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Mary Sherhart
Mary Sherhart is
one of America's leading
teachers and performers of traditional Balkan vocal music. Mary awarded
2006 Artist Trust / Washington State Arts Commission Fellowship
Artist Trust link.
I recently had the pleasure of attending the 2007 Mayor's Arts Awards ceremony. The individuals who received this well deserved recognition reflected an inspiring commitment and passion for their art forms. I am proud to live in a city which has such a vibrant and diverse artistic life. I am also very grateful to the many people who have given my life so much meaning through your love, friendship, inspiration, support and, of course, music! As the world seems to be more insecure every day, art and artists' offer a respite to the craziness. One of the forces for maintaining and spreading Balkan music in North America is the East European Folklife Center. Their website is www.eefc.org. They produce two music and dance camps each year where one can study with very gifted singers, instrumentalists and dancers, enjoy live music every night, all in beautiful rustic settings.  November 24, 2007 Evening of Sevdah: The love songs of Bosnia and Herzegovina 7:30pm - Town Hall www.eveningofsevdah.com Some of the most talented artists in the Pacific Northwest join together to create a magical night of sevdah. Get a load of the line up so far: Singers Ekrem Pilic, Fehim Salaka, Dragi Spasovski and yours truly On accordion and vocals John Morovich On accordion Elvir Becic On saz Peter Lippman and Nihad Djozic Poet Dijana Bakovic Ensembles Ruze Dalmatinke and Zlatne Strune Ensemble Sevdah children's ensemble KUD Behar The concert will engage people of all ages from the local Bosnian and Herzegovinan community. Children will  perform and be
ushers. Grannies will demonstrate handcrafted items in the
lobby.
Grandpas will help build sets for the stage which will be decorated as
a traditional Bosnian home. Moms and dads will lend carpets,
copper ware and more for the stage decoration. Denis Basic,
director of Ensemble Sevdah in Seattle, has designed a gorgeous poster
for the event. We received permission to use this image from
Svein Monnesland, the author of 1001 Days, an unprecedented
collection of historical lithographs from Bosnia and Herzegovina.For tickets and more info visit: www.eveningofsevdah.com This concert is supported in part by generous donations from the Seattle Peoples Fund, City of Seattle Office of Arts and Culture, and local businesses. Ethnic Heritage Council (www.ethnicheritagecouncil.org) has kindly agreed to serve as our fiscal agent for the event. The concert is Seattle's contribution to Sevdah North America's first annual North American Day of Sevdah. Events large and small will be held all over North America on November 24. the Saturday after American Thanksgiving. So, what is Sevdah North America? SEVDAH NORTH AMERICA (SNA) What is sevdah? The traditional music of urban town centers of old Bosnia and Herzegovina. The word 'sevdah' is of Arabic origin meaning "love" in its many shades - longing, joy, heartbreak, shyness, flirtation, warmth, tenderness, suffering. The music of sevdah evoke strong emotions from melancholy to euphoria. Rich cultural references abound in the texts, as do historical personages and places. Poetic imagery paints beautiful scenes of nature, town streets and markets, traditional homes and fragrant gardens. Originally, sevdah was sung with saz in homes, but moved into public venues like taverns, coffee houses, picnics (teferic), concerts and gatherings of friends (sijelo). Instrumentation also transformed from traditional saz to accordion and tamburica. Sevdah reached an even broader audience with the coming of recording, radio and television and is enjoying something of a renaissance today. This beloved music takes on an even deeper meaning to people far from their homeland and it was their reaction at Balkan Cabaret performances that inspired me to delve into sevdah. With a desire to promote and preserve this cultural jewel, a group of individuals came together to form Sevdah North America. Is it an ambitious undertaking? Yes indeed! A ridiculous amount of work? Undoubtedly! Is there fire in our bellies to do it? Absolutely! Our hard working 7-member board (with members in Seattle, Chicago, St. Louis, Jacksonville and New York) has filed Articles of Incorporation and will apply for tax exempt status very soon. Along every step of the way, our 20-member advisory council of community leaders across North America has and will provide guidance and support. Here are some of SNA's goals: A beautiful and informative website Annual 'North American Day of Sevdah' on the Saturday after American Thanksgiving 2009 academic symposium on sevdah Musical performance tours Research among immigrants in Chicago who came to America in the 1930 and '40's. Competition for newly composed sevdalinke Support for sevdah efforts in Bosnia and Herzegovina Children's activities Advice on fund raising and event production The activities of SNA will engage people of all ages in grassroots community centered projects. The SNA website, currently being designed, will be a resource for information about sevdah, a place for communities to post photos and reports from their sevdah-related events, and be beautifully illustrated with historical lithographs from Svein Monnesland's gorgeous book 1001 Days and photos from Bosnia and Herzegovina. We hope to especially engage youth in our activities and have open ears for new ideas or examples of existing programs in your or other communities from which SNA can draw.
Balkan Cabaret (www.balkancabaret.com)  We had a busy 2007 spring and summer. The Balkan Cabaret Band with special guest John Morovich toured the midwest and by all accounts were warmly and enthusiastically received. The guys regaled me with stories of the hospitality they received and dance energy at their gigs. I'm sorry to have missed it, but wanted to be home with the family this summer. Balkanalia 2007 (www.balkanalia.org) was simply magical. Many thanks to the incredibly hard working volunteers who make this wonderful camp possible. I'll never forget the sing-along during BC's cabaret set on Saturday night with 150 people raising their voices together. Music brings people together like nothing else. Special thanks to those who took my singing classes. What a bunch of great singers! Your obvious love of the music was a real gift. Another highlight at balkanalia! was a special performance by Svila Choir and friends. Do you know there are many Balkan women's choirs in North America? Check these links out and let me who I've missed: Kitka in SF: www.kitka.org Planina in Denver: www.planina.org Mila in Minneapolis: www.milavocalensemble.com Dunava in Seattle: www.dunava.org Slaveya in Washington DC: www.slaveya.org Podrushki in Grass Valley, CA: www.balkanchoir.com Svitanyha in Philadelphia : www.svitanje.org Zvezda, Pittsburgh: www.balkanbabes.org Born to Drone in Mountain View, CA: www.borntodrone.org Darena in Salt Lake City http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=119513624 Divi Zheni in Boston http://www.divizheni.net/ Balkan Babes in Victoria, BC, CANADA Svirka in Albuquerque, NM Gradina in Sebastopol, CA Now, back to BC. Performing in downtown Seattle as part of the 'City of Seattle Presents' noontime series was a real highlight - the Blue Angels overhead, gorgeous Seattle weather, the crowd of office workers and friends who stopped by to dance. As always, performing on Vashon Island was a joy, but this time it was extra special - beloved Ethel Raim was in attendance along with 4 of the 5 fabulous Foster sisters. In our quest to continue to grow and improve, BC is thrilled that John Morovich will coach us over the next months. John's musicality, well tuned ears and artistry are second to none. We are lucky to get critical feedback from someone of John's caliber right here in our own back yard. I recommend each and every group bring him in for a few sessions. Check out Balkan Cabaret's calendar, photos, CD info and more at our website www.balkancabaret.com.  Click here for stories and photos of previous postings. To be added to my mailing list distributed by New Land Music, please send an email to: mary@marysherhart.com
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Mary Sherhart