PRAGUE CONSERVATORY JAZZ ORCHESTRA

A modern jazz big band consisting of students of the Jazz Department of the Jaroslav Jezek Conservatory Higher Specialized School was started in 2005 under the tutelage of professor Milan Svoboda. The band specializes in original compositions mostly written by Milan Svoboda and the band members. In 2006 the ensemble played with great success at the International Big Band Festival in Litvinov (CZ) and was featured at festive concerts commemorating Jaroslav Jezek's 100th birth anniversary – the Jazz at the Prague Castle concert and a concert at the ABC theater in Prague. In 2007 the big band took part in the worldwide student big band competition in Monterey, California (USA) – the Next Generation Festival and made it to the finals as the only non-american group among the best six groups. The band then performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival with great success as a special guest in 2008 (review). In the fall of the same year they played at the Slany Jazz Days. In 2009 the big band performed at festivals in Cernosice, Litvinov, Horice and Jablonec plus a very successful concert at Jazz Goes To Town in Hradec Kralove, where they accompanied Italian saxophonist and composer Gianluigi Trovesi in his compositionally challenging project Dedalo. In the fall of 2010 the orchestra completed a successful Asian tour in Taiwan (review) and Vietnam. In 2010 the Czech Television Terra Musica program featured a documentary about the group's activities.
The Prague Conservatory Jazz Orchestra consists of 14 members: 4 saxophones, 3 trumpets, 2 trombones and rhythm section.