Amira Medunjanin is coming to Matulji: free sevdah concert on 23 August as part of the Matulji Summer Evenings
On Sunday, 23 August 2026, Matulji will host a concert by Amira Medunjanin, one of the most recognisable contemporary interpreters of sevdah. The performance begins at 21:00 at the Matulji Amphitheatre, and according to the official announcement by the Matulji Municipality Tourist Board, admission is free. The concert is part of the 31st edition of the Matulji Summer Evenings event - "The tramontana will cool you down", which brings together musical, theatrical, folklore and other programmes at several locations across the municipality during June, July and August. The organisers have also confirmed an alternative venue: in the event of rain or other adverse weather conditions, the programme will move to the school sports hall in Matulji. The evening has thus been conceived as one of the larger musical events at the end of the summer programme, with free admission for the audience.
The concert in Matulji comes during an intensive period in Amira Medunjanin's schedule. On the performer's official website, Matulji is listed among the current 2026 tour dates, following the concert in Međugorje on 20 August and the performance in Varaždin on 22 August, while concerts in Sarajevo and Tuzla await her at the beginning of September. Performances in Stockholm, Göteborg, Malmö, Zagreb, Graz, Istanbul, Trogir and Belgrade have also been announced later in the autumn schedule. Such a calendar shows that the Matulji concert is not an isolated performance, but part of the performer's broader concert season, which for years has moved between stages in south-eastern, central and northern Europe. For the audience in Matulji, this means an opportunity to hear the programme of an artist with an international concert presence in the more intimate setting of a summer amphitheatre and with free admission.
A concert at the conclusion of the 31st Matulji Summer Evenings
The 2026 Matulji Summer Evenings began on 7 June and, according to the programme of the Municipality of Matulji and the local tourist board, will run until 30 August. This is the 31st edition of the event, whose beginnings date back to 1995, and over several decades the programme has grown into a regular part of Matulji's summer cultural calendar. This year's edition has included concerts, theatre and puppet performances, folklore evenings, an open-air film screening, a blues programme, local musical groups and events dedicated to tradition and gastronomy. Among the prominent names in the programme, alongside Amira Medunjanin, are Zorica Kondža, Mauro Staraj and Klapa Skalin, while numerous local performers, cultural and artistic societies and associations are also involved in the event. According to an announcement by the Municipality of Matulji, admission to all events within this year's Matulji Summer Evenings is free.
Amira Medunjanin's concert is scheduled for the very conclusion of the event. The day before, on 22 August, an evening organised by the Matulji Municipality Pensioners' Association is scheduled at the Amphitheatre according to the published timetable, while the programme of the Domoljub 1909 Association has been announced for 29 August and an open-air film screening in cooperation with Art-kino for 30 August. Amira's performance therefore falls between local cultural programmes and the final film event, which aptly reflects the concept of the festival: bringing together established performers, local associations and different artistic formats within the same summer cycle. The Matulji Amphitheatre is the central venue for most of the larger programmes, while individual events are also distributed across Mune, Škrapna, Brege and Štacion. The organisers highlight precisely this diversity of locations and content as one of the features of this year's edition.
Amira Medunjanin and a contemporary reading of sevdah
Amira Medunjanin was born in Sarajevo, and in her official biography she describes how she became acquainted with sevdalinka songs within her family and learned them from her mother. Her fascination with the oral tradition of Bosnia and Herzegovina gradually guided her towards developing her own interpretative language, in which she does not treat traditional songs as a fixed repertoire but as a living musical form open to new readings. Over more than two decades of her professional career, her work has been associated with sevdah, but also with collaborations with musicians from jazz, classical and contemporary music. This approach has enabled her to remain firmly connected to the fundamental melodic and narrative character of sevdalinka while simultaneously changing the arrangement framework, dynamics and sound of the accompanying ensembles. It is precisely this combination of tradition and individual interpretation that has become one of the most recognisable features of her concert performances.
