Jokic explores cultures through song, analyzing their intricacies and dissecting how they compare to other music. (Mariam Djaby / For the Heights)
The Newton Public Library hosted Berklee assistant professor and musician Tamara Jokic on Thursday in partnership with Older Adult Services for a lecture titled “Musical Performance Lecture: Around the World.”
“An entire world exists in one song and one performance,” said Jokic.
The lecture brought the audience from Newton to Europe, focusing on the Balkan region and surrounding influences, as well as Mediterranean communities.
Jokic explores cultures through song, analyzing their intricacies and dissecting how they compare to other music.
Jokic’s zeal for music started at 6 years old, and she later realized her passion through attending Berklee. After she completed her master’s in music at Berklee, Jokic began traveling, touring, and performing around the country.
After a quick introduction, Jokic performed “We Could Have Done It All” in English, a song from her homeland, the Serbian region. The song is about nurturing friendship and romantic relationships.
“[In this song you go] back to the past and being in the present and kind of communicating through emotion,” Jokic said. “Then you would go through these images where you would see your old friends or your old acquaintances, romantic stories, and that song is guiding you through the entire experience there.”
Her strong and comforting vocals were a grounding presence throughout the song. After the performance, the room was seemingly in a state of deep reflection before erupting in applause.
Jokic emphasized that Serbia’s geographical density of diverse cultures and histories has shaped Serbian music.
“[Serbia] was a part of the Ottoman Empire for 500 years,” Jokic said. “So, in our singing, you can hear a lot of ornamentation that will come from Turkish music. For example, in traditional songs, you would hear a lot of melismas that have a bit of microtones in them, which means that we’re using scales that are also quite present in Turkish music.”
Jokic used her next performance of a Sephardic Serbian song to elaborate on the universality of Sephardic culture and its incorporation into music within multiple countries.
“This kind of wavy feeling we get from the vocals in the area [has] influences both from the Sephardic Jewish community from Spain that ended up here after the exile, and from the Ottoman culture from Turkey that ended up there because of the conquests,” Jokic said.
In describing the rivers, lakes, and hills of the Balkan region, Jokic analyzed how geography itself can shape the way communities sing.
“The traditional style of singing from the Balkans has a very throaty structure to it, but also big support from the diaphragm,” Jokic said. “So you would have a great support and then project your voice to the back, mostly because in ancient times of this region, they had to communicate over these rivers, lakes, and hills.”
Jokic sang “Kaval Sviri” or “Kaval Plays,” referring to the kaval, an instrument native to the Balkan region. The song started as a rhythmic chant—loud, strong, and piercing—the song evoked Jokic’s understanding of the gravelly tendencies of Balkan songs.
“So my voice is placed in a way that’s filling up the nasal cavity more, but still really getting support from the belly,” Jokic said. “So it’s kind of almost an invitation to go to battle, to war. It has this chanty feel to it.”
Jokic ended the lecture by playing a video of “L’italiano” by Toto Cutugno, describing the beautiful sights of Italy and her own experience being there. Her takeaway was that through music, teleportation is possible.
“We can use songs that reflect a certain culture, a certain nation, a certain language,” Jokic said. “On the wings of those songs, we can visit all of these places.