Sarajevo to Belfast
Sarajevo
to Belfast.
A musical meeting
across two histories.
A musical meeting across two histories of conflict.
Tommy collaborated with Sarajevo cellist Vedran Smailović in performances and a shared recording. Belfast International Arts Festival’s archive records their From Sarajevo To Belfast concert at Elmwood Hall on 29 November 1998. The Sarajevo to Belfast album followed in 1999, bringing their music together around experiences of conflict, loss and recovery.
Two places, a shared musical conversation
Tommy and cellist Vedran Smailović brought experiences of conflict from Northern Ireland and Sarajevo into their collaboration. Belfast International Arts Festival records their From Sarajevo To Belfast concert at Elmwood Hall on 29 November 1998, placing the partnership within the city’s festival programme.
The recording
Released in 1999, Sarajevo to Belfast brings cello and song together across eleven tracks. The programme includes Ode to Sarajevo, Bembasa, The Music of Healing, Child of 2000 and Laganside, alongside Where Have All the Flowers Gone. It moves between material associated with the two musicians and songs shared across a wider folk tradition.
A wider circle of musicians
The album credits include Joan Baez, Dolores Keane and Pete Seeger, with contributions from members of the Sands family and musicians including Liam O’Flynn, Arty McGlynn and Lisa Gutkin. AllMusic’s catalogue preserves the track list and credits, while the festival archive documents the Belfast performance.