AMIRA

It is not easy to find a single word in English that can stand for the Bosnian concept of SEVDAH, although yearning perhaps comes closest. Like the Spanish duende, it carries multiple meanings – love, hopeless love, endless love, a desire that chills and fevers the lover like malaria, and like malaria can never be shaken off – but in the end, it’s a way of life, and a narrative that tells the story of itself.

Amira was born in Sarajevo at the time when the popularity of traditional music in the former Yugoslavia was at the high tide, and sevdah held a special place for her.  The sevdalinke (sevdah songs) she learned from her mother were the most beautiful of songs.  Her fascination with the oral tradition of Bosnia and Herzegovina led her to devote herself to creating a unique voice within sevdalinke to explore their expressive capacity to the full.  She had spent years searching in vain for to find people who shared her ideas about Sevdah, and for the best way to present it.

Dubbed “Bosnia’s Billie Holiday” by music journalist and author Garth Cartwright, the comparison reflects the way in which Amira turns sevdah inside out, finding new contexts and forms within a tradition that is hundreds of years old.

BOŠKO

He has graduated on Music Academy Sarajevo Department for Musicology in 2004, and the Department for solo guitar in Music Academy E. Sarajevo, in class of professor Zoran Krajisnik in 2006. He continued his education on post graduated study with professor Alexander Swete on Music Academy in Sarajevo (2010). He won a Special Prize on a Federal Guitar Competition in Bugojno 1998. As a soloist of the Chamber Symphony Orchestra Zenica, Bosko has been performing since 1994, and several times he had performed as a soloist of the Orchestra "2007" and Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra. He has recorded guitar part on soundtrack for the movies: "Twice Born" (director: Sergio Castellito, actors: Penelope Cruz, Emile Hirsch and Mira Furlan)", and "Jasmina" (director: Nedzad Begovic, actors: Zijah Sokolovic, Nada Djurevska). He has played with various artists in different genres of music, such as Edin Karamazov, one of the world finest lute players, violoncello star Stjepan Hauser (2 Cellos) and Amira Medunjanin unique singer of "Sevdah", traditional music of Bosnia Herzegovina. He has performed in India, Austria, Denmark, Czech Republic, Croatia, UK, Serbia, Turkey, Italy, Montenegro, Belgium, Switzerland, Sweden, Slovenia and Norway. He continued his education by participating in different seminars (with Egberto Gismonti, Leo Brouwer and other) and working with distinguished professors of guitar such as: Predrag Stankovic, Mila Rakanovic, Roland Dyens, Costas Cotsiolis, Denis Azabagic, Vera Ogrizovic, Martin Myslavicek and others. Since 2013, he is Yamaha guitars endorser.