Folk Arts - Master Artist - John Morovich

John Morovich. Photo by Fritz Dent.

John Morovich is a master Croatian musician—singing, dancing, and playing all five of the Tamburitza instruments, the piano accordion, slovene chromatic accordion and the nearly extinct stringed Samica and Dangubica. He first learned traditional Croatian musical traditions from his grandparents, especially his paternal grandmother Ana (nee Branica) Morovich. John’s grandmother taught him the dialect and songs of her native island, Zlarin, in the Adriatic Sea Region known as Dalmatia.

John grew up in the Croatian community of West Seattle, connecting him with many Croat elders. He has been an educator of Croatian tradition for many years, performing with the Vela Luka Croatian Dance Ensemble, the Ruze Dalmatinke and the Sinovi Orchestras. He has been present at the Tamboritza Extravaganza in Omaha, Nebrasca, the Seattle Folkdance and Folklife Festivals, the Humbolt County Folkdance Festival in California, and many more.

In 2001 John was awarded a Folk Arts Fellowship in recognition of his outstanding contributions to preserving traditional Croatian music and culture.