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Rabat – The upcoming 28th edition of the Fez World Sacred Music Festival may be in Morocco, but it will carry a strong Italian accent.
The decision to honor Italy as the guest country came as a natural step for this year’s edition, which themed “Renaissances” or “Rinascimento.”
It is a nod to the country’s historical role as the cradle of the Renaissance, and a gesture that brings together two cities, Fez and Florence, with a long-standing connection dating back to 1961. This year, the two countries signed their first cultural twinning agreement under King Hassan II.
From the old medina of Fez to the cobblestone streets of Florence, the two cities have always viewed culture as a central force behind their identity.
This year’s program celebrates joint heritage with a series of artistic exchanges, the most ambitious and exciting being a new collaboration between Fez’s festival and the Monteverdi Festival of Cremona, one of Italy’s most prestigious baroque music events.
The cherry on top of this cultural dialogue will unfurl on the evening of Saturday, May 17, at the historic Bab Makina where Claudio Monteverdi’s Vespro della Beata Vergine (The Vespers of the Blessed Virgin) will reverberate through the open-air stage.
This masterpiece, composed in 1610, holds an exceptional place in the history of Western music.
Bringing this music to life is a symbolic pairing: Antonio Greco, conductor of the Monteverdi Festival Choir and Orchestra, will work together with Mohammed Briouel, leader of the Fez Arabo-Andalusian Orchestra.
For Abderrafie Zouitene, President of the Esprit de Fes Foundation, the rekindling between Florence and Fez represents much more than a tribute to the past. “Fez, founded in the 8th century and home to the world’s oldest university, has long stood as a crossroads of knowledge in Africa and the Mediterranean,” he said in a press statement.
“Likewise, Florence helped transmit the ideas of antiquity and gave birth to a renewed vision of humanity through the Renaissance. This festival revives that same spirit of curiosity and cultural dialogue.”
The event is also the proud result of steady diplomatic effort. The Italian Embassy in Morocco and the Italian Cultural Institute of Rabat have played an instrumental role in building bridges between the two countries.
“Italy and Morocco share a deep love of art, seen as one of the highest forms of the sacred,” said Italy’s Ambassador to Morocco, Armando Barocco.
Carmela Callea, director of the Italian Cultural Institute in Rabat, described the upcoming concert as “an invitation to travel, from Cremona, Monteverdi’s birthplace and the heart of Italian musical tradition, to Fez, a city where civilizations have long met and mingled.”
The festival will also welcome a younger generation of musicians. On Wednesday, May 21, in the gardens of Jnan Sbil, the ensemble Zenaida will offer another window into Renaissance music.
Composed of international students from the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Switzerland, the group manipulates French-Flemish traditions through a new polyphonic lens inspired by Gregorian chant. Their appearance comes through a partnership with the Swiss Embassy in Morocco, further noting the festival’s role as a platform for cultural diplomacy.
