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Radim Zenkl & Ondra Kozák

Czech Republic

Radim Zenkl & Ondra Kozák Duo of superb multi-instrumentalists and singers. Original tunes and songs in the bluegrass style, as well as traditional pieces of many countries in special arrangements. Zenkl & Kozák have performed in theaters and at festivals in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Netherlands, France and USA. In 2023, they recorded their first joint CD "Eastern Grass", which was released in the USA by the David Grisman's recording label 'Acoustic Disc'. Zenkl won the US Mandolin Championship in Winfield, KS and invented a masterful technique, the “Zenkl style,” in which a single mandolin sounds like two. Kozak won the title "Guitarist of the Year" 5 times in the Czech Republic and in US won the Mike Auldridge Instrumental Composition Contest in 2024. Radim Zenkl - mandolin, flutes, didgeridoo, piano, vocal Ondra Kozák - guitar, violin, dobro, bass guitar, vocal Radim Zenkl - mandolin player, composer and instructor. Originally from the Czech Republic, he began playing the mandolin at thirteen, and discovered bluegrass by listening to records that were smuggled into this communist country. The sound of a bluegrass mandolin was the spark that launched a decision at the age of seventeen to play music as a career and subsequently led Radim to escaping from Czechoslovakia in the summer of 1989 (three months before the fall of communism) and settling in the San Francisco area. In 1992, he won the US National Mandolin Championship in Winfield, KS. He has invented a masterful technique, the “Zenkl style,” in which a single mandolin sounds like two. Besides his solo performances, Radim has been collaborating with the top musicians of the US acoustic music scene and played in a duo setting with artist such as Tim O'Brien, Peter Rowan, David Grisman, Tony Trischka, Chris Thile (in a quartet), Scott Nygaard and others. He has recorded nine CDs, including a CD of improvised duets with Tony Rice, Jerry Douglas, Bela Fleck, Mike Marshall and others (Strings & Wings, Shanachie, 1996), and appeared on more than eighty other recordings. Radim has performed and taught workshops at festivals such as the IBMA Trade Show, Merlefest, Telluride, Rockygrass, Walnut Valley (Winfield) and more. He has taught at over 70 week-long music camps including several times at the Steve Kaufman Kamp, Swannanoa Gathering, BC Bluegrass Workshop and many others. His instructional DVD 'Mandolin Primer' was released on Homespun in 2015. www.zenkl.com Ondra Kozák - multi-instrumentalist, singer, composer, music teacher, director and organizer. He focuses mainly on acoustic music: bluegrass, folk, new acoustic. He won the title "Guitarist of the Year" 5 times in the Poll of the Bluegrass Association of the Czech Republic, and in USA won the Mike Auldridge Instrumental Composition Contest in 2024. He participated in more than 20 studio albums with various groups, with which he won a prestigious competition for the European Band of the Year 4 times at the French La Roche Bluegrass Festival. He has collaborated on various occasions with important personalities of the bluegrass music scene, such as Mike Marshall, Darol Anger, Dan Crary, Becky Buller, Mike Compton, John Reischman, Casey Driessen, Bill Evans, Tony Furtado, Beppe Gambetta, Dale Ann Bradley, Steve Gulley, Cia Cherryholmes, and others. He organizes music workshops, prepares podcasts for musicians, founded an online music workshop and is the author of several educational publications. www.ondrakozak.com www.atamusic.eu

Radim Zenkl & Ondra Kozák
Duo of superb multi-instrumentalists and singers. Original tunes and songs in the bluegrass style, as well as traditional pieces of many countries in special arrangements. Zenkl & Kozák have performed in theaters and at festivals in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Netherlands, France and USA. In 2023, they recorded their first joint CD "Eastern Grass", which was released in the USA by the David Grisman's recording label 'Acoustic Disc'. Zenkl won the US Mandolin Championship in Winfield, KS and invented a masterful technique, the “Zenkl style,” in which a single mandolin sounds like two. Kozak won the title "Guitarist of the Year" 5 times in the Czech Republic and in US won the Mike Auldridge Instrumental Composition Contest in 2024.

Radim Zenkl - mandolin, flutes, didgeridoo, piano, vocal
Ondra Kozák - guitar, violin, dobro, bass guitar, vocal

Radim Zenkl
- mandolin player, composer and instructor. Originally from the Czech Republic, he began playing the mandolin at thirteen, and discovered bluegrass by listening to records that were smuggled into this communist country. The sound of a bluegrass mandolin was the spark that launched a decision at the age of seventeen to play music as a career and subsequently led Radim to escaping from Czechoslovakia in the summer of 1989 (three months before the fall of communism) and settling in the San Francisco area. In 1992, he won the US National Mandolin Championship in Winfield, KS. He has invented a masterful technique, the “Zenkl style,” in which a single mandolin sounds like two. Besides his solo performances, Radim has been collaborating with the top musicians of the US acoustic music scene and played in a duo setting with artist such as Tim O'Brien, Peter Rowan, David Grisman, Tony Trischka, Chris Thile (in a quartet), Scott Nygaard and others. He has recorded nine CDs, including a CD of improvised duets with Tony Rice, Jerry Douglas, Bela Fleck, Mike Marshall and others (Strings & Wings, Shanachie, 1996), and appeared on more than eighty other recordings. Radim has performed and taught workshops at festivals such as the IBMA Trade Show, Merlefest, Telluride, Rockygrass, Walnut Valley (Winfield) and more. He has taught at over 70 week-long music camps including several times at the Steve Kaufman Kamp, Swannanoa Gathering, BC Bluegrass Workshop and many others. His instructional DVD 'Mandolin Primer' was released on Homespun in 2015.
www.zenkl.com

Ondra Kozák
- multi-instrumentalist, singer, composer, music teacher, director and organizer. He focuses mainly on acoustic music: bluegrass, folk, new acoustic. He won the title "Guitarist of the Year" 5 times in the Poll of the Bluegrass Association of the Czech Republic, and in USA won the Mike Auldridge Instrumental Composition Contest in 2024. He participated in more than 20 studio albums with various groups, with which he won a prestigious competition for the European Band of the Year 4 times at the French La Roche Bluegrass Festival. He has collaborated on various occasions with important personalities of the bluegrass music scene, such as Mike Marshall, Darol Anger, Dan Crary, Becky Buller, Mike Compton, John Reischman, Casey Driessen, Bill Evans, Tony Furtado, Beppe Gambetta, Dale Ann Bradley, Steve Gulley, Cia Cherryholmes, and others. He organizes music workshops, prepares podcasts for musicians, founded an online music workshop and is the author of several educational publications.
www.ondrakozak.com
www.atamusic.eu

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