National Geographic Music (National Geographic)

Billing itself as "A Celebration of Music Around the World, Around Chicago," The Chicago World Music festival announced its lineup for 2006 late last week. Organized by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, the week-long festival showcases both traditional and contemporary music from around the world. This year's festival will feature more than 60 artists representing 29 countries, and will take place September 14 - 21.

Some of the artists performing will be American klezmer innovators The Klezmatics, Swedish roots music ensemble Gjallarhorn, Cambodian-American rockers Dengue Fever, Belizean parandero Aurelio Martinez, Indian classical guitarist Debashish Bhattacharya, and the famous "whirling dervishes" of Konya, Turkey. The festival will also boast the North American debut of Culture Musical Club (pictured), a 15-piece taraab orchestra from the island of Zanzibar, who will perform with singer Natacha Atlas.

Now in its eighth year, this year's festival has expanded to include one additional day and encompass 80 separate events at 29 venues across Chicago. Events include a mix of free and ticketed concerts, live radio broadcasts, in-store performances, and educational workshops presented in museums, parks, cultural centers, plazas, theaters, bookstores, clubs and other venues throughout Chicago.

For more information, including complete listings of artists, show times, dates and venues, consult the Chicago World Music Festival website.