Jaka Kopač is one of the leading young jazz saxophonists in Slovenia. He studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz and at the Sibelius Academy in Finland, where he earned his master’s degree. Upon returning to Slovenia, he continued his studies at the Carinthian Children’s Conservatory in Klagenfurt, completing a pedagogical program.

He has collaborated on various European and international projects such as the European Movement Jazz Orchestra, European Jazz Orchestra, New School Jazz Orchestra, and UMO Big Band, as well as with renowned musicians including Joe Locke, Alex Sipiagin, Dado Moroni, Jim Rotondi, and many others.

Jaka is known for his warm tone and energetic playing, with original compositions that are both challenging and pleasing to the ear. In 2009, he released his debut album Almost There, followed by the 2016 album Present Thoughts, recorded in New York with top musicians such as Orrin Evans, Vincent Archer, and Willie Jones III. This album was supported by a European tour, including performances at the famous Unterfahrt club in Munich, Germany.

He is the founder of the Amaranth Quartet, led by the internationally acclaimed vibraphonist Joe Locke. Recently, Jaka has frequently collaborated with Japanese bassist Motoi Kanamori, Serbian drummer Vladimirko Kostadinović, and Slovenian vocalist Nina Strnad.

In addition to his performing career, Jaka currently teaches at the Conservatory for Music and Ballet in Ljubljana. He has also been a mentor at numerous music workshops, notably the 2023 workshop in Grožnjan and the 2024 SaxGo World Saxophone Congress in Nova Gorica.

Vladimir Kostadinović is a multiple award-winning drummer (Tuscia in Jazz 2008, Italy; Jimmy Woode Competition), composer, and arranger who has recently become one of the most sought-after drummers on the global jazz scene. He built this status through his dynamic style and exceptional musicianship. Known for his flexible drumming approach and fantastic sense of rhythm, Kostadinović continually strengthens his reputation as an outstanding figure in contemporary jazz. He is also characterized by a deep emotional connection to the music he plays—a testament to his passion and love for this art form. Whether performing in an intimate club setting or on large concert stages, his playing resonates deeply with audiences, leaving a lasting impression.

In 2009, he entered the studio in New York with his band and recorded his debut album COURSE OF EVENTS. Shortly thereafter, he joined the Antonio Faraò Trio, with whom he continues to perform across Europe. Vladimir also recorded his second album as a bandleader, LEFT SIDE OF LIFE, a live recording at the Generations Jazz Festival in Frauenfeld, Switzerland, released by one of Europe’s most prestigious labels, ENJA Records.

In an exciting new chapter of his career, Vladimir Kostadinović signed an exclusive contract with the CRISS CROSS label. This significant partnership marks a major milestone, enabling Kostadinović to showcase his artistry on a prominent global stage. To kick off this collaboration, he is recording his third solo album, IRIS, in New York in the summer of 2024. For this project, he assembled a stellar lineup featuring some of today’s biggest stars in the jazz world, including saxophonists Chris Potter and Ben Wendel, trumpeter Alex Sipiagin, pianist Geoffrey Keezer, vibraphonist Joe Locke, and bassist Matt Brewer. This album represents his ongoing evolution as a musician and composer—a deeply emotional work dedicated to his beloved daughter.

All three of his albums as a leader have received outstanding reviews in major publications and portals such as DownBeat, Modern Drummer, JazzTimes, Jazzthing, Jazzpodium, and All About Jazz, among others.

In recent years, Vladimir has spent significant time in the Big Apple, recording and performing with jazz luminaries including Benny Golson, Chris Potter, George Garzone, Gregory Porter, Antonio Faraò, Duško Gojković, Charles Tolliver, David Kikoski, Chico Freeman, Joe Locke, Seamus Blake, Kevin Hays, Jim Rotondi, Till Brönner, Melissa Aldana, Jane Monheit, Ben Wendel, Geoffrey Keezer, Matt Brewer, Soweto Kinch, Dominique Di Piazza, Jimmy Greene, Mike Moreno, and many others.

Claus Raible, born in Germany, began performing professionally at the age of sixteen. By the time he was barely twenty, he had already shared the stage with world-renowned artists such as Art Farmer, Andy Bey, and Mark Murphy.

After graduating from the Music Academy in Graz, Claus Reible moved to New York City, where he formed his own sextet. With this group, he performed successfully throughout New York and across the United States. At the same time, he worked as a sideman with Ben Dixon, Brad Liley, Valery Ponomarev, and Jimmy Lovelace.

In the late 1990s, Claus returned to Munich and since then has been equally active on both the American and European jazz scenes. He has toured extensively with his own projects as well as performing as a member of ensembles led by jazz greats such as Jimmy Cobb, Ira Coleman, Charles Davis, Jesse Davis, Ben Dixon, Herb Geller, Benny Golson, Dennis Irwin, Lewis Nash, Alvin Queen, Ack van Rooyen, Ed Thigpen, and Charles Tolliver.

