It’s that time of the year again. The Ketevan World Sacred Music Festival is back to give you music to woo all the five senses. The festival, which takes place in Old Goa every year, combines music traditions from the East and West inspired by the life of St. Ketevan, Queen of Georgia. It is a project that pairs music with a religious coexistence; a space where the language of beauty and music become a bridge to connect and foster dialogue among cultures. Cultures that have coexisted in harmony over centuries in Old Goa (a World Heritage City declared by UNESCO in 1986). The Ketevan World Sacred Music Festival 2018 has lots in store for music aficionados from the 28th of February to the 4th of March 2018. Have a look at the full schedule of events for each day, below.
This year the inaugural event is at the Mahalaxmi Temple in Panjim at 19:30 pm on the 28th of February.
Image credit – www.ketevanmusicfestival.com
The life and times of Queen Ketevan of Georgia
Queen Ketevan traveled thousands of kilometers to varied cultures around the world. She began her journey in Eastern Europe as the Queen of the Kingdom of Georgia. Then fate led her to share the kingdom with the powerful Shab Abbas I, a Persian Muslim ruler. In Iran, Ketevan died a martyr, after a long and painful period of torments in the year 1624. According to legend, in 1627, her remains were then taken to India and buried in Old Goa by two Augustinian monks, who were devoted witnesses of the last years of her life.
Ketevan, then Queen of Georgia became a Martyr and was canonized as a Saint by the Georgian Orthodox Church shortly after her death. An ancient Portuguese document suggested that Ketevan’s bones were held in a black sarcophagus, which was kept in the St. Augustinian Convent in Old Goa, India for over 4 centuries. The remains were eventually unearthed in the Ruins of Saint Augustine in Old Goa, India. DNA analysis suggested the remains were those of Saint Ketevan, the Queen of Kakheti, a Kingdom in Georgia.
Ketevan World Sacred Music Festival 2018
The Ketevan World Sacred Music Festival 2018 offers concerts, workshops, and conferences with artists of several traditions from around the world. It is a musical collaboration of cultures such as Western Classical, Carnatic, Sufi, Jewish and so many more. The festival is a marvelous experience of music, ethnicities, and traditions, where past and present meet to encourage coexistence between cultures.
This will be the third edition of the festival. The 2018 festival includes concerts such as the “Caligaverunt oculi mei“ combining ancient sacred chants with sounds from different religious traditions; “Hildegard to Cage – into the Sacredness of Silence”, a programme where different soloists expose the richness of their instruments in absolute serenity; “The Sources of Divine” by the Goa University Choir and rich ensembles from all around the world; one of the greatest Indian flutists currently, Rakesh Chaurasia at the marvellous St. Augustine Ruins – a UNESCO Heritage Monument; the Georgian Choir Ashgavali, offering orthodox sacred music from the land of Queen Ketevan; the release of the piece “The Martyrdom of Ketevan – Musical Officium”; the world renowned classical Baryton Trio from Hungary, amongst offerings from several others, weaving their notes into the world sacred music tapestry.
Become a Festival Sponsor
However, in order to present the public with a high quality and classy affair, it takes a lot of help. The arts always suffer due to a lack of patronage and donations. The organizers do request you to consider becoming a Festival Sponsor. For more information about the Ketevan World Sacred Music Festival 2018, check out the official website. You can also find out how to go about becoming a Festival Sponsor. Alternatively, you may email them at [email protected] for more information.
Information credit – Blurb and The Ketevan Music Festival 2018
ItsGoa/FEB/KDGP
