HOME

FRAGMENT

   Fragment was founded by banjo player Svat'a Kotas in 1983.   In the nearly 20 years of its existence, the band has seen many musicians and musical styles in its ranks come and go – from newgrass to new acoustic music to bluegrass.

   Since 1999, Fragment has regularly toured the USA. The band has performed at numerous prestigious bluegrass festivals in the Midwest and elsewhere, including Bill Monroe’s Festival in Bean Blossom, Indiana; IBMA’s Fan Fest in Lousiville, Kentucky; the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas; the Festival of Legends of Country and Bluegrass in Columbia, Mississippi, the Bluegrass Festival at Thomas Point Beach in Maine, the Bitterroot Valley BG Festival in Hamilton, Montana and International BG Festival in Guthrie, Oklahoma. One of the most exciting experiences for the band was performing at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville in October 2000.

   Fragment and its members have received much recognition and have been awarded many prizes, but the most memorable was winning first place at SPBGMA’s European Bluegrass Band Championship in Vienna in 1998.

   Since 1994, Fragment has recorded five albums: “Sunday Afternoon” (1994), “Sny” (1995, aimed mostly at the Czech audience), “One Of These Days” (1998), “Fragment 2000”and

   “Waiting for Summer”. These days is the band working on the new CD project that will be released just on front of the US Tour in June 2003.

Jana Doláková  has been with Fragment since 1993, originally as a singer. Since 2000, she is also a bass player for the band.  She completed journalism at Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovak Republic, but Fragment’s music is a definitive part of her life. She writes lyrics in Czech, Slovak and English. 

Henrich Novák is the most respected resophonic guitar player in Slovak Republic. He’s been performing with Fragment, with several breaks, since 1983. In 1991 and 1994 he won the John Dopyera (inventor of the dobro) prize. He is also a dobro instructor at the first “Dobro Class” at the school of music in Trnava.

Tomáš Juřena, the youngest member, joined Fragment in January 2002.  He started playing guitar at age 13. His musical career began with his parents in a traditionally oriented family band.

Richard Ciferský, the newest member, known from premiere Slovak bluegrass band called 29 Strings. He serves as the President of the Slovak Bluegrass Music Association.