Robert Balzar (CZ)

double bass, bass guitar

Robert Balzar is one of the most pronounced instrumental players in Central Europe. In the 80s, he played in the Orchestra of Czechoslovak Television. In the 90s, he became a member of the band accompanying Hana Hegerová. He started his own Robert Balzar Trio in 1996 and two years later joined the emerging funk band J.A.R.

Lately, he mostly performs alongside Dan Bárta – both as a band member of Illustratosphere and as a leader in Dan Bárta and Robert Balzar Trio. Over his career, he also collaborated with musicians such as: Kurt Elling, Joe Newman, Wynton Marsalis, John Abercrombie, Hal Galper, Benny Bailey, etc.

On top of his concert activities, he also composes and teaches at the International Conservatory of Prague.

Ján Kopčák (SK)

saxophone, woodwinds

Already during his artistic studies (Žilina Conservatory and Kunstuniversität Graz) he was one of the most successful students and received several awards and scholarships (2008 - 1st place at the Slovak Conservatory Competition, in the second category Classical saxophone, 2009 City of Graz scholarship, 2010 Landwirtschaftskammer Graz scholarship, 2011 Scholarship Kunstuniversität Graz). After them, he settled in Košice, where he works as a teacher at the Košice Timonov Conservatory.

Ján plays several wind instruments - soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophones, flute, piccolo, clarinet, bass clarinet and duduk.

Thanks to this, he is able to apply himself versatilely, either in his own projects (Zen Saxophone, Musica Vista), or in projects for which he is invited as a guest (Marián Čekovský, Peter Lipa, I.M.T. Smile, Peter Nagy, Jozef Hollý, Papyllon, Eniesa, ZVA 12 -28 Band...).

Marcin Pater (PL)

vibraphone

Graduated from the jazz department of the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice (in Prof. Maseli's class). He is currently a doctoral student at the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy in Krakow.

He also attended the Royal Conservatory of Music in The Hague, Holland, where he improved his skills under the guidance of the renowned Slovak vibraphonist Mir Herák. In 2016, he founded the band Marcin Pater Trio, with which he won numerous awards at prestigious international and national competitions, including: Jazz Juniors (Grand Prix), Jazz Nad Odrą (Grand Prix), Sibiu Jazz Festival (Grand Prix), RCK Pro Jazz Festival (Grand Prix) and many others.

In 2019, he released his first original album with his band called "Nothing But Troublue", which was released on the Italian label Emme Records.

In addition to the achievements of his group, Marcin is the winner of many individual awards at national and international vibraphone and jazz competitions, among which are: Novum Jazz Festival, International Percussion Festival, Days of Percussion, International Competition in Jazz Improvisation and many others.

Daniel Špiner (SK)

piano

He was born in Levoča (SK), studied at Conservatory of Košice and later musical college with a specialisation in classical music. Then he widened his portfolio with a four-year degree of jazz music, improvisation and jazz interpretation. Presently he tours with various ensembles and composes his own music.

His primary music partner is a Slovak singer Katka Koščová. He has accompanied her since 2006, and he has co-authored most of her albums, including „Krehkosť“ (Fragility), which received a special jury award at Radio_head Awards in folk category in 2023. Other partnerships include tours with Katka Knechtová and Sima Magušinová (both since 2016). Since 2022 he has worked with an amazing Ukrainian singer Mila Medvedovska. He also collaborated with names like Andrej Šeban, Martin Geišberg, Nerez, No name, Henry Toth, SĽUK...

Daniel also collaborates with various theatres across Europe, mainly Slovakia, Czech Republic and Germany. His portfolio includes puppet shows, drama and musicals, with 38 different performances to date. He acts not only as an author, composer and pianist, but also as an accordion player.