Fez — The “Fez Festival of World Sacred Music” will honor Germany during its 29th edition, linking the celebration to the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Morocco and Germany.
The 2026 edition will run from June 4 to 7 in Fez under the theme “Fez and the Mâalemines, Guardians of Gesture and Heritage.”
The official program lists four venues, more than 160 artists, and 18 sacred music performances across Bab Makina, Jnan Sbil Garden, Batha Prefecture Hall, and the Fez Congress and Handicraft Palace.
Germany takes center stage
The Germany-focused evening is scheduled for Friday, June 5, at 9 p.m. at Bab Makina. It will feature “B O D I E S,” a polyphonic vocal creation by Kat Frankie, alongside women’s voices from East and West and the traditional “Ahwach Isaffen” ensemble from the High Atlas.
The program is organized through a partnership between the Spirit of Fez Foundation, the German Embassy in Rabat, and Goethe-Institut Morocco. Organizers described the collaboration as a reflection of the strength of cultural dialogue between the two countries.
Morocco and Germany are marking 70 years of bilateral relations in 2026. Germany’s Federal Foreign Office also highlighted the anniversary this year, describing Morocco as Germany’s second-largest trading partner on the African continent and pointing to future cooperation in renewable energy, critical raw materials, and hydrogen.
Women’s voices from different traditions
The June 5 concert will place women’s voices at the center of the evening. Lebanese singer Ghada Shbeir will perform Levantine chants rooted in Syriac and Aramaic traditions, while Moroccan artist Nabyla Maan will represent Judeo-Arab Andalusian song through the tradition of “matrouz.”
Indian vocalist Kaushiki Chakrabarty will make her first appearance at the festival, presenting “khayal,” a classical Hindustani vocal form associated with the Patiala tradition. Germany’s contribution will come through Kat Frankie’s “B O D I E S,” an eight-voice project blending original repertoire, pop, and neo-classical vocal textures.
Abderrafie Zouiten, president of the “Fondation Esprit de Fès” (Spirit of Fez Foundation), said the June 5 event will offer a “unique artistic fusion” between the eight women’s voices of “B O D I E S” and the “Ahwach” group.
German Ambassador to Morocco Robert Dölger said the festival’s international reach and spiritual dimension make it a fitting platform to celebrate the long-standing partnership between Rabat and Berlin. He said the evening will weave together traditions and creativity, as well as voices from Morocco, Germany, and beyond.
By placing Germany at the heart of its 2026 edition, the Fez festival is using music as a diplomatic language. The Bab Makina concert is set to turn a political anniversary into a cultural encounter, linking Fez’s spiritual heritage with contemporary European vocal creation and Morocco’s own mountain traditions.
