Miletići Shares New Music From The Old Country

“It’s all about the village.”

— Sam Miletich

Sam Miletich describes himself as a jazz musican. He is also a story keeper, documenting and sharing stories from his family village.

Sam’s new ensemble project, Miletići, explores music and stories from the Balkans, where his family originates. Last year, Sam had the opportunity to travel with his father Matthew (also a musician and part of Miletići) to “the old country” — or Croatia — where they visited the family village.

As part of Miletići, Sam and Matthew reflect together on the relationships between family, place, culture and migration in these turbulant times.

Miletići performed traditional songs and some new compositions at a concert that Fire in the Village organized at Sampaguita, a music and community space in downtown Aitkin.

Between songs, Sam and his father talked about their trip home, and about the ways that people from the Balkans have made a home here in northern Minnesota, especially in the region known as the Iron Range.

You can hear Sam talk about these themes in a recorded conversation with Fire in the Village co-founder and artist Shanai Matteson on Soundcloud.

It was a moving performance and we learned a lot! We’ll share video here soon for those who could not join in person.

We look forward to following Sam as he continues to develop this project!