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Goran Bregović & His Wedding & Funeral Band

4 March 2025

In the Concert Hall

Contemporary Music

Making his return to the Sydney Opera House for a fifth knockout appearance, global superstar and Balkan music icon Goran Bregović turns the Concert Hall into a rousing celebration of his storied career.

Bregović's composing is touched by genius.

Sydney Morning Herald

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The rousing return of Sarajevo’s superstar

From Sarajevo-born rockstar to celebrated soundtrack composer and multi-faceted master of Balkan sound, Goran Bregović is a generationally beloved giant of global music. After a string of electrifying shows over the years, Bregović is bringing his Wedding and Funeral Band back to the Sydney Opera House for a celebratory performance that’s set to be one of the year’s most jubilant parties.

Born in Sarajevo to a Serbian mother and a Croatian father, Bregović left his classical studies at 16 to form Bijelo Dugme (‘White Button’), a rock ’n’ roll band that sold millions of records and became Yugoslavia’s most popular musical act before disbanding in 1989. As a new decade dawned, Bregović took a memorable turn toward film music, embracing the Gypsy rhythms of his native Balkans on the internationally acclaimed soundtracks to Emir Kusturica’s Time of the Gypsies (1989), Arizona Dream (1993) and the Cannes-winning masterpiece Underground (1995). With his Wedding and Funeral Band, Bregović mixes Gypsy brass musicians with percussion, Bulgarian polyphonies with a choir of vocalists, and a string section with electronic programming. His boundless talent has seen him collaborate with everyone to Greek crooner Dalaras to Turkish icon Sezen Aksu, rock icon Iggy Pop and avant garde legend Scott Walker.

Bregović’s wildly eclectic – and wildly euphoric – performances are the kinds of experiences not easily forgotten. Animated by the composer’s infectious love for music, Bregović’s shows are triumphant cross-cultural affairs, mixing traditional Balkan rhythms with Bulgarian, Georgian and Corsican chants, and the sounds of Europe’s roaming Gypsy musicians. It’s set to be a celebration – and an irresistible invitation to dance.

Sydney Opera House presents by arrangement with Arts Projects Australia

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