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Damir Imamović

photo of Damir Imamovic performing live. He sings into the microphone and his arms are raised. The background is black and yellow, he wears a dark green shirt.

A debut UK appearance from the celebrated Bosnian Sevdah musician, performing songs from his forthcoming album.  

A form of Balkan blues, Sevdah literally means ‘beautiful sadness’. The style emerged at the same time as Portuguese fado, Argentine tango and American jazz.

Songlines' 2021 Best of Europe award winner, Imamović enriches the traditional Sevdah repertoire with his own compositions on contemporary themes, stimulating an interest in the genre from younger and international audiences. 

Imamović is set to release a new album on Smithsonian Folkways in May 2023 – a soundtrack to acclaimed Bosnian-American author Aleksandar Hemon’s new novel The World And All That It Holds.

Performing with bassist Theodoris Ziarkas, violinist Ivana Djurić, and percussionist Nenad Kovačić, plus guests, Josh Middleton (accordion) and Aleksandar Hemon (readings), this repertoire sees Imamović continuing to forge new directions for this traditional form. 

Tagged with: Contemporary music

Stage times:

7.30 – 9pm without an interval

Times are approximate and subject to change.

Produced by the Barbican

Reviews

‘A new take on Balkan blues!‘
Guardian
‘The king of sevdah music!‘
HuffPost

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Milton Court