When the voice of the most important contemporary interpreter of sevdalinka and the smell of cobblestones that are three hundred years old come together on a Sarajevo summer evening, a magic is created that is remembered. On Wednesday evening, the second edition of Damir Imamović’s Sevdah concert series opened in Svrzo’s house, and the fact that the first concert has already been sold out proves that Sarajevo could hardly wait for these musical nights. Only that contingent of 25 tickets remained, which, two hours before each of the concerts, will be offered at the box office of the Svrzo’s House to tourists who want to enjoy sevdah in its “natural setting”, because this concert series was primarily created as a new Sarajevo tourist product.
The premiere concert is also be a kind of musical holiday, as two non-series artists from the regional and world scene will take the stage with Damir Imamović in the courtyard of the Svrzo’s House. The guests were Vasil Hadžimanov, the famous jazz pianist and keyboardist whose name has been synonymous with the superb combination of traditional Balkan rhythms and modern jazz for decades, and the virtuoso percussionist Aleksandar Petrov. All three artists, known for their incredible synergy and experimentation with traditional music of the Balkans, turned the repertoire into a unique sound journey and set high standards for everything that awaits us in Svrzo’s house during July and August.
And every Wednesday during July and August, the audience will have the opportunity to enjoy a unique combination of music and a breath-taking atmosphere. Concerts are held in the harem of Svrzo’s house, a space that vividly evokes the original context in which sevdalinka was created, grew and lived for centuries. Along with Damir Imamović, as his guests, numerous local, regional and European musicians will take turns on the stage, bringing world sounds to the heart of old Sarajevo.
This season of Damir Imamović’s Sevdah concert series in Svrzo’s house brings a special emotional and historical weight. Namely, this year’s concerts celebrate two great anniversaries – the 300th anniversary of Svrzo’s House and the 75th anniversary of the Museum of Sarajevo taking care of this national monument. As sevdalinka was officially registered on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity at the end of 2024, these evenings become a perfect bridge between the material and spiritual treasures of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Due to the preservation and protection of the authentic but sensitive ambience of the Svrzo’s House, the number of seats for each concert is strictly limited. Tickets for the following Wednesdays can be purchased via the Karter.ba platform, as well as at the box office of Svrzo’s House.
Behind this innovative cultural-tourism product are the Sarajevo Navigator Foundation, which for 15 years has been actively redefining the promotion of Sarajevo and BiH through culture, art and modern communication tools, and the Sarajevo Museum, led by the agile and capable director Indira Kučuk-Sorguč.
Important note for the audience: The organizers will do everything to ensure that the concert, despite the changeable weather, takes place under the open sky of the Svezo’s house, because that authentic atmosphere is a key part of this musical experience. However, if the weather conditions before the start prevent us from doing so, the magic moves under the vaults of Brusa bezistan – another fascinating historical building and annex of the Museum of Sarajevo, where sevdah will get completely new, intimate acoustics.
The implementation of this year’s project was strongly supported by the general sponsor BH Telecom – My Story and the official payment partner Mastercard. The project is implemented with the institutional support of the FBiH Ministry of Environment and Tourism, the Canton Sarajevo Ministry of Culture and Sports, the City of Sarajevo, the Municipality of Stari Grad Sarajevo and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in BiH.
