Join us for “My Kind of Christmas,” a holiday musical performance by multitalented Czech jazz singer and musician, Martina Barta, accompanied by Italian pianist, Francesco Pollon. Together, they will perform favorites sure to put you in the holiday spirit!

Martina Barta, vocalist: Martina Barta is a young, multitalented Czech singer and musician born in Prague, based in Berlin and performing with diverse music projects at national and international music festivals and music venues worldwide. Martina started her music education at the age of 4 in her hometown Prague, where she took flute, violin, and piano lessons during her elementary school years. In 1999, she was accepted to study classical music at the Music College of the City of Prague – Gymnázium Jana Nerudy, where she took French horn classes from prof. Vladimira Klánská. In May 2007 she passed her final exams and graduated with honors. In 2008- 2011 she studied at the Prague Conservatory and took vocal lessons from prof. Naďa Wepperová. In 2011 she was accepted into the Jazz Vocal Bachelor Music Program at the Jazz Institute Berlin of the University of Performing Arts (Universität der Künste Berlin), where she took vocal lessons from Prof. Judy Niemack and Prof. David Friedman. In June 2016 she passed her final exams and gave her final concert, “Martina Barta & Her Jazz Orchestra,” with honors and received a Bachelor of Music degree. In 2017 Martina represented her home country, the Czech Republic, with the song “My Turn” at the Eurovision Song Contest in Kiev. Martina regularly collaborates with Big Band der Deutschen Oper Berlin and Big Band of Felix Slováček in her home country. In 2019 Martina started to perform in a duo with the legendary American jazz vibraphonist David Friedman. She also regularly performs with her older sister, Kristina Barta, who is a successful Czech jazz pianist and composer. In 2016 the sisters won 1st prize for the best jazz song of the year (“Find peace of mind”) in the Bohemia Jazzfest music festival. In 2020 Martina and Kristina worked together on the album “Love and Passion” (Alessa Records) on which they present their original music. In September 2021 Martina started as a DAAD / German Academic Exchange Service scholarship recipient at the renowned Manhattan School of Music in New York, where she takes classes in the Jazz Arts Masters Program (Prof. Theo Bleckmann) and expects to complete her degree (Master of Music) in May 2023.

Francesco Pollon (*1994) is a pianist, composer and educator born in Treviso, Italy. He has been on stage as a musician since the age of fifteen, performing in festivals and venues throughout all of Italy and in Poland, Croatia, Romania, USA, Qatar, Israel, and Palestine. For seven years, he has been also playing classical guitar. Francesco received his Master’s Degree in Jazz Piano Performance summa cum laude from the Conservatory of Vicenza in 2018.

In 2014, he had the honor to share a piano duet with the jazz legend Chick Corea, in Vicenza.

In 2015 he performed with the Maria Schneider Orchestra and was part of other important Big Bands (such as the JM Jazz World Orchestra). In 2018, he was invited to join the resident band at the prestigious jazz club The Club at St. Regis in Doha, Qatar, a Jazz at Lincoln Center (JALC) jazz club venue led by Wynton Marsalis. He won important awards in several competitions: in 2019, Francesco received the Best Instrumentalist Award at Sibiu Jazz Competition. As a studio musician, he recorded 8 albums as a leader and sideman. In 2020, his debut solo piano album “Catch Me” was published by Velut Luna.

He’s currently pursuing a Master’s Degree at Manhattan School of Music in New York under the guidance of prof. Phil Markowitz.