National Geographic Music (National Geographic)

The Fès Festival of World Sacred Music, held annually in the walled, medieval city of Fès, Morocco, recently announced its program for 2007. This year's festival will be held June 1st through June 9th, and will feature performances from Iranian classical singer Parissa with the Dastan Ensemble, Mauritanian singer Aicha Mint Chighaly, South African rocker Johnny Clegg, Pakistani qawwali singer Akhtar Sharif Arup, Brazilian vocalist Tania Maria, and Afropop diva Angelique Kidjo (pictured).

In addition to these performances there will be a host of special events, including the debut of Missa Flamenca Murciana—a collaboration between Spain's Piñana Brothers and the Diapason Cuban String Quartet—and sunrise performances from French equestrian master Bartabas and his Zingaro troupe, accompanied by Sufi musicians Kudsi Erguner and Nezih Uzel.

As always, the "Sufi Nights" program will feature nightlong performances from local Moroccan sufi tariqas (brotherhoods). Set in the tranquil gardens of the Dar Tazi teahouse, these performances offer festivalgoers a privleged glimpse in Sufi ceremony and ritual and are one of the festival's most popular draws.

2007 also marks the 800th anniversary of the birth of the great Sufi poet Jalal ad-Din Rumi, and additional tributes to his life and work will be woven into the festival.

The Fès Festival of World Sacred Music was launched in 1995, shortly after the Persian Gulf War, in an effort to support understanding among people of all faiths. In 2001, the United Nations-proclaimed "Year of Dialogue Among Civilizations," the festival was honored by the U.N. as one of seven Unsung Heroes of Dialogue. Since its inception, the festival has attracted some of the biggest names in world music, including Miriam Makeba, Salif Keita, Jordi Saval, Enrique Morente, Cristina Branco, and Youssou N'Dour. The festival has also spawned two Spirit of Fes tours in the U.S., in 2004 and 2006.

For more information on this year's Fès Festival of World Sacred Music, please consult the festival's website.