České Budějovice, Czechia – South Czech Philharmonic

Štěpánka Balcarová, trumpet
Malgorzata Hutek, vocals
Jaromír Honzák, double bass
David Dorůžka, guitarist
South Czech Philharmonic
Alena Hron, Conductor

Programme:
The album *Zuzanna* (Animal Music, 2026) by Czech trumpeter and composer Štěpánka Balcarová follows up on her previous successful projects inspired by Polish poetry, particularly the albums*Life and Happiness of Julian Tuwim*(2017) andtheorchestralalbum *Štěstí*(2022), which won the Anděl Award in the jazz category. The current project,*Zuzanna*, features musical settings of poems by the Polish-Jewish poet Zuzanna Ginczanka (1917–1944), whose poetry is characterized by extraordinary sensitivity, irony, and reflections on her era.

In addition to Štěpánka Balcarová and the acclaimed Polish singer Małgorzata Hutek, the quartet features two prominent jazz musicians—double bassist Jaromír Honzák and guitarist David Dorůžka.