Soul Searching - Collegium Academicum

Soul Searching is a jazz project led by guitarist and composer Samuel Gracida, exploring the relationship between jazz and spirituality. Through original compositions and improvisation, the ensemble examines questions of meaning, connection, and the human search for something beyond what can be easily expressed or understood.The music moves between moments of intimacy and intensity, drawing on the expressive freedom of jazz to explore themes of hope, identity, the ineffable, war, and peace. Rather than presenting spirituality as a fixed belief or doctrine, Soul Searching approaches it as an open-ended human experience: a search for meaning, belonging, transcendence, and connection.Rooted in the tradition of jazz while embracing contemporary influences, the project creates space for reflection as well as spontaneous musical interaction. Each performance becomes a dialogue between composed material and improvisation, inviting both musicians and listeners into a shared exploration of the questions at the heart of the music. Samuel Gracida - GuitarChristian Monninger - DrumsPierre Thomé - BassTilman Rivinius - PianoMaša Banićević - Vocals