The Fes Festival of World Sacred Music 2019, Program & Venues

The Fes Festival of World Sacred Music, Program & Venues

The Fez Festival for World Sacred Music will take place from June 14th – 22nd, 2019. This year’s Festival theme is Fes at the Confluence of Cultures. The 2019 musical program celebrates artists from over thirty countries performing here, curated by artistic director, Alan Weber. Some of the high lights of this year’s Fes Festival are: The World Youth Orchestra, Sami Yusuf, described by Time Magazine as one of the greatest Sufi singers alive, The Grand Flamenco Evening with José Mercé and Tomatito, Marcel Khalife, Ritual songs and dance by Cuban women’s group Obini Batá and The Art of Muwashah from Aleppo and Sacred Songs of Persia.

Each year the Fes Festival of Sacred World Music has an elaborate opening night at the Bab Makina, a historic fort. This year’s show is entitled Fes, Memory of the Future.  The memory of the future is inspired by an illustrated children’s book that opens with this evocation of Fez. It transcribes the miraculous birth of the city, Idriss II’s childhood full of legends and anecdotes that led him to be declared an imam at the age of 11. The opening night concert has been conceived and is directed by Alain Weber. Musical direction, composition, and arrangements are by Ramzi Aburedwan with lighting by  Christophe Olivier, assisted by Gaël Boucault.

Fes Festival Opening Night, Bab Marina – 2019 in Memory

Fes Festival Cast: Opening Night at Bab Makina on Friday, June 14th, 2019

Hassan El Jaï: comedy (Morocco)
Ensemble Taskiwin: Ahwach (Morocco)
Aïda Niati: voice (Tunisia)
Women’s Ensemble of Chefchaouen: voice (Morocco)
Sufi Women’s Ensemble from Senegal: voice
Sahar Mohammadi: voice (Iran)
Haig Sarikouyoumdjian and Georgi Minasyan: duduk (Armenia)
Walid Ben Selim: voice (Morocco)
Haroun Teboul: ney flute (Morocco)
Sufi Ensemble of Jerusalem: voice (Palestine)
Mevlevi Dervishes of Istanbul: dance (Turkey)
Hamadcha Sufi Brotherhood of Fes (Morocco)

Halima Hamdan, Speaker Fes Festival Forum

The Forum, Fes at the Confluence of Cultures.

The Fes Festival’s musical line up is complimented each year by a forum which provides an open space for cultural exchange and debate. It serves as an opportunity for writers, philosophers, and thinkers to take part in an inspirational dialogue. The forum is one of a kind in Morocco.

This year the festival presents the theme Fes at the Confluence of Cultures. It is a tribute to Fes and will explore while beliefs, languages, history, ways of life and customs might be different, all cultures are still a source of wisdom, peace and offer the potential of prosperity. The Fes Forum will be centered around three aspects which are: Knowledge before judgment: the idea before the opinion, the necessary fundamentals of dialogue between cultures and lifestyles in traditional cities (medinas) and the underlying spiritual value of respect. Some of the speakers at the 2019 forum are Halima Hamdane (Morocco) and Hind Taarji (Marrakech, Morocco), Faouzia Cherfi (Tunisia), Francois Xavier (France) Fodé Sylla (Senegal) and Kahlid Zekri (Meknes, Morocco).

2019 marks the twenty-fifth year, a quarter of a century, since the very first Fes Festival of World Sacred Music, took place in this magical UNESCO Heritage city. Under the high patronage of His Majesty Mohamed VI, the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music and its Forum were set up in 1994 to emphasize the scholarly, artistic and spiritual tradition of the city of Fes.  In 2001, the UNO declared the Festival as one of the most outstanding events that are contributing to the dialogue of civilizations.

Marcel Khalife, Musician from Lebanon

The Fes Festival of World Sacred Music 2019, Program & Venues

Friday, June 14th 
21.00 (9:00pm) Bab al Makina
Opening Concert: Fes, In Memory of the Future

Saturday, June 15th
09.00 (9:00am) Prefecture Hall, Batha: Forum

16.30 (4:30pm) Jnan Sbil Garden
Anuna (Ireland)  Sacred Songs of Ireland

21.00 (9:00pm) Bab al Makina
Sami Yusuf (UK)
23.00 Dar Tazi: Sufi Night (Sufi to be announced)

The main theme of the 25th edition of the festival, Fes at the confluence of cultures, pays tribute to culture, music and the city of Fes.

