~ LUMZY SISTERS WRAP UP FEZ SACRED MUSIC FESTIVAL ~

[HOUDA-K]

14/06/05

The 11th World Sacred Music Festival pulled down curtains, on Saturday night, in a wonderful spiritual fiesta. Bab Makina, the palace reception court of a 14th century king, had a touch of magic for the music lovers who teemed the square to sample the divine voices of the Lumzy Sisters.



In mixture of vocal exuberance, explosions and deep whispers, the Sisters chanted God in a wonderful Gospel sopped in Soul and Blues that echoed throughout Morocco's spiritual capital.

Natives of Columbus, Massachusetts, the Lumzy Sisters have been one of the key groups on the gospel scene in the United States for more than 30 years. Singing in the Quartet Style that is mostly a male preserve, the Sisters overwhelmingly prove that women are able to sing this style just as brilliantly as men.

Supported by a band with very modern tones (percussion, bass, guitar, keyboards), the powerful and melodious voices of the Sisters take the public on a harmonious journey of enjoyment that celebrate delight, daylight, love and freedom.

Gospel (God's Word) is the manifestation of black Americans' faith. It is the cry of African slaves who landed in America in the 18th and 19th century: A cry for freedom and celebration of faith, all in music and rhythms.

Under the sign “A Soul for Globalisation”, the ancient walled city of Fez that takes pride in its artistic and intellectual heritage, and especially the centuries of peaceful coexistence of its communities of Muslims, Christians and Jews, was during nine days the venue of world traditions, music and cultures.

The festival aspires and magnificently succeeds to be home to the most diverse musical gathering in the world, bringing together the spiritual music of religions worldwide. It featured top sacred music artists from Middle Eastern and Western religious communities in concerts, lectures, exhibitions, and intellectual and artistic exchanges.

The cultural gap is finally bridged, at least in Fez, as the Sufi Whirling Dervishes of Turkey, Berber trance music, Arab-Andalusian music, Hindustani chants, Celtic sacred music, Christian Gospel, flamenco, and the Philharmonic Orchestra of Morocco, all met and interacted in a sheer symbiosis of brotherhood.

The cherry on the cake: the Festival was awarded the 2005 First Prize of the Mediterranean Culture (Premio Mediterranés Cultura 2005) by the Italian Foundation of the Mediterranean Laboratory for Culture (Fondazione Laboratorion Mediterranéo).

The Festival organisers promise aficionados a date on June 2 through 10, 2006, to discover a new page of the glorious Festival golden book.