Music – it’s something we all feel deeply. We listen, dance, cry, laugh, and remember through it. And now thanks to the internet, we have access to any kind of music, anytime, anywhere.
But for those who want to go beyond listening – to truly learn, create, and perform, especially in genres like jazz and contemporary music – opportunities in Slovakia are still limited.
A couple of weeks ago, I attended the ninth edition of Za Hranice s Hudbou – or “Beyond Borders with Music” – a summer workshop where young musicians come together to push past creative and cultural boundaries.
I took courses in harmony and vocals, joined jam sessions, and had the chance to sit down with Ester Wiesnerová and Lenka Molčányiová, two of the co-founders of Za Hranice s Hudbou. We spoke about their vision for the development of music education in Slovakia, the challenges young musicians face, and how they feel their initiative is helping to shape a new generation of Slovak music artists.
Za hranice s hudbou
Máte problém s prehrávaním? Nahláste nám chybu v prehrávači.
Ester Wiesnerová: “It’s still home and it’s a place where I want to give back and where I see a wonderful community of very talented musicians who I would love to see thrive worldwide.”
Ester Wiesnerová is a jazz singer, composer, and educator on her vision of helping young Slovaks gain wider musical recognition and be heard abroad. Named one of Forbes Slovakia’s “30 under 30” and the first Slovak to be elected to the Grammy Awards jury, Ester co-founded Za Hranice s Hudbou in 2018 alongside jazz flutist Mária Reháková, singer-pianist Teri Froncová, and multi-instrumentalist Lenka Molčányiová.
With the support of lecturers from abroad, Za Hranice s Hudbou runs an annual summer workshop, jam sessions, and international masterclasses, creating space for young musicians to grow in genres largely overlooked by Slovakia’s traditional conservatoire-based music education system.
But even getting this far here hasn’t been easy for Za Hranice s Hudbou and its founders, all of whom have extraordinary back stories.
Ester Wiesnerová: “I was reminiscing how for me, whatever it was 15 years ago, my only options to study jazz singing were either studying opera or studying theatre. And then I talk with students now and it’s exactly the same, unfortunately. There’s a jazz guitar department at one of the conservatoires but it only offers private lessons where they can study jazz and everything else is only classical music. So, there’s not really a full comprehensive program where these people could study what they’re passionate about until this day really. So, not that much has changed since our time.”
To truly develop as jazz musicians, both Ester Wiesnerová and Lenka Molčányiová had to leave Slovakia.
Lenka Molčányiová: “For us just going to the US was the biggest challenge where we had to cross so many borders and we are here to support our students if they want to do the same. We are here for them to help them. I’m constantly inspired by the musicians that we work with. All the young people they are so creative and so hungry for music, and creativity, and music production. I see the future in them and that’s very inspiring for me.”
Lenka and Ester both studied jazz in Boston – Lenka at the New England Conservatory of Music and Ester at Berklee College of Music. What they found there, they’re now trying to bring back home. But why? As Ester explains, Slovakia still lacks structured programs in jazz and contemporary music. Most students who want to study these genres are left to cobble together their education through private lessons. And while for the time being many young Slovak musicians still have to look abroad for their education, Za Hranice s Hudbou hopes to offer an alternative to those who cannot afford such opportunities – not only by exposing Slovak students to new sounds and methods, but by showing them that they, too, can one day give back.
Lenka Molčányiová: “We are trying to motivate them as well now to go abroad and study. And so many of them are now being accepted to great jazz colleges, for example. But then also we’re trying to encourage them to feel the social responsibility, or the responsibility for the community – for the music community – and to come back and help this whole thing grow.”
All this comes at a time when the development of culture and artistic freedom in Slovakia is under threat. Under the current coalition government, we’ve seen unjustified dismissals of key figures in the local arts community, slashed funding for certain artists, and efforts to undermine cultural pluralism. Culture itself has become an institution all artists are now fighting to protect.
After years in the US, Ester Wiesnerová has noticed how cultural values shape confidence in the arts, and how Slovak humility, while admirable, can sometimes hold artists back from asserting their voice.
