Sorin Zlat Trio featuring Mihaela Alexa

The Sorin Zlat Trio featuring Mihaela Alexa is a premier Romanian Jazz ensemble renowned for its seamless fusion of Cool Jazz, Post-bop, Latin Rythms and Classical music elements.

Led by the award-winning Pianist and Yamaha Arrist - Sorin Zlat - the first non-American to win the Grand Prix at the Great American Jazz Piano Competition - the trio collaborates with vocalist Mihaela Alexa to deliver a dynamic genre-spanning repertoire. Her expressive, soulful vocals enrich their musical style, which ranges from re-imagined jazz standards to intricate, cinematic original compositions. 

The group frequently tours global jazz circuits, headlining major International Festivals and Prestigious venues like London's Ronnie Scott's and New York's Birdland Jazz Club

Sorin Zlat – Piano
Mikele Montolli – Double Bass
Andy Trim – Drums
Special Guest: Mihaela Alexa – Voice

Sorin Zlat Trio is among the most representative contemporary jazz projects from Romania, with an intense activity on prestigious international stages. Founded in 2008 by pianist and composer Sorin Zlat, the trio is known for its modern sonic identity, the balance between lyricism, energy, and improvisation, and for its personal approach to reinterpreting the jazz tradition. Over the years, the trio has performed at renowned festivals and venues such as the Montreux Jazz Festival, London Jazz Festival, Jacksonville Jazz Festival, Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club London, Blue Note Jazz Club and Birdland New York, earning consistent appreciation from both audiences and critics.

In 2025, Romanian pianist Sorin Zlat started working on his new album Changing Times, which contains original works. The project enjoyed not only a well deserved success in Romania, Europe and the United States, but also gave rise to a new collaboration. With styles ranging from cool jazz, to post-bop, latin, flamenco, funk, avant-garde, the proposed project is a testament to the universality of music, with musicians coming from generations and different schools of thought, but unified by the common language of jazz. Basically this is the idea of the album,

Changing Times being a realm of all musicians where music is a universal language.

The concert unfolds in two complementary parts.

In the first part, the Sorin Zlat Trio performs instrumental compositions and arrangements by Sorin Zlat, highlighting a contemporary jazz language shaped by lyricism, rhythmic intensity, modern harmony, and strong narrative development.

In the second part, Mihaela Alexa joins the trio, expanding the musical palette through elements of jazz, vocal interpretation, and improvisation, while preserving the coherence and identity of the project.

Sorin Zlat-Piano (Romania), pianist, clarinetist and composer, the winner of many

national and international awards, is one of the most representative jazz pianists of

the new generation of Romanian artists, who in recent years received distinctions such

as the Grand Prix at The Great American Piano Competition in Jacksonville USA (2015), it was for the first time when an non-American musician managed to win the trophy. Other prizes worth to be mentioning: Grand Prix-Monaco Jazz Competition (2013), Grand Prix-Montreux Jazz Competition (2015), Best Band And Public Prize-Getxo Spain 2012, Best Jazz Musician Award for two times in his home country, Citizen of Honor in 2018. Invited as headliner at Jacksonville Jazz Festival 2017, Sorin had the chance to play with his trio on the same stage alongside Chick Corea Trio, Joey Alexander Trio, Gerald Clayton and Gregory Porter. In 2019, due to the rich track record he has, Sorin was contacted by the Yamaha Music company to represent them and since then he has become a Yamaha Artist. In 2020, the artist was invited to perform at one of the most prestigious jazz conferences in USA Jens Jazz Conference with American musicians with whom he frequently collaborates when he has tours in the USA. Currently, Sorin tours with his trio/quartet in Europe and North America, enjoying numerous concerts in famous clubs and festivals such as Blue Note, Birdland, Smalls , Music Village and Jazz Station in Brussels, Vortex, Pizza Express, Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, Kings Place Hall London, Istanbul’s Nardis Club, Montreux Jazz Cafe Club, B-Flat Club in Berlin or attending prestigious festivals such as Montreux Jazz Festival, Jacksonville Jazz Festival, Izmir Jazz Festival, Brussels Jazz Festival, Pera Fest Istanbul, Getxo International Jazz Festival in Spain, Enter Enea Jazz Festival in Poland, Eunic Jazz Festival Berlin, Monaco Jazz Festival, etc.

Mihaela Alexa is a classically trained soprano and jazz singer, a graduate of the National University of Music in Bucharest, where she also completed her Master’s degree in classical singing. She is recognized for her rare ability to navigate and clearly distinguish between classical music, jazz, pop, and soul, while maintaining stylistic authenticity and expressive depth. She has won numerous prizes at national and international competitions in both classical and jazz music. Currently, Mihaela Alexa is a soloist (soprano) at the Ion Dacian National Operetta and Musical Theatre. Her jazz debut took place in 2008 alongside Sorin Zlat, marking the beginning of a long-standing artistic collaboration. Together, they have performed in Romania and internationally, in venues and festivals such as Music Village Jazz Club (Brussels), Birdland Jazz Club (New York), Goethe-Institut (Paris), B-Flat Jazz Club (Berlin), Izmir Jazz Festival, Craiova Jazz Festival, Galați Jazz Festival, and Houston Jazz Festival.

Michele Montolli-Bass (IT) studied violin from the age of seven switching

later to electric bass. By the age of seventeen, he had taken up classical double

bass at Verona’s Conservatory, followed in 2009 by a degree in Jazz Double Bass

obtained in Graz, Austria. Michele joined the London Jazz scene in 2010 and

since then has toured the world performing at various music festivals held in

Europe, New York, Tokyo, and the Balkan Peninsula. His portfolio includes

performances and recordings with renowned artists such as Knoel Scott and

Marshall Allen (Sun Ra Arkestra), Julie Dexter, Don Menza, Vladimir

Kostadinovic, Seeds of Creation, Amira Kheir, Pataruco, Charlie Stacey, as well

as recordings and appearances for the London National Television and the BBC

Television.

Andy Trim-Drums (UK) has played alongside legendary jazz figures

Humphrey Lyttelton, Danny Moss, and Brian Lemon since his teen years. Once

admitted to the London jazz scene, he performed at the renowned Pizza

Express and the 100 Club with artists such as Charles McPherson, Nathan

Davis, and Gene “Mighty Flea” Connors. In Italy, he met Avishai Cohen, one of

the world’s most influential double bass players of our times, who invited young

Andy to New York to study with Jeff Ballard, Eric McPherson, and Mark

Guiliana. One of the most respected drummers in London, Andy developed a

unique style in interpreting the 21st century jazz which brings a neo perspective

well enjoyed by the style’s