International interest in her work is not new. Many years ago, British music journalist Garth Cartwright described her by comparing her to Billie Holiday, emphasising her unconventional relationship with sevdah and her ability to find new contexts within an old tradition. In later reviews, The Guardian highlighted the emotional power of her voice and the way she respects traditional patterns without separating them from experimentation and more contemporary arrangements. Such comparisons do not mean that sevdalinka can be reduced to jazz or blues; rather, they show how international critics have attempted to describe a performer whose repertoire stems from a specific cultural tradition but communicates with an audience that does not necessarily know that context beforehand. It was through precisely this approach that Medunjanin became one of the names associated with the renewed international interest in sevdah at the beginning of the 21st century.
Her discography and concert career have developed through various ensembles and collaborative formats. Her official discography includes releases such as "Damar", "Silk and Stone", "Ascending", "Amulette" and "Homeland", while individual projects have featured pianists, guitarists, accordionists, string ensembles and other musicians. The sonic framework changed as a result, but the focus remained on vocal interpretation and the story conveyed by the song. In a concert setting, this often means alternating between very quiet, almost chamber-like moments and more powerful performances in which the traditional melody opens towards jazz or contemporary acoustic music. The announcement for Matulji highlights timeless sevdah, new original songs and interpretations that have marked her career, so a programme that does not remain confined to a single period of her creative work can be expected.
Sevdalinka has been on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage List since 2024
Additional context for today's interest in sevdah is provided by UNESCO's 2024 decision. Sevdalinka, the traditional urban folk song of Bosnia and Herzegovina, was then inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. In its explanation, UNESCO describes it as a form of traditional urban singing created through a long process of cultural intermingling, in which South Slavic oral poetry and musical influences from the Ottoman Empire developed into a recognisable tradition. The songs can be performed a cappella or with instrumental accompaniment, and their fundamental function is storytelling. UNESCO also particularly emphasises intergenerational transmission: sevdalinka is learned within families through imitation and personal variations, as well as in music schools, at workshops, through individual lessons and within the education system.
Such a description is also important for understanding the way Amira Medunjanin approaches the repertoire. Sevdah is not merely a collection of old songs reproduced in an unchanged form, but a tradition that survives precisely because each new interpretation can introduce a nuance, a personal rhythm, different dynamics or a new instrumental setting. In its documentation, UNESCO emphasises that this is a practice connecting professional and amateur performers of different generations and that it plays a powerful role in cultural identity and the sense of belonging to a community. In this sense, concerts by performers such as Medunjanin have a dual role: they present contemporary musical production while simultaneously maintaining the visibility of a tradition that is transmitted and transformed through performance. The Matulji concert can therefore also be viewed more broadly than a single summer music date - as part of the continuing life of a genre that has also gained international recognition under UNESCO's Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The emotion of the song at the centre of the performance
The original concert programme emphasises the emotional dimension of Amira's singing, and it is precisely this element that frequently appears in international reviews of her work. Her performances do not primarily rely on vocal display or spectacular production, but on shaping the story within the song. A slower tempo, the space between phrases and precisely measured dynamics often carry as much importance as the melody itself. This style of singing is particularly effective in settings where the audience can clearly follow the relationship between the voice and acoustic instruments. An open-air amphitheatre therefore provides a different setting from a large concert hall, and the organisers' announcement identifies the atmosphere of the venue as one of the elements of the evening.
It is important to distinguish sevdah as a broader cultural and musical concept from the personal style of a single performer. Medunjanin does not represent the only contemporary direction within sevdah, but over the course of her career she has developed a highly recognisable interpretation. Her repertoire includes songs from the traditional heritage of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the wider South Slavic region, as well as, in certain projects, original compositions and songs associated with other musical traditions. Elements of jazz, chamber music and contemporary acoustic music can be heard in the arrangements, but the voice remains the principal carrier of meaning. This is also why her concerts can attract audiences from different musical circles: from listeners of traditional music to audiences of jazz, world music and acoustic singer-songwriter programmes.
