🎺 We are overjoyed to introduce the finalists of the Visegrad Jazz Composition Contest 2026! 🎶
A total of 29 compositions from all 4 V4 countries were submitted to the contest! 🌍 After careful evaluation by our jury, we have reached the final selection.
The fate of the compositions was decided by an international jury consisting of: 🇨🇿 Štěpánka Balcarová | 🇭🇺 Kristóf Bacsó | 🇸🇰 Ľuboš Šrámek | 🇨🇿 Jan Jirucha | 🇭🇺 Kornél Fekete-Kovács | 🇵🇱 Grzegorz Nagórski | 🇸🇰 Matúš Jakabčic
We are proud to present the list of talented composers:
Jan Drábek (Czech Republic) – Stone City
Born in 2002 in Brno, he is a young composer and pianist exploring the musical world from the perspectives of a listener, performer, and composer alike. Since 2022, he has been studying composition at the Jaroslav Ježek Conservatory under Tomáš Sýkora and Jan Mazura. Although at the beginning of his career, he is already actively engaged in composing jazz, classical, and film music, performing (with bands like Wonder Brass Company and F.E.W.), and arranging.
Kuba Marciniak (Poland) – As Winter Turns To Spring
A jazz saxophonist from Poznań, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and graduate of the Jazz Institut Berlin and the Academy of Music in Wrocław. A scholarship recipient from the Minister of Culture and National Heritage, he has collaborated with artists such as Piotr Wojtasik and Leszek Możdżer. Together with the Weezdob Collective, he has won numerous awards including the Grand Prix at Bielska Zadymka Jazzowa and Jazz nad Odrą.
Vaclav Palka (Czech Republic) – Glimpses of the Shadow’s Faint Echoes
A drummer, composer, arranger, and educator based in Basel, Switzerland. He completed extensive musical training across Denmark, the Czech Republic, Germany, and Switzerland. While jazz drumming is his primary focus, his studies have also encompassed classical percussion, composition, and production. He is active in many projects, including the This Is What’s Love Big Band, and is a member of the quartet LOVE alongside Lionel Loueke.
Elemér Balázs (Hungary) – Carpathian Afterimages
An exceptional pianist and composer who has garnered acclaim through major competition successes, including the Yamaha Prize (2024) and the Junior Prima Award (2019). As a soloist, he has performed across Europe and North America in venues like the Liszt Academy and London’s O2 Arena. His work seamlessly blends the rigor of classical tradition with the spontaneity of improvisation, and in the fall of 2026, his saxophone concerto will be performed in New York.
Łukasz Ciesiołkiewicz (Poland) – Intermarium
A Polish composer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist born in 1998. He blends elements of Polish and Eastern folklore with jazz improvisation and electronics, creating music full of rhythmic tension. A graduate of the academies in Katowice and Wrocław, he is the founder of the EAST Collective, merging jazz with folk. He also composes music for theatrical performances and advertising spots.
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Dimitrios Hartwich-Vrazas (Poland / Germany) – Hills of Epirus
A Berlin-born saxophonist, composer, and arranger active on the Polish improvised music scene. He is a co-creator of projects like Kratisa Q and JUNA, and has performed at major festivals such as Jazz nad Odrą. His musical language draws from Greek folk traditions, Scandinavian jazz, and 20th-century Polish composers like Karol Szymanowski. Outside of music, he enjoys chess, cooking, literature, and football.
David Le Cam (Czech Republic) – Gatekeeping
A Prague-based composer and multi-instrumentalist. He began with piano and saxophone in childhood and later expanded to flute, clarinet, and bass guitar In his late teens, he started writing songs for several bands and recording soundtracks for theatre plays from 2020 to 2024, he studied jazz saxophone at the Jaroslav Ježek Conservatory.
Currently, he writes music mostly for the indie-pop project Mindless Motion and the nu-jazz formation Deaf Platypus.
Lóránt Péch (Hungary) – V4
Born in 1996 in Budapest, he began piano at age six. A graduate of the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music, his creative approach is also shaped by his technical education. Interestingly, he was a member of the Hungarian national sailing team for 12 years. He composes across jazz, classical, and electronic genres, and writes for films and commercials. In 2026, he achieved great success at the Müpa Jazz Showcase and the Szakcsi Lakatos Béla International Jazz Piano Competition.
Damián Štefan (Slovakia) – Dark Prince Light Princess
A student of jazz composition at MUK Privat Universität der Stadt Wien, he also focuses on classical composition. He sees music as a whole and strives to find bridges between various genres. His achievements include 2nd place at the Konvergencie and InterComp composition competitions, a performance at the Prešov Jazz Festival, and the Composition Prize at the “Nové tváre slovenského jazzu” (New Faces of Slovak Jazz) competition.
Huge congratulations to all the finalists! 👏
🏆 What’s next? On Thursday, June 11, 2026, we will officially announce the names of the 3 winning compositions, without specifying their final ranking yet.
🎼 Where can you hear the winning works? The top three compositions will be performed live at the concert Visegrad Jazz Orchestra feat. Peter Lipa, taking place on July 1, 2026, at Stredisko kultúry Vajnorská 21 in Bratislava.
🎟️ Tickets are available via Predpredaj.sk!
The authors of the winning compositions will be invited to Bratislava to attend rehearsals with the orchestra on June 30.
Stay tuned for quality jazz! 🎷
This project is realized with the financial support of the International Visegrad Fund. Thank you!
The contest is organized by Nanosymphony, o. z. [ www.nanosymphony.eu ], in cooperation with our partners: Jazzfest Brno [ www.jazzfestbrno.cz ], Modern Art Orchestra [ mao.hu ], Dixie Club – Wielkopolskie Stowarzyszenie Jazzu Tradycyjnego [ oldjazzfestival.pl ], and is supported by the International Visegrad Fund [ www.visegradfund.org ].
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