Seattle: Damir Imamović at Town Hall (Oct. 18)
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Dina Trageser
Sep 20, 2025, 10:00:20 PM (9 days ago) Sep 20
to Northwest Balkan Events
Saturday, October 18
Global Rhythms presents: Damir Imamović, the bard of the Balkans
For Damir Imamović, king of sevdah music, the tradition of Balkan music culture runs deep.
Imamović’s father and grandfather were renowned sevdah musicians. But as an adolescent during the siege of Sarajevo he wanted to play anything but sevdah. Then as a philosophy student, he began forging intellectual connections with the music, developing into both a performer and historian.
Sixteen years into his career, he interprets traditional sevdahs alongside writing new ones, his exquisite tenor ensuring listeners who speak no Slavic languages can engage with the music.
Sevdah is a specific genre of music in the south Slavic region that is concentrated in Bosnia, but also performed in Croatia and Serbia. The Balkans had 500 years of Turkish rule so this explains its Turkish influences, but sevdah has never been sung in Turkish – it’s always been sung in Slavic languages as a form of oral poetry.
Sevdah is mournful yet beautiful – commentators have also labeled it “the Balkan blues” – with songs focusing on the anguish of love alongside older ballads that tell stories of life on the border, rebellions, family relationships, and more. After Yugoslavia’s brutal dissolution, young performers have started to renew the genre and continue to grow and expand the components of Sevdah.
7:30 PM
Seattle Town Hall
1119 Eighth Ave (enter on Eighth Ave.)
Seattle, WA 98101
Tickets for in-person and livestream viewing: https://townhallseattle.org/event/global-rhythms-damir-imamovic/
Global Rhythms presents: Damir Imamović, the bard of the Balkans
For Damir Imamović, king of sevdah music, the tradition of Balkan music culture runs deep.
Imamović’s father and grandfather were renowned sevdah musicians. But as an adolescent during the siege of Sarajevo he wanted to play anything but sevdah. Then as a philosophy student, he began forging intellectual connections with the music, developing into both a performer and historian.
Sixteen years into his career, he interprets traditional sevdahs alongside writing new ones, his exquisite tenor ensuring listeners who speak no Slavic languages can engage with the music.
Sevdah is a specific genre of music in the south Slavic region that is concentrated in Bosnia, but also performed in Croatia and Serbia. The Balkans had 500 years of Turkish rule so this explains its Turkish influences, but sevdah has never been sung in Turkish – it’s always been sung in Slavic languages as a form of oral poetry.
Sevdah is mournful yet beautiful – commentators have also labeled it “the Balkan blues” – with songs focusing on the anguish of love alongside older ballads that tell stories of life on the border, rebellions, family relationships, and more. After Yugoslavia’s brutal dissolution, young performers have started to renew the genre and continue to grow and expand the components of Sevdah.
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