Fr. 17.07.: MIND TREE

in der Waldarena
Mind Tree is a Slovenian piano trio consisting of three multi-award-winning musicians - pianist and keyboardist Matic Štemberger, bassist Peter Smrdel, and drummer Žiga Smrdel.
The trio performs original music, mainly influenced by progressive metal, jazz, classical music of the 20th century, alternative, free jazz, and avant-garde. In April 2023, they released their debut album Catharsis, which received excellent reviews - the title track “Catharsis,” composed by Matic Štemberger was awarded the prize for the best Slovenian composition by the jury of the Jazzon competition, and the composition Mind Trip won the prize of the international jury for the best original composition at the global competition 7 Virtual Jazz Club. They have performed in esteemed venues, such as Porgy & Bess (Vienna, AT), Cankarjev dom (Ljubljana, SI), Jazz Club B-Flat (Berlin, DE), Konzerthaus Klagenfurt (AT), and many others.
C R I T I C S & Q U O T E S "This is a finely crafted piece of music,
and it is well-executed. Matic Štemberger has a deft touch and because of this, the music breathes. I liked the composition for many reasons, but especially because it stakes a claim In October 2025, they are going to release a new album Suite For Shattered Dreams, reflecting the modern world, marked by the illusion of freedom, escapism from real problems, and quiet dissatisfaction. The music offers a sincere, uncompromising view of the struggles of society, while also paying tribute to the forgotten and erased voices of our time.
M E M B E R S
Matic Štemberger (2002) is a pianist and composer. He had learned from musical names such as Danilo Perez, Joe Sanders, John Escreet, Joel Ross, Jason Brown, Melissa Aldana, and Jonathan Kreisberg. He has won numerous awards, such as two gold plaques at the Temsig national competition, the Lucijan Marija Škerjanc Award for exceptional academic success and merits in the artistic promotion of the Conservatory of Music and Ballet Ljubljana and is ranked among the young hopes of insurance company Triglav. He shared the stage with significant musicians and bands, such as Immanuel Wilkins, Alex Sipiagin, Luis Bonilla, Jure Pukl, Big Band RTV Slovenia, Symphony Orchestra RTV Slovenia, Hei’An… Peter Smrdel (1994) and Žiga Smrdel (1996) have been significantly active on the European music scene as members of the rhythm sections of various bands - both with WCKD Nation and Hei'An, as well as in collaboration with top musicians such as Jure Pukl, Marko Churnchetz, Denis Beganovič, Igor Matkovič,, and bands such as Okustični, Vazz, Rok Zalokar Trio, Nazzareno Zacconi Trio, etc.
They have learned from jazz masters such as Gregory Hutchinson, Shai Maestro, Joel Ross, and Kurt Rosenwinkel. They are recipients of the HEMI Award - (The Hub for the Exchange of Music Innovation), awarded by the CSEE (European initiative aiming to support Artists and Music Professionals from Central and South Eastern Europe), gold plaques at the Temsig national competition, and the significant professional award “Zlata piščal“ (Golden Flute), given by the cultural and artistic association ”Zlata piščal” for achievements in the field of Slovenian popular music.