The Ketevan World and Sacred Music Festival will
be celebrating its second edition over the course
of two weekends filled with musical concerts.
This year, the festival brings together the musical
traditions from different eras of the East and the
West. The festival offers concerts, workshops and
conferences with artistes from several traditions
around the world, including Western Classical,
Carnatic, Christian, Sufi, Hindustani, Jewish, etc.
Rudolf Ludwig Kammermeier is the Executive
Director of the festival and Maestro Santiago Lusardi
Girelli is the Artistic Director. “The first edition of
the festival was attended by over 8,000 people.
Since we also focus on chamber music, the venue
for these concerts has to be compact because
of the acoustics; our venue can accommodate
approximately 400 people. As I lecture at Goa
University Visiting Research Professors Programme,
Anthony Gonsalves Chair in Western Music, I have
learnt of an increased interest for western classical
music and choir music. Apart from concerts, people
are interested to learn more through the lectures.
After the concerts, I had nearly 100-150 students,
which says a lot about the reawakening of classical
music in Goa,” says Maestro Santiago Lusardi Girelli.
Speaking about Goan musicians being part of
the festival, Santiago adds, “We produce our own
concerts; there are five productions that will be
presented at the festival with local artistes. Concerts
like ‘Bach´s World’, ‘Marialena Fernandes & Trio’,
‘The Ketevan Cantata’ by Vasco Negreiros, ‘The
Sacrality of Fado’ and ‘The Routes of Faith and
Sorrow’ will all feature Goan and western musicians.
We want a dialogue between western and Indian
musicians as we don’t want them to just perform
their concerts and leave. We hope the symposium
– ‘The East & West Syncretic Dialogues’ – will be a
springboard for further work on the importance of
music research in India. We expect that professors
and artistes will inspire students and the research
community with new ideas, openness and vision.”
The concerts will include ‘Interreligious Musical
Dialogues’ by Ignacio Monteverde (UK) and Ahmed
Mukhtar (Irak) with invited artist Mansoor Khan
(India) on February 10, 2017 at 6:45pm followed by
‘Bach’s World’ by Vandalia (Spain) and St Ephraim
Choir (Hungary), Goa University Choir (India) and
Ketevan Artist, conducted by Santiago L Girelli
at 7:45pm. On February 11, 2017, Vandalia Vocal
Ensemble (Spain) will perform at Museum of
Christian Art, Old Goa at 6:45pm and Marialena
Fernandes & Trio will perform at St Monica Convent,
Old Goa at 7:45pm. On February 12, Szent Efrem
Ferfikar Male Choir (Hungary) will perform at St
Monica Convent, Old Goa at 6:45pm followed
by The Ketevan Cantata by Vasco Negreiros with
Ketevan East-West Ensemble and Vandalia (Spain)
and Goa University Choir (India) performing at
7:45pm. On February 16, 2017, ‘Viola Da Gamba and
Traverso -La Princesse et le Rossignol concert’ by
Sofia Diniz and Joanna Amorim (Portugal) will be
performed at Penha da Franca Church at 7pm.
The following weekend will also have five concerts
beginning with Karl Luchtmayer (UK) on February
17, 2017 at St Monica Convent, Old Goa at 6:45pm
followed by ‘From Hildegard to Cage Candlelight
Concert’ at 7:45pm. On February 18, 2017, ‘Songs of
Kindness and The Four Elements’ will be performed
by Helena Marinho and Vasco Negreiros and Indo-
Portuguese Ensemble at 6:45pm. ‘The Sacrality of
Fado’ will be performed by Sonia Shirsat (India) and
Intercultural Ensemble on February 18, 2017 at 7:45pm
at St Monica Convent, Old Goa. The concluding
concert will be ‘The Routes of Faith and Sorrow’ by GU
Choir and Ensemble, conducted by Santiago L Girelli
on February 19, 2017 at 7pm.
