Marcel Khalife to open Fes Festival of World Sacred Music

Always a glittering occasion, the opening night of the Fes Festival tomorrow, Friday 29 May, will feature Marcel Khalife with his Al Mayadine ensemble and singer Oumeima Khalil in a concert dedicated to Mahmoud Darwiche.

Marcel Khalife

Khalife hails from the Lebanon and is a master oud player and composer. He has toured all over the world and in 2005 was named UNESCO Artist for Peace. Last year he was appointed musical director and resident composer of the newly founded Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra. Oumeima Khalil frequently performs in collaboration with Khalife.

Oumeima Khalil

Mahmoud Darwiche was a famous Palestinian poet who died last year. His work includes over thirty volumes of poetry and eight books of prose, and has been published in 20 languages, winning many awards. A central theme is his poetry is the concept of watan, or homeland. The poet Naomi Shihab Nye describes his work as 'the essential breath of the Palestinian people, the eloquent witness of exile and belonging ...'

The concert gets under way at 20h00 at Bab Makina. There are two categories of seats for the concerts in the evenings, A and B. Seats are unreserved, so try to get there early. Bab Makina is the parade ground in front of the Royal Palace, and is a huge auditorium. The seating is raked, but the B seats are further back. If you have a pass for the Festival, you automatically have A seats. It's sometimes to possible to buy tickets at the venue prior to the concert if it isn't sold out.

The View from Fez team wishes all festival goers 'bon spectacle'!


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