Q & A
Sacred Music Festivals
Q. How can I find out about two musical events next year -- the Fez Festival of World Sacred Music in Morocco and the Sacred Voices festival in London -- mentioned by Jon Pareles in The Times on June 21? -- Adolph Paul, Milwaukee
A. In reporting on the 1998 festival in Fez, Mr. Pareles said, 'the audience is snowballing for spirituality and the music that expresses it.' He described 'a series of concerts that encompassed whirling dervishes from Turkey, Greek Byzantine chants, Javanese gamelan, Irish chants, Iraqi classical maqam, Andalusian Jewish songs, American spirituals, Spanish medieval cantigas, Indian ragas and Sufi songs from Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan.'
The program for the fifth annual World Sacred Music Festival, planned for May 29 to June 5, has not been set, but it will presumably be similar in scope. The best source for information is probably the official travel coordinator for the festival in the United States, Sarah Tours, 1803 Belleview Boulevard, Alexandria, Va. 22307; (800) 267-0036, fax (703) 765-7809; its site on the Internet is www.morocco-fezfestival.com.
Sarah has put together a festival tour leaving New York on May 27 and returning June 8. Besides attendance at festival events, the tour includes visits to the Medina of Fez and Marrakesh, and excursions to the hot springs of Moulay Yacob, the Sidi Ahmed al Barnoussi shrine and to the Roman ruins at Volubilis. Prices, with choices of three-, four- or five-star hotels, are $4,285 to $5,355 a person, double occupancy, including business-class air fare from New York. Extensions to the Sahara or Spain are available.
The 16th annual Music Village festival, scheduled for June 23 to July 11, will have as its theme Sacred Voices, according to Carolyn Axtell, administrative coordinator of Cultural Co-operation, the group planning it. The full schedule is not yet ready, though some events will be free, including open-air concerts in parks on weekends, Ms. Axtell said. There will also be weekday concerts and workshops.
The festival expects to feature singers from around the world, presenting music as diverse as that of Southern Baptists, Brazilian Candomble believers, Tibetan Buddhists and Lebanese Maronites.
For information, contact Cultural Cooperation, Toynbee Studios, 28 Commercial Street, London E1 6LS; (44-171) 247-8808, fax (44-171) 247-8809.
A South Pacific Tour
Q. My wife and I plan to visit Australia and New Zealand for three weeks. What are your suggestions to see and how to get around? -- Bernard P. Gropp, Summit, N.J.
A. Since Australia is about the size of the United States minus Alaska, and New Zealand is bigger than all but a few states, there are myriad choices. But Renata Gombac of the Australia Tourist Commission and Clyde H. Farnsworth, a former Times correspondent living in Australia, agreed on several must-sees. These include Sydney, with its famed opera house and Harbour Bridge, the Great Barrier Reef and rain forest in the northeast, and Ayers Rock, one of the most sacred sites for Aborigines.
They also differed somewhat. Ms. Gombac suggested an itinerary would take you to New Zealand for a week and two weeks in Australia, starting in Melbourne. From there, you would fly to the Red Centre region for a taste of the Outback and a visit to Ayers Rock. Then, it would be on to North Queensland for several days around Palm Cove to visit the rain forest, the Undara Lava Tubes and the reef. Finally, you would head for Sydney and its outlying areas, like the Hunter Valley wine region or the Blue Mountains.
Such a tour would start at $3,875 a person in low season (April to August) and about $500 more peak. It is available from Swain Australia Tours, (800) 227-9246.
Other places Mr. Farnsworth suggests are Alice Springs in the Red Centre desert; Tasmania and the former penal colony at Port Arthur; Adelaide, noted for its literary and music festivals, and rugged Kangaroo Island, 'a microcosm of what Australia must have been before the Europeans came.' And he expresses a special fondness for Perth and Fremantle, on the west coast.
Train travel in Australia is quite good, but for long distances you might want to get a Qantas Airways Boomerang Pass -- a minimum of two vouchers for travel within or between three national zones and New Zealand -- $175 within a zone, $220 between zones. The airline says it saves money on flights of more than an hour, and offers flexibility. The pass must be bought before getting to Australia. Call (800) 227-4500 for details.
Discussing New Zealand's North Island, Anna Sinnott, East Coast manager of the New Zealand Tourism Board, suggested visiting Auckland's wharf area, seeing the Maritime Museum and Kelly Tarlton's Undersea World, and taking a Pride of Auckland cruise, then going to Rotorua, the home of the Maori people, to see the thermal springs and the Agridome, with its sheep shows.
On the Alpine-like South Island, she recommended touring Queenstown, taking a jet boat river ride, and visiting the Fiordland, including an excursion to Milford Sound.
For more information, contact the Australian Tourist Commission, (805) 775-2000, fax (805) 775-4448, or at www.aussie.net.au/, and the New Zealand Tourism Board, (800) 388-5494, fax (212) 832-7602, or www.nztb.govt.nz/.
Side Trip to Majorca
Q. I will be going to Barcelona on business and I would like to take a short trip afterward to Majorca. Can I arrange to get on a small group tour? -- Linda E. Goodman, New York, N.Y.
A. Groups usually go to Majorca as part of broader tours, according to Jordi Castello of the New York office of El Corte Ingles Travel, a large Spanish agency. He does not know of a tour specifically from Barcelona to Majorca.
But Mr. Castello says a customized trip to Majorca is easily arranged. His company can book the half-hour flight from Barcelona to the island and a hotel, where you can buy single-day tours. You could also rent a car and visit the pearl factories and island's natural wonders, from the famed beaches to the surprisingly wild northern Sierra.
El Corte Ingles is at 500 Fifth Avenue (42d Street), Suite 1730, New York, N.Y. 10110; (212) 944-9400, fax (212) 944-9827. For general information, contact the Tourist Office of Spain, 666 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10103; 265-8822, fax (212) 265-8864.
RAY CORMIER