Marek Novotný: Glimmer reflections, Allegria, Autumn waltz, Runaway train, Impresse, Seaside, Leland dream
Django Reinhardt: Minor Swing
Tadeusz Smocyznski: Manhattan Island

In this author’s project pianist Marek Novotný joined forces with the fantastic string Epoque Quartet, a world-renowned ensemble, which excels in its unique ability of interpretation of jazz and experimental compositions as well as works by old masters. He invited the stars of the Czech jazz scene, Adam Tvrdý (guitar) and Ondřej Šantroch (contrabass) to join this unique cooperation.  This multicoloured fusion of jazz, classical music with elements of impressionism, Latin American music, folklore and chanson takes only the best from these genres and creates a consistent musical shape, which will prepare a deep cultural experience full of humorous, thrilling as well as moving moments for you.

Marek Novotný received the Ph.D. degree in music theory in 2007 and in the same year he went on a scholarship to the University of Stavanger in Norway to continue studying jazz piano. Three years later he completed his master studies in the field of jazz composition and arrangement at the University of Massachusetts in the United States and also taught jazz piano at this university. During his musical career he has cooperated with a number of successful musicians. In the Czech Republic it was, for example, Marcel Bárta, David Dorůžka, Ridina Ahmedová, Feng-yűn Song, Gabriela Vermelho, Petr Dvorský as well as the Epoque Quartet and the South Czech Philharmonic. He has also played with foreign stars of the music world such as Aubrey Johnson, Carl Clemens and Paul Lieberman and also film composer and producer Alexander Janko (My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Man on the Moon). In New York he had the honour of becoming a pupil of one of the best jazz pianists in the world, Fred Hersch. Marek Novotný’s compositions border on jazz and classical music and they were first released in his first author recording Leland Dream (2013). His repertoire includes not only a number of his own author compositions but also compositions arranged for a jazz big band, vocal ensemble, string quartet and symphony orchestra.

Adam Tvrdý is a guitarist and composer of multiple genres. In his interpretations and improvisations, he follows his own creative ideas while respecting traditions and the vocabulary of the given musical style. His own works may be defined as contemporary or modern jazz or fusion and at the same time you can hear the elements of the styles by which he is most influenced (blues, classic rock, modern and classic jazz, Latin music, classical music). He studied jazz guitar under the leadership of Prof. Jaroslav Šindler and classical guitar under Prof. Zdeněk Dvořák. As guest guitarist, he participated in the concerts of the Czech National Symphony Orchestra under the leadership of Ennio Morricone at the Smetana Hall at the Municipal House in Prague and at the Abbey Road Studios in London, where they jointly recorded the soundtrack for Quentin Tarantino’s film The Hateful Eight. He was also involved in the projects The Beatles Night and The Hollywood Night under the baton of Carl Davis. He regularly cooperates with representatives of the Czech jazz elite such as Jiří Stivín jr., Jan Jakubec, Petr Dvorský, František Uhlíř, Karel Růžička, Emil Viklický, the Epoque Quartet and others; occasionally he also cooperates with artists of popular genres, he has accompanied, for example, Eva Pilarová, Vojtěch Dyk and Matěj Ruppert.

Contrabassist Ondřej Štajnochr is a graduate of the Prague Conservatory and the Jaroslav Ježek Conservatory. He also studied at the Akademie für Alte Musik in Dresden and he took part in several specialized masterclasses focused on the interpretation of Baroque music (Innsbruck, Prague). He is a member of the renowned ensembles Musica Florea, Collegium Marianum, Capella Regia and Internationales Barockorchester Görlitz. He was a guest of a number of foreign ensembles which play old music, for example, Concerto Pollaco (PL), Musica Aeterna (SK) and Dresdner Barockorchester (D). He has played with a variety of ensembles such as Karel Růžička Q, Emil Viklický Trio, Swing Combo Violino and others and has cooperated with outstanding artists (Ken Peplowski, Magni Welzel, Roscoe Mitchell etc.).

The multi-genre Epoque Quartet is celebrating 20 years since its founding this year. During this period it has found a stable place on the Czech and European music scene, has significantly moved the borders of quartet repertoire and has become a top-class ensemble which is regularly invited to cooperate with a number of outstanding musicians from different fields of the music branch. Among its most interesting projects we should mention the tour with Dan Bárta and Ilustratosphere, cooperation with the bands Monkey Business, Tatabojs and Clarinet Factory as well as concerts and recordings with Michal Pavlíček, Gregory Porter, Lenka Dusilová, Robert Balzar, Dasha, Ondřej Brzobohatý, Tomáš Klus, Kamil Střihavka, Lucie Bílá, Ewa Farna and Gabriela Vermelho and in the field closer to classical music with Dagmar Pecková, Radek Baborák, Ivan Klánský, Ludmila Peterková and others. One of the most important contemporary feats is the highly-regarded CD “Epoque Quartet plays Jan Kučera”, which summarizes the long-term cooperation of the author with the ensemble. Another success is the CD “Flow” launched in New York and recorded with Canadian pianist and composer David Braid, with whom the Epoque Quartet went on tour in China. The CD “Flow” was shortlisted in the prestigious Canadian JUNO Awards. Last year the ensemble received the first invitation to perform at the Prague Spring festival. The Epoque Quartet is known to the general public also thanks to its appearance in the popular television show Stardance.  

Josefína Čermáková studied popular singing at the Prague Conservatory. Her teacher was jazz singer Eva Svobodová. She is receiving further musical education under the leadership of teacher and singer Agnieszka Twardoch. Josefína Čermáková has dedicated herself to singing for ten years and focuses mainly on jazz and blues. She cooperates with Marek Novotný on his author project, in which they appear as a duo and also with other instruments and with the Epoque Quartet. She is further involved in the author project Double-Deckers focused on electro-pop and electro-funk. In 2017 she received the Thalia Award in the New Stage of the National Theatre in the vocal category. She cooperates with professional musicians and sings in clubs in Prague. In 2017-2018 she regularly performed at the Žižkov Tower.