Merima Ključo

Merima Ključo, accordion (Sarajevo, Bosnia), imbues a dizzying variety of music with playing that moves with its depth of understanding and experience.  Whether performing in recital, with ensembles such as Serendipity 4 (with Theodore Bikel), MusikFabrik, and the Asko/Schönberg Ensemble, or as guest soloist with orchestras such as the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, the soulful traditions of her instrument are not only given a unique voice, but they are given new life and meaning. Merima's love of world music, and the music of Bosnia in particular, is something she seeks to share with audiences everywhere. In commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Siege of Sarajevo in 2012, the East West Theater Company and renowned Bosnian theater director Haris Pasovic invited Merima as musical director to compose, arrange, and perform a music poem, “Sarajevo Red Line” (“Sarajevska Crvena Linija”). The piece, which incorporated traditional and pop songs, as well as classical music—music with deep cultural significance, was performed on April 6, 2012 to an audience of 11, 541 empty red chairs lining the main boulevard in Sarajevo, with one chair for every life lost in the siege. On that day, thousands of people from all walks of life congregated to witness and remember. Past Yellow Barn musician (2010, 2011)