Foyer of the Ion Dacian National Operetta and Musical Theatre

23 May 2024 – 7:00 PM

The renowned jazz artist Sorin Zlat invites you to a new jazz season at the Ion Dacian National Operetta and Musical Theatre in Bucharest. The pianist proposes a monthly jazz concert series, each event featuring some of the most celebrated jazz artists of the moment, both from Romania and from the international scene.

Sorin Zlat, pianist, clarinetist and composer, holds more than 20 national and international awards and is considered one of the most representative jazz pianists of the new generation of Romanian artists. Among his most remarkable achievements are the Grand Prize at the 2011 Europa Fest Jazz Competition, the awards for Best Band and Best Soloist at the Getxo Jazz Competition in Spain (2011), and the Best Band Award at the 2013 “Johnny Răducanu” International Jazz Competition.

In 2013, at the International Jazz Competition in Monaco, he won both the Grand Prize and the Audience Award. One of the highest points of his career came in 2015, when he represented Romania at the Jacksonville International Jazz Competition in Florida. Out of more than 500 international applicants, only five finalists were selected, and Sorin Zlat won the Grand Prize—becoming the first non‑American pianist to receive this distinction in the competition’s 30‑year history.

His talent continued to be recognized as he was named Musician of the Year at the Bucharest Jazz Gala for two consecutive years, 2014 and 2015, and received the Jazz Award from the Union of Romanian Composers and Musicologists in 2017. In 2019, he was honored with the title of Honorary Citizen of the city of Bacău, and in 2020, Yamaha distinguished him with the title of “Yamaha Artist.”

Beyond his performing career, Sorin Zlat has dedicated himself to music education, organizing workshops for students and big bands at various jazz universities in the United States. Expanding his artistic horizons, in 2023 he was awarded a full scholarship at the Royal College of Music in London, in the Film Music Composition program—marking a new and exciting chapter in his artistic journey.

He has collaborated with renowned jazz artists such as Howard Levy, Ashley Pezzotti, Rick Margitza, Gianluca Renzi, Gianni Gagliardi, Woody Witt, Dennis Marks, and has worked with leading Romanian musicians including Cătălin Milea, Alex Man, Luiza Zan, Nadia Trohin, Irina Sârbu, George Dumitriu, Iulian Nicolau, Răzvan Cojanu, Adrian Flautistu, Laurențiu Ștefan, Michael Acker, the Radio Big Band, and many others.
In 2017, he was invited as a headliner to perform with his trio at the opening concert for jazz pianist Chick Corea at the Jacksonville Jazz Festival in the United States. He has appeared on prestigious stages such as Blue Note, Birdland, and Smalls in New York; Vortex, Pizza Express, and Ronnie Scott’s in London; Nardis Jazz Club in Istanbul; the Montreux Jazz Café; B‑flat in Berlin; and has participated in major international festivals.
With an extensive concert activity both in Romania and abroad, Sorin Zlat aims to create this jazz concert series at a standard worthy of any cultural capital in the world.

“I want these concerts to bring added value to the capital by promoting jazz artists and jazz music. As a representative of Romanian jazz, I feel responsible for supporting and cultivating this genre. I want to bring dedicated jazz artists into the spotlight—artists who can reach the hearts of the audience and offer them the most captivating emotions and experiences through jazz.”

The first concert of the SORIN ZLAT JAZZ SERIES, titled “The Power of Trio,” will take place on Thursday, May 23, at 7:00 PM, featuring Sorin Zlat – piano, Adrian Flautistu – double bass, and Iulian Nicolau – drums.

The three musicians have collaborated extensively under the name Sorin Zlat Trio, performing at festivals and recording together works featured on the albums “Endurance” and “The Land of Dreams.”

SORIN ZLAT TRIO was founded in 2008, featuring in its repertoire both jazz standards and original compositions, approached through a wide range of styles including cool jazz, Latin, post‑bop, contemporary jazz, and avant‑garde music. Through this fusion of genres, the group has earned the recognition of jazz audiences, performing in numerous concerts on the stages of renowned festivals such as: Montreux Jazz Festival, Izmir Jazz Festival, Brussels Jazz Festival, Golden Jazz Fest Paris, Jacksonville Jazz Festival (USA), Monaco Jazz Festival, Getxo Jazz Festival (Spain), as well as in iconic jazz clubs including Birdland (New York), Vortex (London), Music Village (Brussels), Ronnie Scott’s (London), Blue Note (New York), Kings Place (London), Nardis (Istanbul), Jazz Café (Montreux), B‑flat (Berlin), and many others.

These three exceptional musicians join forces in the concert “The Power of Trio”, presenting a program of original compositions and jazz standards re‑orchestrated by Sorin Zlat. Together, they will create an explosion of music filled with positive energy—rich in rhythm, melody, and improvisation.