India’s inaugural World Music Festival will open in the city of Udaipur on 13 February. Spanning the entire Valentine’s weekend, the festival in the so-called ‘Venice of the East’ hopes to promote what Shakespeare so famously pronounced ‘the food of love’ – in many different varieties and styles.
The Fateh Sagar Paal and the Railway Training Institute Ground will serve as the two venues, using the city’s lakes as a backdrop. Organised by SEHER, it is hoped that the event will prove successful enough to become a regular feature on India’s musical calendar.
More than 100 artists from 12 countries will be represented, but a special note is being struck to mark 60 years of modern Indian-Spanish diplomatic relations. On Day One, the Railway Training Institute Ground will play host to Juanma Zurano and Tamara, Spanish acts which will showcase flamenco music and dance. The Iberian Peninsula will also bring the haunting sound of Fado to India with Portuguese singer Carminho.
Cultural fusion will be the key theme of the festival. Rajasthani vocalist Mukhtiya Ali will join forces with French composer Mathias Duplessy for an inspiring musical mix of qawalli and world music. Grammy Award-winning Ivorian musician Dobet Gnahoré will lead the festival towards the end of its first day with African beat music, closed by the Raghu Dixit Project.
Sufi and gospel music will come together on Day Two, courtesy of Sonam Kalra and the Sufi Gospel Project. Italian and Indian artists will collaborate in a jazz fusion performance, followed by the Moroccan Sahel soul artist Oum. The second day will wind towards close with a performance by Familia Atlantica, an afro-beat and Venezuelan cumbia group made of musicians from Ghana, Venezuela and the United Kingdom. The Indian rock band Papon and the East India Company will conclude the festival.
“A festival of this scale featuring such diverse music from so many different continents and regions coming together in one of the best tourist destinations of India will make Udaipur a culturally vibrant destination — an annual event where international and domestic travellers can mark the dates on their yearly travel calendar,” said Sanjeev Bhargava, festival director.
The festival will take place at Fatehsagar Paal and Railway Training Institute Ground on February 13 and 14. There will be two session everyday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Entry is free of charge. For more information visit here.