Aree J Sufi Ensemble, Oman

Sunday, June 16th
09.00 (9:00am) Prefecture Hall, Batha: Forum

16.30 (4:30pm) Jnan Sbil Garden
Sahar Mohammadi and Haïg Sarikouyoumdjian (Azerbaijan, Armenia)

21.00 (9:00pm) Bab al Makina
Marcel Khalife (Lebanon)
23.00 (11:00pm) Dar Tazi: Sufi Night

Monday, June 17th
09h00 (9:00am) Prefecture Hall, Batha: Forum
16.30 (4:30pm) Jnan Sbil Garden
Bahariyya (Azerbaijan)

Night in the Medina I
19.00 (7:00pm) Dar Adiyel
Les Voix Humaines (Canada)

20.30 (8:30pm) Jnan Sbil Garden
Michelle David and the Gospel Sessions (USA/Netherlands)

22.00 (10:00pm) Ben Youssef Complex
Areej Sufi Ensemble (Oman)

22.00 (10:00pm) Dar Adiyel
Les Voix Humaines (Canada)

23.00 (11:00pm) Dar Tazi: Sufi Night (free)

Michelle David & The Gospel Sessions

Tuesday, June 18th
16.30 (4:30pm) Jnan Sbil Garden
Canticum Novum (France)

Night in the Medina II
19.00 (7:00pm) Dar Adiyel
Dhrupad Fantasia (France)

20.30 8:30pm)  Jnan Sbil
Carlos Nuñez, Master of the Gaïta Bagpipes (Spain)

22.00 (10:00pm) Ben Youssef Complex
Meera – Indian Dance

22.00 (10:00pm) Dar Adiyel
Dhrupad Fantasia (France)

23.00 (11:00pm) Dar Tazi: Sufi Night (free)

2019 marks the twenty-fifth year, since the very first Fes Festival of World Sacred Music, took place in this magical UNESCO Heritage city.

Meera India, Fes Festival

Wednesday, June 19th

Night in the  Medina  III
18.00 (6:00pm) Ibn Danan Synagogue, Fes el Jdid
Kol Colé (Germany)

19.00 (7:00pm) Dar Adiyel  Svetlana Spajic Vocal Ensemble (Serbia) with Cherifa Kersit (Morocco)

20.30 (8:30pm) Jnan Sbil Garden
World Youth Baroque Ensemble

22.00 (10:00pm) Ben Youssef Complex
Obini Bata (Cuba)

22.00 (10:00pm) Dar Adiyel
Svetlana Spajic Vocal Ensemble (Serbia) with Cherifa Kersit (Morocco)

23.00 (11:00pm) Dar Tazi: Sufi Night (free)

Thursday, June 20th
16.30 (4:30pm) Jnan Sbil Garden
Homayoun Sakhi (Afghanistan)

Night in the Medina IV
18.00 (6:00pm) Ibn Danan Synagogue, Fes el Jdid
Kol Colé (Germany)

19.00 (7:00pm) Palais Glaoui
How Far is the Sun from the Earth? (France)

Friday, June 21st
16.30 (4:30pm) Jnan Sbil Garden
Sona Jorbateh (Gambia)

Night in the Medina V
18.00 (6:00pm) Dar Batha
Opera Slam Baroque (France)

19.00 (7:00pm) Palais Glaoui
How Far is the Sun from the Earth?

21.00 (9:00pm) Bab al Makina
The Art of Muwashah, from Aleppo to Fes

23.00 (11:00pm) Dar Tazi: Sufi Night

Saturday, June 22nd
16.30 (4:30pm) Jnan Sbil Garden
Masters of the Harp (Colombia, Paraguay and Venezuela)

18.00 (6:00pm) Dar Batha
Opera Slam Baroque

19.00 (7:00pm) Palais Glaoui
How Far is the Sun from the Earth?

21.00 (9:00pm) Bab al Makina
Grand Flamenco Night with José Merce and Tomatito (Spain)