CACERES, Vesna

Vesna Cáceres, born Vesna Vaško, is a Czech-Croatian composer, singer and accordionist, born in Sisak in 1971. She was born into a Czech-Slovenian family and has lived in Prague since 1990. She studied accordion in Croatia, then musicology at Charles University in Prague, and singing at the Jaroslav Ježek Conservatory. In 1993 she represented the Czech Republic in the World Youth Choir.

In 1996 she founded the group Ánima Band with Mexican guitarist Pablo Ortiz. With this ensemble she performed in Prague clubs and festivals, combining Brazilian and Latin American music, swing, bossa nova, samba and her own compositions. Her music moves between jazz, chanson, Latin music, world music and instrumental compositions for accordion.

Since 2004 Cáceres has also worked as a solo chanson singer, setting poetry by French and Czech poets to music and accompanying herself on accordion or guitar. She has composed music for theatre productions, including Manželské vraždění, Tonka Šibenice and Krvavá svatba. Her discography includes albums such as Ánima cum corpo, 5 elementos, Aquarela do Brasil, Vzpomínky na Jadran and Le bal des fleurs