Vlado Batista and his Jazz Trio Stringsi

Vlado Batista (violin) is a composer of contemporary serious music and a jazz violinist who, in addition to jazz, also devotes himself to ethnic music and other musical genres. He is also the author of film music. He has been creating and co-shaping the contemporary music scene in Slovenia and Italy for more than 30 years. In the early period of his creative path, he collaborated with many soloists from the Italian and Yugoslav music scenes (B. Petrovič, P. Ugrin, S. Gut, M. Sedak Benčič...). As a jazz violinist, he performs in Slovenia and in many other European countries. He recorded several original jazz albums for the Radio-Television Slovenia (ZKP RTV SLO) and Goga Musica labels. As a member of the Society of Slovene Composers (DSS), he has presented his novelties at the Night of Slovenian Composers every year since 1998. He teaches at the Faculty of Education in Koper.

Juan Vladilo (piano), born in Venezuela, spent his childhood in his homeland, and then moved to Italy, where he pursued his artistic activity in parallel with his profession as an astrophysicist. His musical taste was initially shaped by the traditional music of Venezuela and the study of classical piano. In his first stage experiences, he was an organist and composer in "progressive rock" bands of the 1970s. In the early 1980s, he merged Afro-Cuban music with jazz influences that spread from Cuba to New York. He was one of the founders of the Ocho Rios Orchestra, one of the first Italian groups to propose this musical style. He worked in the orchestra as a pianist, composer, arranger and singer and participated in many Italian and international festivals. In recent years, he immersed himself in the study of the traditional musical styles of Venezuela, Peru and Cuba and contributed to the inception of two musical groups (Chiriké and Flores del Sur), including musicians of popular, classical and jazz backgrounds. As a soloist, he performed the Concerto all'Alba as part of the Trieste Loves Jazz 2023 festival. In his piano performances, he alternates pieces of his own compositions with quotes from many authors on a journey that crosses the various musical styles that have been formed.

Nikola Matošič (double bass) is one of the main actors of the new generation of Slovenian musicians, who strives to revive, preserve and modernize the Slovenian jazz scene. He has been one of the best Slovenian double bass players for many years. In Ljubljana, he has been organizing and leading traditional jazz evenings at the Jazz club Gajo for several years. He also performs a lot abroad, especially in neighboring countries. This year, he has concluded a successful Finnish tour with Peter Mihelič. With Zoran Predin, he was a co-creator and performer of his gypsy swing program in France, England and Scotland. He also collaborated with some of the world's best jazz musicians such as Deborah Brown, Rachel Gould, Renato Chicco, Aron Goldberg, Peter Mihelič, Howerd Curtis, Doug Sides, Vincent Hering. He is appreciated in all musical genres, which is why he is invited to participate in collaborations by colleagues of various musical expressions - Adi Smolar, Oto Pestner, young jazz bands and many others.