Furthermore, Claus Raible has built a career as a composer and arranger for various smaller jazz groups and big bands (including Brad Leali, Al Porcino, Jesse Davis, Duško Gojković), as well as for numerous radio and TV big bands.

As a bandleader, Claus currently leads his own trio and a ten-piece orchestra.

Goran Potić is a guitarist and music producer, a member of the RTS Big Band and the Balkan Salsa Band. He has performed with both domestic and international jazz musicians such as Bora Roković, Duško Gojković, Stjepko Gut, Les McCann, Dave Gibson, Aladár Pege, Imre Keserű, Dennis Chambers, Aaron Goldberg, and others.

He is active in the Belgrade jazz scene and has performed at the Belgrade Jazz Festival as well as many other domestic and regional jazz festivals. He has also appeared at the Django Reinhardt Jazz Festival, Rottweil Jazz Fest, Montreux Jazz Festival, and festivals in Luxembourg and Vienna.

Goran has worked as an instructor at jazz workshops led by Vojin Draškoci and the Art Depo Workshop. He is also a participant in the project ‘Belgrade Guitar Workshop’.

Vladimir Samardžić is a bassist, composer, educator, and columnist known for his unique musical expression. He is considered one of the most versatile and influential bass guitarists in Serbia and the former Yugoslav region. A Berklee College graduate, he is the frontman of the jazz quintet Pannonia Project and the Vladimir Samardžić Trio.

He has collaborated with many orchestras (RTS Big Band, Belgrade Philharmonic, Vojvodina Symphony Orchestra, Novi Sad Big Band), renowned musicians (R.M. Točak, Kornelije Kovač, Ante Gelo, Bodan Arsovski) and vocal soloists from Serbia and the region (Bisera Veletanlić, Dado Topić, Vlado Georgiev, Jelena Tomašević), as well as internationally acclaimed artists such as Luis Bonilla, Thana Alexa, Mokhtar Samba, Amira, Bojan Zulfikarpašić, Teodosii Spassov, and Felipe Salles.

He was a member of the legendary Serbian rock band SMAK (1994–1997), the world music ensemble Slobodan Trkulja & Balkanopolis (2002–2004), and the jazz fusion group Vasil Hadžimanov Band (2000–2010).

Since 2020, he has been sharing his knowledge and experience with musicians of all generations and levels through his school “Vlada Bass Lessons.” His highly anticipated album “Catching the Wind” (SKC NS, 2022) is regarded by many as a fresh wave in the Serbian and regional jazz scene.

Vladimir Samardžić is the official promoter of the Italian amplifier company “Mark Bass.” For many years, he has been active as a bass guitar instructor, teaching at "Bass Workshop" sessions in Serbia and the region, as well as at international jazz seminars (Pannonian Bridge, Novi Sad 2007–2008; Jazz Ex Tempore, Opatija 2006, 2012; International Summer Jazz School, Grožnjan 2018–2019).

Together with drummer Branko Popović, also a Berklee graduate, he held the first unique two-day seminar for drummers and bassists – the BiB Seminar in 2019.

Since 2020, he continues to pass on his knowledge and experience through his school “Vlada Bass Lessons” to musicians of all generations and skill levels.

Ivan Radivojević (born 1991, Belgrade) is a trumpeter, flugelhorn player, and composer. He completed his secondary music education at the “Stanković” Music School, specializing in classical and jazz trumpet. He earned his bachelor’s degree in jazz trumpet from Anton Bruckner University in Linz, Austria, and obtained his master’s degree from the jazz department of the Faculty of Music Arts (FMU) in Belgrade.

Since 2015, Ivan has been teaching trumpet, small ensembles, and big band at the jazz department of the “Stanković” Music School. He performs and records with various jazz and pop ensembles on the Belgrade jazz scene.

In 2019, he represented Serbia in the Euroradio Jazz Orchestra, a big band of young musicians supported by the European Broadcasting Union. In 2021, his quartet was a finalist in the Euroradio Jazz Competition held in Marseille, France.

Radivojević has had the opportunity to perform and record with many jazz musicians, big bands, orchestras, and pop groups, including Kristof Čeh, Peter Tušer, Tom Smith, Tony Lakatos, Amin Salim, Bojan Zulfikarpašić, Hayden Chisholm, Predrag Revišin, Vladimir Kostadinović, among others.

He leads his own group, the Ivan Radivojević Quartet, with whom he released his debut album In Plain View in 2022 on the Italian label A. MA Records.

In addition to his teaching duties at the “Stanković” Music School, Ivan initiated and formed a new ensemble called the Stage Band, gathering the best students from all years with the aim of representing the department at various events, including the Belgrade Jazz Festival, Kolarac Concert Hall, and the Cultural Center of Belgrade.

He has mentored many talented students who graduated from the jazz department and continued their studies either in Serbia or abroad, such as Katarina Kočetova, Bogdan Đurđević, Ognjen Gotovčević, Boris Šainović, and others.

