Fez — Sami Yusuf is set to return to the Fez Festival of World Sacred Music with two concerts on June 6 and 7 at Bab Al Makina, one of the festival’s most emblematic stages. 

The performances are part of the event’s 29th edition, scheduled from June 4 to 7 in Fez.

The first concert will take place on Saturday, June 6, at 9 p.m., with the festival presenting Yusuf as a major voice of spiritual and world music traditions. The official program describes his work as rooted in meditation, mysticism, and a search for musical dialogue across Eastern traditions.

A closing night between Fez and Konya

Yusuf will also take part in the festival’s closing night on Sunday, June 7, under the title “The Night of Samaa – From Fez to Konya.” The evening will bring him together with the Konya Metropolitan Sufi Music Ensemble from Turkey and major Moroccan Samaa voices.

The collaboration is expected to connect Moroccan spiritual chant with the Mevlevi tradition, a Sufi order founded in Konya in the 13th century. UNESCO lists the Mevlevi Sema ceremony among the world’s intangible cultural heritage, highlighting its music, movement, and spiritual dimension. 

In a statement announcing his participation, Yusuf described Fez as one of the few cities in the world that carries “the weight of the sacred,” adding that returning to the city and the festival feels like “a return to the source.”

A wider musical dialogue

For the two nights, Yusuf is expected to be joined by members of the “Fons Sophia Collective,” Moroccan singer Nabyla Maan, Ismail Boujia and his group, and Chinese musician Guo Gan, known for his work with the erhu.

The lineup points to the festival’s broader identity as a meeting place for musical traditions from Morocco, the Middle East, Asia, and beyond. Yusuf’s repertoire has long drawn from Sufi, Persian, Turkish, Andalusian, and Indo-Pakistani influences, while also engaging with Western polyphony and contemporary composition.

His return comes shortly after the release of “Ecstasy,” a 2026 album published by Andante Records. The album includes nine tracks, including “Voices of the Earth” and “Being,” the latter featuring vocal ensemble VOCES8.