII partisan resistance in Lithuania.
Tense chamber orchestration highlighting intimate psychological confrontation.
Cross-cultural sonic textures investigating observation and perception.
Subtle acoustic gestures and resonant spatial decays.
Grotesque, playful, and poetic score blending acoustic miniatures, toy acoustics, and surreal soundscapes.
Original sound design and contemporary electronic music for the urban subcultures documentary series.
Audiovisual investigation into architecture, memory, and spatial resonance.
Dynamic rhythmic synchronization between bodily movement and raw synthesized acoustics.
Visceral acoustic sounds recorded directly from performer bodies and processed in multichannel spatialization.
Upcoming Events & World Premieres
Upcoming concert dates, festival appearances and premiere schedules will be updated here shortly.
Annual international festival founded in Prague, showcasing radical voices and leading European contemporary ensembles.
Visit contempuls.cz ↗Listen to in-depth radio programs, essays, and upcoming Vizitka interview on 21st-century music aesthetics and electroacoustic experimentation.
