With a theme that presents to an international audience the ways of wisdom traveled by the wise men of the world over the centuries, from 3 to 12 June the seventeenth edition of the "World Sacred Music Festival"of Fès (Morocco), which UNESCO defined in 2001 "manifestation among the ten most relevant worldwide for peace and tolerance".
This 17th edition is also enriched with new scenarios. Next to the main venues, such as the scenic stage under the walls of Bab Al Makina and the Batha Museum with the now famous concerts in the Arab garden, this year's great novelty are the concerts in the historic residences, a suggestive route in music to discover the secrets of the oldest medina of the Maghreb.
Opened every artistic expression of the sacred, the Festival will also offer moments of great intensity this year, starting from the inaugural evening, Friday 3 June, with the work "Majnûn et Leyl" on libretto by Leili Anvar, with the musical direction of the composer Armand Amar and with forty artists from different geographical areas, from East to West.
Among the guest artists – they are in all 27 concerts planned on the ten days of festivals – also two Italian ensemble: Saturday, June 4 from Sardinia Elena Ledda and her quartet, together with the choir of the Confraternita Su Cuncordu 'E Su Rosario de Sanctu Lussurgiu, present the concert "Cantendi A Deus", while in collaboration with the Foundation Ducci Thursday, June 9 the ensemble "Il concerto di Aria Vinna" shows with a baroque repertorio
Great expectations, moreover, for the performance of the Senegalese singer and percussionist Youssoun N’Dour who places a tribute to Sheikh Sidi Ahmed al-Tijani, great master of the Brotherhood Tijaniyya, and Ben Harper, guest at the festival for the first time with a concert inspired to the theme of this edition.
Finally, in addition to concerts the festival will host the usual forum "A soul for globalization" that this year develops around the theme "Discussion on wisdom", inspired by the poetic work of Farid al-Din Attar "The Conference of Birds". Numerous international guests will animate with their daily meetings (from Friday 4th to Wednesday 8th June); among them we mention at least Wim Wenders, Leila Shahid, Karen Amstrong, Jacques Attali and Jean-Claude Carrière, present at the festival along with Nahal Tajddod also with a concert that will accompany the reading of the epic allegory of Attar.
