Jazz Fest Sarajevo will present four projects of Bosnian-Herzegovinian artists as part of the main festival program this year, continuing the tradition of presenting local musicians and new music. Over the past 20 years, more than 60 musicians from Bosnia and Herzegovina participated in over 100 Jazz Festival programs.
That number will be increased this year for 43 B&H musicians who will perform at the main festival stage at the Dom policije on November 4th and 5th.
Two excellent artists with international reputation, both born in Banja Luka – Mario Batković and Dejan Terzić will present their music to the jazz festival audience. Mario Batković has lived in Banja Luka until the beginning of the war and since he has been living in Switzerland while Terzić lived in Banja Luka until he was three when he moved to Germany with his family where he lives today while working as a professor at the academy in Bern, Switzerland.
On November 4th, Batković will perform for the first time at Jazz Fest when he will have a solo concert for the accordion, and drummer Terzić is a well-known acquaintance of Jazz Fest audience. He premiered at Jazz Fest in 2003, and three years later in 2006 he opened the 10th Jazz Festival with his ensemble Underground, and in 2007 he performed in trio with Mike Del Ferro and Enes Seferović. At this year’s XX1st Jazz Fest, on Sunday, November 5th, he will perform with his Axiom ensemble, which includes American saxophone player Chris Speed, British bass player Phil Donkin and pianist Bojan Zulfikarpašić.
Aside from Batković and Terzić from Banja Luka, XX1st international music festival Jazz Fest Sarajevo 2017 will also introduce an artist from Sarajevo, born in Zenica, who has been living and working in Vienna for many years. Nataša Mirković will perform the repertoire of Sephardic songs in a brilliant trio of En El Amor with the French serpent player Michel Godard and American percussionist Jarrod Cagwin. This concert is scheduled for November 4th. The next day the festival will be closed with the 40-member Chamber Orchestra from East Sarajevo Music Academy under the leadership of conductor Rade Radović, performing a concert of Orthodox spiritual music.
Tickets for all festival concerts can be purchased on this link at “friendly” prices till September 15th.