Ajri Demirovski (Македонски: Ајри Демировски, Türkçe: Hayri Demirovski) (1927 – october 21, 2009), is the author of the song „Битола мој роден крај“ (Bitola, my native city).
He was born in Bitola, Republic of Macedonia (former Kingdom of Yugoslavia). After the WWII liberation, Ajri Demirovski was the first student from Bitola who was sent to the Graphical school in Zagreb to study the printing craft. But he never worked as a printer in Bitola.
He was employed at Radio Bitola as a guard where he had an unusual opportunity regularly to listen to the most popular Bitola and Macedonian singers in flesh. It made him think about the creation of new Macedonian music.
Ajri Demirovski composed over fifty songs. His most popular ones are: „Мариче, бре лично девојче“ (Marice beautiful girl), „А море мајко близу Битола“ (Somewhere mother near Bitola), and many others, which are thought to be folk song, since they have generally been accepted and sang. And certainly the most famous among them all is „Битола мој роден крај“ (Bitola my native city), infused with a passionate love towards his native Bitola, and which represents a music symbol of Bitola, by which Bitola is recognized and distinguished abroad.
Bitola’s citizens, pronounced this song to be the song of the 20th century and thus its author Ajri Demirovski to be a honourable citizen of Bitola. He recieved this award in may, 2007. Few days ago (on october 21, 2009) Ajri Demirovski passed away in Izmir (Turkey) where he lived for the last 50 years. Rest in peace, big man!
Notes: This version of “Bitola moj roden kraj” was performed by Petranka Kostadinova.