Composer, pianist, and educator. Born in 1984 in Belgrade. He completed his primary and secondary music education at the “Josip Slavenski” Music School in Belgrade. He studied composition under professor Isidora Žebeljan at the Faculty of Music Arts (FMU) in Belgrade.

Since 2004, he has been actively involved in applied music as a composer and performer in numerous theater, television, and film projects. Among his most notable works as a composer are: Sanjari, Bizarno, Lulu, Tom Sawyer and the Devil’s Work, Italian Night, Blue Rabbit, Rhinoceros, Three Hammers, Terrorism, Kukuriku Show, A Little Honor, Blue Bird, The Wizard of Oz, The King of Comedy, Letter to Santa Claus, Cinderella, Spring at the Last Lake, and others.

He is the recipient of several awards for applied music, including the prestigious "Mali Joakim" award, the annual awards of the “Boško Buha” Theater and the “Duško Radović” Small Theater, as well as an award at the 44th Sterija Festival.

Besides his many years of work in applied music for theater, radio, and TV, Srđan’s musical interests go beyond serious music, encompassing soul, funk, pop, jazz, vocal music, and performance.

He has participated in numerous festivals as an author and/or performer, including the most notable Jazztronic, Belgrade Jazz Festival, Novi Sad Jazz Festival, Valjevo Jazz Festival, among others.

Since 2012, he has been teaching jazz singing and small ensembles at the “Josif Marinković” Music School in Vršac. As a music and vocal pedagogue, he has conducted several successful workshops, including the Art Camp in Kosjerić and an applied music workshop at the “Boško Buha” Theater. Since 2018, he has been a lecturer at the International School "Prima" in Belgrade.

Branko Marković, born in 1957 in Novi Sad, graduated in double bass from the Faculty of Music Arts (FMU) in Belgrade. An indispensable figure of the domestic jazz scene, Branko has performed with all major local musicians and bands, as well as with giants of the world jazz scene such as Chet Baker, Lester Bowie, Don Moye, Philip Catherine, Les McCann, Larry Coryell, Horace Parlan, Alvin Queen, Tony Lakatos, Chuck McPherson, Vito Giordano, Imre Kesegi, and others.

He has played at numerous concerts and jazz festivals across Serbia, the former Yugoslav region, as well as in Italy, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Israel, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria.

Since 1988, he has been a regular member of the Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) Big Band, with whom he performed and/or recorded until 2018 alongside renowned soloists such as Benny Golson, Eddie Henderson, Don Menza, Clark Terry, Diane Schuur, Vic Vogel, Ack van Rooyen, Peter Herbolzheimer, Brad Lealy, Ed Thigpen, Jerome Richardson, Duško Gojković, Mile Pavlović, Ronnie Cuber, Steve Turre, Randy Brecker, Jon Faddis, Bert Joris, and Gregory Hutchinson.

From 1997 to 2003, he taught double bass and small ensembles at the jazz department of the “Stanković” Secondary Music School in Belgrade.

He leads two of his own groups, the Bramax Quintet and the Marković-Ilić Sextet. Branko Marković is also co-founder and artistic director of the North City Jazz & Blues Festival in Kosovska Mitrovica since 2003, and the Whitefield Jazz Festival in Bijelo Polje, Montenegro, since 2007.

Ivan Ilić (Belgrade, 1972) is a composer, arranger, conductor, and trombone professor at the Faculty of Music Arts (FMU) in Belgrade. He completed his primary and secondary music education at the Mokranjac Music School. At age 20, he graduated with top honors in Arranging from Berklee College of Music in Boston, USA, and later completed Specialist Studies in Conducting and a Master's degree in Jazz Trombone at FMU in Belgrade with the same distinction.

He earned his Doctor of Arts degree in 2020 at the University of Arts in Belgrade in the Multimedia Arts program.

Since 2018, he has been an assistant professor at the Faculty of Music Arts in Belgrade, in the Department of Jazz and Popular Music.

After his studies in the USA and a stay in Canada, upon returning to Belgrade, from 1999 to 2018, he served as the conductor of the RTS Big Band, while simultaneously working as an arranger, composer, music producer, and solo trombonist.

As an active performer, he has played at all major domestic music festivals as well as numerous international festivals in the USA, Canada, Luxembourg, France, and neighboring countries. He has collaborated with many prominent world and domestic musicians such as Dianna Schuur, Jerome Richardson, Jon Faddis, Don Menza, Chuck Findley, Benny Golson, Bobby Shew, Randy Brecker, Ack van Rooyen, Peter Herbolzheimer, Larry Coryell, Brad Leali, Steve Turre, Ronnie Cuber, Gregory Hutchinson, Eddie Henderson, Vic Vogel, Bert Joris, Samuel Blaser, Peter King, Duško Gojković, Bora Roković, Steve Gut, Branislav "Lala" Kovačev, Marko Đorđević, Jovan Maljoković, Lazar Tosić, Vojin Draškoci, Vasil Hadžimanov, and others.

He composes music for theatre, video production, musicals, and film.