Matulji between the Opatija Riviera and its green hinterland
Matulji is located in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County in Croatia, in the hinterland of the Opatija Riviera and in an area connecting the Kvarner coastal belt with the interior. The Matulji Municipality Tourist Board describes the area as the "green-and-blue hinterland of the Opatija Riviera", while the local offer combines cultural events, hiking and cycling routes, gastronomy and the protected Lisina landscape. For concert visitors, this location makes it possible to combine the evening programme with a stay in the wider Kvarner area, without having to view the event exclusively as a local festival. This is precisely one of the reasons why, over the decades, the Matulji Summer Evenings have become a programme that also attracts audiences from outside the municipality itself. For those planning to stay longer because of the concert or other events at the end of August, accommodation offers in Matulji and the surrounding area are available.
The location of Matulji also influences the character of its summer evenings. The name of the event, "The tramontana will cool you down", draws on the local dialect and the experience of an evening refreshment that may arrive after a hot summer day, so over the years the slogan has become part of the programme's identity. In their announcements, the organisers emphasise the atmosphere of the open-air amphitheatre, while at the same time retaining a practical plan for changing weather conditions. This is precisely why it was stated in advance for 23 August that, if the weather does not permit an outdoor event, the concert will move to the school sports hall. Visitors therefore do not have to expect a complete cancellation merely because of rain, although it is advisable to check for any new organisational announcement from the Tourist Board or the Municipality of Matulji immediately before arrival.
What you need to know before coming to the concert
The most important details remain unchanged for now: the concert has been announced for Sunday, 23 August 2026 at 21:00 at the Matulji Amphitheatre, and admission is free. Amira Medunjanin's official website also lists Matulji as a concert date on 23 August, confirming that the performer's schedule matches the local programme. According to the currently available official announcement, no mandatory advance registration or issue of special free tickets has been specified, and the event is designated as a free-admission programme. Since a free concert by a well-known performer may attract a larger number of visitors, it is sensible to arrive early, particularly for those who consider it important to find a place before the programme begins. If the venue changes due to the weather, the school sports hall in Matulji will be the alternative venue.
For audiences who already follow Amira Medunjanin, the concert in Matulji offers an opportunity to hear her repertoire in a different, open-air summer setting. For those encountering sevdah for the first time, she is a performer whose work provides a good introduction to the genre because it connects traditional songs with a language of arrangement that is also accessible to audiences coming from jazz, classical music or the contemporary world music scene. UNESCO's recognition of sevdalinka in 2024 brought additional international attention to the cultural value of this tradition, but its true power is still best understood through the performance itself. This is precisely why the concert in Matulji has a broader significance than just another date in the summer calendar: it connects a local festival more than three decades old with a musical tradition that today has strong international visibility. If the weather plan does not change, the Matulji Amphitheatre on 23 August at 21:00 will be the meeting place of these two stories.
Sources:
- Matulji Municipality Tourist Board - official announcement of Amira Medunjanin's concert on 23 August 2026, starting time, venue, free admission and alternative venue in the event of bad weather (link)
- Municipality of Matulji - official publication of the 2026 Matulji Summer Evenings programme, duration of the event, performers, venues and information about free admission (link)
- Matulji Municipality Tourist Board - announcement of the 31st edition of the event and information that the Matulji Summer Evenings began in 1995 (link)
- Amira Medunjanin - official biography and description of her artistic relationship with sevdah (link)
- Amira Medunjanin - official 2026 concert schedule, including the performance in Matulji on 23 August (link)
- Amira Medunjanin - official discography with an overview of releases and projects (link)
- UNESCO - sevdalinka entry on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, its 2024 inscription and a description of the tradition (link)
- The Guardian - interview and profile of the international reception of Amira Medunjanin and comparisons with the jazz tradition (link)
- The Guardian - critical review of the album "Damar" and the relationship between traditional sevdah, experimentation and contemporary arrangements (link)