"Some of this Spanish music is not very well known," says Jana Semerádová, leader of the Collegium Marianum ensemble. "But it was influential throughout Europe, and we have great soloists and ensembles coming from a number of different countries."

The opening concert July 2 showcases Spanish madrigals, a form that flourished in a number of variations across the continent during the 16th and 17th centuries. A representative sampling will be sung a capella by Ensemble Amarcord, a German quintet also known for its work with contemporary composers.

The next two concerts are at the intimate Collegium Marianum Hall in Old Town. On July 5, an homage to Johann Sebastian Bach and his second son, Carl Philipp Emanuel, traces the evolution from high Baroque to early Classicism. On July 10, the Hungarian string quartet Quartetto Luigi Tomasini comes to town to showcase the work of the 18th-century composer Luigi Boccherini, regarded as the father of the string quartet form.

On July 13, the eye-popping ballroom at Troja Chateau hosts a dynamic pairing: Spanish soprano Carmen Botella Galbis with the Austrian Baroque ensemble Accentus Austria. They will perform a wide-ranging set of "passionate" cantatas. "It's very sensual music, but also entertaining, quite accessible and easy to listen to," says Semerádová.

One of the great charms of Baroque music is hearing it played on period instruments, especially in a place like the elegant Teresian Hall of Břevnov monastery, where on July 14 the viola de gamba gets an airing in the expert hands of French virtuoso Marianne Muller. She will be accompanied by the French ensemble Spirale.

Seventeenth-century composer Alessandro Scarlatti and his son Domenico were masters of Italian high Baroque, and their work gets a rare pairing at Sts. Simon and Jude church in Old Town July 27. German singing star Monika Mauch, known for her interpretations of Baroque, will do the honors with the accompaniment of the Cadenza Ensemble from Germany.

The finale, as always, is a dance-and-costume extravaganza. This year the "Ballet des Nations" will be on July 31 at the Palmovka theater in Prague 8, and feature dancers from Poland, Slovakia and Hungary backed by the Collegium Marianum music ensemble. The program ranges from formal court ballet to the folk-inspired dances of Slovakia, and includes a couple of lively pieces by Georg Philipp Telemann.

Like other dedicated music groups in Prague, Collegium Marianum's reach often exceeds its grasp. "We always have much bigger plans than we are able to realize," admits Semerádová. "But a lot depends on outside funding. And ultimately, quality is more important than quantity."