Kateřina Hošková & Filip Baader Graduation Concert @ Jazz Dock | 27.4.2026
If this were sports, I’d say last night had a “big-game” atmosphere. But since music isn’t a competition, I’ll simply state this: at Jazz Dock last night, we witnessed two musicians who are destined to be the torch-bearers for the next generation of Czech jazz.
Kateřina Hošková and Filip Baader are about to graduate from HAMU (Music and Dance Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague), and their performance was definitive proof that the future of jazz in this Republic is in safe hands. It also reinforced my long-standing claim that Prague is the jazz capital of Europe. Whether their excellence is innate talent or the result of rigorous study is almost irrelevant—the point is that talent must be spotted and refined. In this regard, HAMU has clearly succeeded, maintaining the exceptionally high musical standard this country is known for.
The evening was split into two distinct sets. Filip took charge of the first, presenting original compositions within the contemporary jazz idiom. It was easy to forget we were watching a student showcase; both his technique and his remarkably “ready” compositions suggested a musician with far more years under his belt.
The same can be said for Kateřina. Performing her own works (with one exception), she pushed a bit further into the experimental side of contemporary jazz. Having seen her perform alongside some of the biggest names in the Czech scene already, her skill came as no surprise. Her stage presence acts as a wonderful foil to Filip’s; she seems most comfortable letting her guitar do the talking—and believe me, she speaks fluently.
I’ll resort to a few clichés here because, with this duo, they happen to be true. These are names that will soon be familiar to anyone with even a passing interest in jazz. On their graduation day, they should hold their heads high. They did the hard work. While they were guided by mentors, the weight of the performance was theirs alone. Of course, they aren’t “finished” products yet—who is? As Miles Davis famously lived by: “Knowledge is happiness for me—if I learned something.”
Kateřina and Filip were joined by a powerhouse ensemble: Luboš Soukup (sax), František Vaníček (trp), Emil Novotný (b), and Ladislav Nič (dr), Anna Šteklová (voc) with a special appearance by Marcel Bárta sax,cl). While these musicians are brilliant in their own right, I hope they’ll forgive me for saying that this specific night belonged entirely to Hošková and Baader. They earned it.
Kateřina Hošková and Filip Baader are about to graduate from HAMU (Music and Dance Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague), and their performance was definitive proof that the future of jazz in this Republic is in safe hands. It also reinforced my long-standing claim that Prague is the jazz capital of Europe. Whether their excellence is innate talent or the result of rigorous study is almost irrelevant—the point is that talent must be spotted and refined. In this regard, HAMU has clearly succeeded, maintaining the exceptionally high musical standard this country is known for.
The evening was split into two distinct sets. Filip took charge of the first, presenting original compositions within the contemporary jazz idiom. It was easy to forget we were watching a student showcase; both his technique and his remarkably “ready” compositions suggested a musician with far more years under his belt.
The same can be said for Kateřina. Performing her own works (with one exception), she pushed a bit further into the experimental side of contemporary jazz. Having seen her perform alongside some of the biggest names in the Czech scene already, her skill came as no surprise. Her stage presence acts as a wonderful foil to Filip’s; she seems most comfortable letting her guitar do the talking—and believe me, she speaks fluently.
I’ll resort to a few clichés here because, with this duo, they happen to be true. These are names that will soon be familiar to anyone with even a passing interest in jazz. On their graduation day, they should hold their heads high. They did the hard work. While they were guided by mentors, the weight of the performance was theirs alone. Of course, they aren’t “finished” products yet—who is? As Miles Davis famously lived by: “Knowledge is happiness for me—if I learned something.”
Kateřina and Filip were joined by a powerhouse ensemble: Luboš Soukup (sax), František Vaníček (trp), Emil Novotný (b), and Ladislav Nič (dr), Anna Šteklová (voc) with a special appearance by Marcel Bárta sax,cl). While these musicians are brilliant in their own right, I hope they’ll forgive me for saying that this specific night belonged entirely to Hošková and Baader. They earned it.
To see all the evening’s pictures click HERE!
