Bios
Back Porch Conservatory
Back Porch Conservatory is an international musical ensemble lead by Jeremy Saxon, based in San Francisco, USA and in Prague, Czech Republic.
Jeremy Saxon
Voice, Bass Guitar, Writing and Arrangements
Jeremy is an American musician and songwriter who has written over a thousand songs and performed professionally since before there was an Internet. He has drawn on the Classical training of his youth and his college days in writing the music for Back Porch Conservatory.
Our Touring ensemble for Europe
(availability depends on personal schedules)
Marie Hasoňová
1st Violin
Marie found her calling at age 4 when she first heard the violin played. Says a colleague: ‘There are only a few violinists at the Conservatory at Marie’s level - but the others can play only Classical. Marie plays it all. She’s not Classical, she’s Violin.’
Adam Pakosta
2nd Violin
Adam is involved in recording and producing music and videos, in addition to performing.
Alena Šístková
Cello
She was born to it: Alena’s father is a cellist. Alena’s mother is a cellist. Alena’s brother is a cellist with the National Symphony.
Jakub Verner
Viola
Jakub began playing professionally at sixteen, traveling with an orchestra made up of his immediate family. He lives for the stage.
About Jeremy
Raised in a musical home, Jeremy naturally gravitated to studying music at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music as well as Performance Art at the San Francisco Art Institute. He cut his teeth as a performer in San Francisco juke joints, where he learned:
"It comes down to playing something more interesting to the audience than their next beer. And those were some very interesting beers!”
He first came to Prague shortly after the Velvet Revolution, and his spoken word and music performances became an integral part of the ‘Paris of the 1990’s scene’. Jeremy formed several bands and recorded four albums spanning a range of genres, including Blues, Jazz, Rock, Country and Gospel. In 2008 he relocated to the Cajun and Creole parishes of Southwest Louisiana, where making music with friends is an expected part of daily living.
Now he has channeled his inner Mozart and gone Classical. He says: “The sound of the Cello is what pulled me most strongly in this direction. The first time I heard the scratchiness of the rosin flowing into the warmth of the low overtones, I thought: ‘That right there. That’s rock and roll!’”
About Back Porch Conservatory
Back Porch Conservatory is a mash-up: music from Jazz to Country to Grunge, but with a Classical ensemble in place of the typical band. Jeremy is located in San Francisco, but has found recording mates - and a touring group - back in Prague. "Meeting them a very pleasant shock," he explains. "They are as skilled as I expected, but their enthusiasm and high energy are a joy at our every meeting. Recording with them has been inspiring. Performing with them is a party."
"The element of FUN is so deeply important to my every project, no matter how serious. We're getting close to my original goal, the feeling of playing skilled music, with the atmosphere of playing for ourselves, among friends, on some back porch after a fine dinner or barbecue."
