In its fourth edition, the Ponta Lopud Jazz Festival brings to the island an exceptional mentoring duo – Omar and Rachel Z Hakim, whose shared life and artistic journey includes collaborations with some of the most influential names in twentieth- and twenty-first-century music, from Madonna’s world tours and work with Michael Jackson to their contribution to Daft Punk’s Grammy-winning hit “Get Lucky.” Taking place from August 27 to 29, 2026, the festival offers young musicians from Croatia, the region and beyond a rare opportunity to work alongside artists who have lived groove and improvisation on the world’s most demanding stages and now pass that knowledge on in the unique setting of Lopud.

“There are no two musicians who better embody this fusion of jazz, rock, pop and electronics than Omar Hakim and Rachel Z Hakim. They begin with a deep sensitivity and profound understanding of the language of jazz, which they combine with an exceptional feel for groove and soul, bringing a strong sense of spirituality into their playing. On a personal note, I had the privilege of studying with Rachel Z Hakim as one of my first professors at The New School for Jazz & Contemporary Music, and I will never forget how inspiring that experience was. Participants of Ponta Lopud Jazz Festival 2026 are in for something truly special,” said Thana Alexa, co-founder and Artistic Director of the festival.

Omar Hakim grew up in a New York musical family whose roots trace back to the big band orchestras of Duke Ellington and Count Basie. He began playing drums at the age of five, following in the footsteps of his father Hasan Hakim, a trombonist who performed with these legendary ensembles. By the age of ten, he was already performing publicly, distinguished by impeccable technique, a deeply rooted sense of groove and the ability to move effortlessly between acoustic jazz, funk, pop and electronic music.

His list of collaborations is nearly impossible to summarize, yet even an incomplete selection speaks volumes: George Benson, Lionel Richie, Chaka Khan, Kate Bush, Bobby McFerrin, David Bowie, Foo Fighters, Bruce Springsteen, Michael Jackson, Celine Dion, Sting, Miles Davis, Mariah Carey and Madonna. Across hundreds of projects, Hakim has left a distinctive mark that has shaped decades of popular and jazz music. A particularly notable chapter is his work with the legendary Dire Straits, joining them on a major world tour following the release of Brothers in Arms, one of the most successful and widely attended tours of the 1980s, as well as his long-standing collaboration with Madonna, which took him across the globe. The 1990s also saw his collaboration with Michael Jackson on the album HIStory (1995), while the new millennium brought one of his most recognizable musical signatures through his work on Daft Punk’s Grammy-winning track “Get Lucky.”

Rachel Z Hakim is a pianist and keyboardist whose path to the top of the jazz and rock scene has been equally distinctive, though entirely her own. She graduated from the New England Conservatory and gained early recognition as a key member of the fusion group Steps Ahead, led by legendary vibraphonist Mike Mainieri, an experience that proved to be just the beginning of a series of collaborations that established her at the highest level. Her role on Wayne Shorter’s Grammy-winning album High Life (1995), for which she developed complex orchestral textures alongside acoustic piano parts, earned her a reputation as a musician trusted with the most demanding projects. Her long-term collaboration with Peter Gabriel on the Growing Up tour, as well as her work with Stanley Clarke and Lenny White in the fusion supergroup Vertú, further confirmed her equally powerful presence in both studio work and live performance.

As a solo artist, Rachel has developed a distinctive voice that critics consistently place alongside the great figures of the jazz tradition. The Guardian has compared her improvisational spontaneity to that of Herbie Hancock and McCoy Tyner. Her 1997 album Room of One’s Own, a tribute to women in music, featuring arrangements by Maria Schneider and line-ups that included Regina Carter and last year’s Ponta Lopud Jazz Festival Master in Residence Terri Lyne Carrington, remains one of the most frequently cited projects of its kind. Her thirteen acclaimed albums testify to a remarkable continuity rarely seen in contemporary music. Today, she is a professor of jazz and contemporary music studies at The New School in New York, as well as a professor in the jazz and electronic music program at Montclair State University, where she brings the same artistic principles into her teaching as she does into her performance.

Their joint project The Trio of OZ, which brought them together as a creative unit, along with their label OZmosis Records, founded in 2010, synthesizes everything that defines them as musicians: improvised EDM, electronic music, jazz and rock merging into a sound that defies categorization, shaped by decades of shared life and performance. At Lopud, festival participants will have the opportunity to engage with them not only as performers but also as mentors who understand firsthand what it takes to build an international career in music without compromise — and who are committed to sharing that knowledge openly.

The Ponta Lopud Creative Platform presents three summer cultural programs in 2026 and warmly welcomes all lovers of the arts, especially film, music and literature. The Ponta Lopud Film Festival will be the first of the three events, taking place from June 25 to 28 and dedicated to cinematic art. The second event, the popular Ponta Lopud Jazz Festival, will bring music enthusiasts to the island from August 27 to 29, while Ponta Lopud Book Bridge will transform Lopud into a literary haven from September 17 to 19, rounding off the summer season.

All information about the program and accompanying events will be available at pontalopud.hr and on the social media channels of the Ponta Lopud Creative Platform.