Ester Wiesnerová: “In terms of values, if I very generally compare Slovaks to Americans, I would say we’re much humbler and not that used to talking about ourselves highly and presenting ourselves. And while I see this as an opportunity to grow for Slovaks, I also think it’s beautiful and very valuable at times and it’s something I am proud of in a way, that we have that natural humbleness in us.”
For musician Lenka Molčányiová, the difference becomes clear when you look at how young artists are shaped musically. She felt the contrast first-hand after moving to the US.
Lenka Molčányiová: “In Europe we grow up with different kind of music so then getting people to swing or groove, it might take more time. Just first you need to start with so much listening and kind of trying to absorb it all. But maybe once you go there to the US, you’re just so surrounded by it from the very first time – you’re attacked by the blues, by the swing, by the country, by everything – and that was the greatest thing for me in the US. Just be immersed in that culture and in that jazz.”
But as Lenka suggests, isn’t not just a different sound, but a different mindset. For young Slovak artists, entering a world where improvisation, groove, and personal voice are central can be exhilarating, but also overwhelming. Because even now in Slovak music education, such elements often take a back seat to technical mastery.
At this year’s summer workshop, musicians from Slovakia, Germany, and the UK gathered in the small central Slovak village of Ostratice to teach, learn, and unlearn. But for co-founder Ester Wiesnerová, the clearest challenges her students face isn’t skill, but something more fundamental.
Ester Wiesnerová: “The fascinating thing about my Slovak students is that they’re often technically brilliant – they had so much training on how to play – yet, they are very afraid of letting their ideas out for some reason. And it’s not that their ideas aren’t there or that they don’t have the tools to let them out, but they just don’t dare to. And that’s the biggest thing I see throughout all of my classes here and one of the biggest reasons, I think, we started also Za Hranice s Hudbou is to give space for these people to just let everything that’s in out, because there’s so much there.”
And that’s what Za Hranice s Hudbou is about, creating space where it didn’t seem to have existed before. Whether it’s in Slovak music education offering, or in a young musician’s own mind.
Lenka Molčányiová: “For us it’s really about creating that space no matter what it is – whether it’s a week-long workshop or a jam session, or in the future it might be our dream music academy, right? So, it’s about the space that is about freedom, about the freedom of expression, the creativity, the performance, the collaboration – that’s very important. We experienced in the past that people wouldn’t really collaborate in Slovakia, so we really want that to change for the next generation – and I think it’s really happening!”
Ester Wiesnerová: “I think it’s amazing to see a group of young people who love what they do and they suddenly have the space where they can be authentic and be themselves and it encourages me to do the same. And just because I’ve been a musician for a long time doesn’t mean that I don’t need that same space actually that they do. So, I think for all of us it’s enriching.”
Looking ahead, the team behind Za Hranice s Hudbou dream of opening a modern, multi-genre, and international music academy in Slovakia. One that focuses not only on performance, but also on songwriting, sound engineering, and careers across the music industry. And in so doing, will finally allow young Slovak artists to break out and have their music heard beyond domestic borders.
Here’s Lenka Molčányiová, imagining the kind of student she hopes will graduate one day.
Lenka Molčányiová: “Aww, that’s so beautiful to dream about this ha-ha. I see a well-educated, professional musician that is versatile, that is very authentic, creative beyond any expectations and any limits, and proactive, and aware of themselves – what they want to do, what they want to create or change in life, how they want to influence others with their music, what they want to say. Music is about telling a story, so I want to a see a musician that tells stories.”
And for any musicians listening, wondering when to take that next step, or how to begin, here’s what Ester and Lenka want you to know.
Ester Wiesnerová: “Do your research, learn as much as you can, and then don’t wait for the right time to present whatever you created or learnt – the right time is now.”
Lenka Molčányiová: “Follow your heart and your guts! Very, very important, I think my intuition got me to the craziest places that I would never have dreamt of – including this. Seeing it happening is incredible. So really, dream big. Give yourself challenges and go crazy, and don’t be afraid of doing mistakes – that’s very important.”
Speaking personally as a young Slovak singer-songwriter, I would like to thank Ester Wiesnerová and Lenka Molčányiová, and the entire Za Hranice s Hudbou family for creating a space where young musicians in Slovakia can explore, express, and grow.
I would like to hope that their vision of building a platform for young Slovak musical artists to develop their talents here at home will continue to grow.
Written and recorded by Gigi Green.
