Ludensemble is a music collective founded in January 2024 with the aim of creating conceptual concert programmes, connecting contemporary music with other art forms, and promoting the commissioning, performance, and dissemination of new works. The ensemble’s line-up varies according to the needs of each project, ranging from a chamber ensemble to a chamber orchestra.
Although contemporary music and collaboration with present-day composers are placed at the centre of its activities, the group also approaches the discovery of connections across different eras with curiosity and imagination; as a result, its repertoire may reach back across centuries. Ludens (Latin for “playing”) juggles music, time, media, and form alike.
During its first two seasons, Ludensemble has performed and recorded music by Kirke Karja and Madli-Marje Gildemann, as well as works by Arnold Schoenberg, György Ligeti, Luigi Dallapiccola, Gérard Grisey, Frank Zappa, and others. In January 2026, Ludensemble’s debut album, Dream Sequence of an Ancient Forest, featuring music by Madli-Marje Gildemann, was released on the Kairos label.
The ensemble’s artistic director and conductor is Kaspar Mänd.