The Sarajevo Haggadah: Music of the Book Concert and Discussion
Tue, Jan 13, 7:30 pm
Pre-Performance Conversation, 6 pm
General $20, students w/ID $5
Logan Center Performance Hall (915 E 60th St)
Composed by Bosnian-born, Los Angeles-based accordionist Merima Ključo, this multimedia work traces the highly dramatic story of one of the world’s most famous manuscripts.
Featuring Ključo’s use of musical traditions from Spain, Italy, Austria, and Bosnia-Herzegovina, together with animation by video artist Bart Woodstrup, The Sarajevo Haggadah traces the manuscript’s travels from medieval Spain to 20th century Bosnia, where it was hidden and rescued during World War II by Muslims, to its restoration by the National Museum in Sarajevo after the 1992–1995 war.
Join us for a discussion before the performance with Dalia Kandiyoti of City University of New York and Amila Buturovic of York University in Canada, exploring questions of heritage, cultural placement, text, and context. This discussion will provide a historical-cultural placement of the Haggadah and its journey and life in Bosnia, as well as reflect on its cultural reception with a focus on the literary text. The performance will also be followed by an informal discussion with the artists, moderated by Shulamit Ran and Philip Bohlman from the Department of Music.
Watch a preview video for The Sarajevo Haggadah: Music of the Book (02:49), which was commissioned by the Foundation for Jewish Culture and the New Jewish Culture Network and developed in residence at Yellow Barn.
For more information and to purchase tickets, click HERE