The 14th annual
Friday 6 June Opening Night
Bab Makina 20:30
Jessye Norman (USA), with the Regional Lyric Orchestra Avignon Provence (France). Conducting: Rachael Worby (USA)
Saturday 7 June
Batha Museum 16:30
Ghada Shbéïr (Lebanon) Songs of the Eastern Christian Churches
Bab Makina 20:30
Night of Sacred African American and Sufi Songs Night
Spiritual/Hymns/Qawwali/Gospel
Faiz Ali Faiz (Pakistan) ensemble with and Bernice Johnson Reagon and the Sacred Sound Ensemble (USA)
Sunday 8 June
Batha Museum 16:30
Mari Boine (Norway) Sacred Songs of Scandinavian Far North
Bab Makina 20:30
Al Kindi ensemble with Sheikh Hamza Shakour, the Munshid of the Great Umayyad Mosque and the Choir of Greece - Dir. JJ Weiss (Syria/Greece/France)
Stabat Mater Dolorosa - Christian and Muslim Homage to Mary
Monday 9 June
Batha Museum 16:30
Thanh Huong (Vietnam) Traditional and sacred songs
Bab Makina 20:30
Belen Maya Company (Spain) Dibujo Flamenco dance
Tuesday 10 June
Batha Museum 16:30
Tartit Women's Ensemble (Mali) Folk and sacred songs of the Tuareg
Bab Makina 20:30
Panti Pusaka Budaya Ensemble Sacred Traditional Dances of Bali / Indonesia
Wednesday 11 June
Batha Museum 16:30
Ysaÿe Quartet (France) The Seven Last Words of Christ (J. Haydn) Text: Michel Serres – Narrator: Michael Lonsdale
Thursday 12 June
Batha Museum 16:30
The Roza Enflorese (Belgium) Sephardic sacred and traditional songs
Bab Makina 20:30
Abdelwahab Doukali (Morocco)
Friday 13 June
Batha Museum 16:30
Cantus Colln (Germany) Around JS Bach/Spiritual Paths (Buxtehude - J. Rosenmüller - JS Bach) Director: Konrad Junghanel
Bab Makina 20:30
Majda Roumi (Lebanon)
Saturday 14 June
Batha Museum 16:30
Madhup Mudghal (India) Bakhti devotional songs
Bab Makina 20:30
Ismael Lô (Senegal) with the Brotherhood Hamadcha of Fez (Morocco) From Dakar to Fez: from heart to soul
Sunday 15 June
Bab Makina 20:30
Mohamed Abdou (Saudi Arabia)
ADDITIONAL EVENTS
Photographic Exhibition: The
Earthen Mosques of
Film: Latcho
Drom by Tony Gatliff (on gypsies from Rajasthan to Andalusia –
premiered at the
PRESS
RELEASE 2008
The
14th Fes Festival of World Sacred Music takes place this year from 6 to 14
June in the ancient city of Fes (Fez), Morocco. This year celebrating the
1,200th anniversary of its founding, Fes has become a global music
destination since the start of the festival following the first Gulf War.
The Fes Festival lures both musicians seeking fresh ideas and renewed
inspiration as well as international music lovers, many of whom return year
after year. VIP guests last year included members of the Irish supergroup
U2, composer Osvaldo Golijov, and Queen Rania of Jordan.
Visitors can expect a magical experience, because 2008 looks set to be
outstanding – with a spectacular international line-up devised by Artistic
Director Gerard Kurdjian. It reflects diverse forms of musical creativity
– from grass roots folk music to popular entertainment to the formal
European classical traditions. The theme of this year’s festival is Paths
to Creation.
The star of the opening night concert in the magnificent setting of the Bab
Makina palace courtyard, is the American diva Jessye Norman, who will sing
with the Avignon Lyric Orchestra conducted by Rachael Worby. Jessye Norman
is one of the undisputed greats of the operatic world. She has sung all the
major soprano roles and is especially acclaimed for her performances of
Verdi’s Aida.
There will be two dazzling dance performances at the Bab Makina later in the
week – flamenco from Spain’s Belen Maya and traditional sacred dances
from Indonesia featuring The Panti Pusaka Budaya Ensemble.
2008 also sees the return to the Fes Festival of the Sufi master musician
Julian Weiss with the Al-Kindi Ensemble featuring guest a vocalist Sheikh
Hamza Shakour from Damascus. In collaboration with The Byzantine Tropos
Choir from Athens, they will premiere a Christian and Muslim homage to the
Virgin Mary in the form of a Stabat Mater Dolorosa.
More intimate afternoon concerts take place beneath a giant Barbary oak in
the Andalusian gardens of the Batha Museum. This year’s program includes
Mari Boine from Norway performing Sami sacred songs from the Scandinavian
far north and Thanh Huong singing Vietnamese traditional sacred songs.
/more2
European classical sacred music comes from Cantus Coln from Germany and
Madhup Mughal from India offers a programme of devotional songs from the sub
continent.
Late night excitement is generated in the medina’s Dar Tazi gardens where
Moroccan Sufi brotherhoods entrance audiences with ecstatic music into the
wee small hours. And in the Place Boujloud the people of Fes gather at dusk
for the Festival in the City series of free concerts.
This year the Fes Rencontre forum brings academics, philosophers,
politicians and priests together to examine the role of the sacred in modern
life. Mohammed Sarwar, the UK’s first Muslim MP, will be among the
speakers.
Last year U2 spent time in Fes during the festival, writing and rehearsing
their new album, set to be released this October. They have since spoken
passionately about the transformational experience they discovered at the
festival. “Fes is a holy place for musicians “says Bono, humanitarian
activist and singer with the group, “we came to pay tribute and to learn.
We are on a pilgrimage”.
Bono’s perspective is shared by Sir Nicholas Pearson, Chairman of The
Temenos Academy: “Fes and its sacred music festival has a unique
opportunity to become the place where Islam meets the West in open and
fair-minded dialogue,” he says. “It is for this reason I believe Fes
should become a place of pilgrimage for people of goodwill from all
religions. We should come to Fes to resolve our differences and celebrate
our common humanity. “