From September 7 to October 6, Bogotá will resonate with the harmonies of the XIII International Sacred Music Festival (FIMSAC), themed “La Consagración” (The Consecration). This year’s edition promises a rich tapestry of performances, bringing together over 750 artists from 14 countries. Spanning five weeks, the festival will host 40 events across 20 venues in eight districts of the capital, attracting an estimated 10,000 attendees, with 80% of the activities offered free of charge.
The festival’s visual identity, titled “STELLA,” is a work by Miguel Böhmer, a renowned visual and plastic artist from Cali now based in Paris. The starfish motif represents connection and balance, encouraging deep reflection on how consecration leads us to find our place in the vast flow of existence. This poignant symbol will accompany festival-goers as they explore the sacred through music and art.
Festival Highlights
The grand opening of the festival will take place on Saturday, September 7, and Sunday, September 8, 2024, at 5:00 p.m., with a magnificent performance of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, “The Resurrection.” This collaborative production with the Teatro Mayor Julio Mario Santo Domingo and the Symphonic Music Association will feature the National Symphony Orchestra of Colombia, the National Choir of Colombia, and soloists Milena Arsovska (Macedonia) and Andrea Niño (Colombia), under the baton of Arthur Fagen, musical director of the Atlanta Opera. Venue: Teatro Mayor Julio Mario Santo Domingo (TMJMSD): Calle 170 No. 67-51. Tickets: Starting at $50,000 through tuboleta.com.
On Wednesday, September 11, at 7:00 p.m., The King’s Singers, the renowned British vocal group, will make their Colombian debut with a program titled “Legacies,” featuring sacred and traditional music from Renaissance composers to The Beatles. Venue: Iglesia San Ignacio, Calle 10 No. 6-27. Tickets: tuboleta.com.
On Friday, September 13, at 7:00 p.m., pianist Lezlye Berrio, winner of the 2024 Artist Call, will perform Bach’s Goldberg Variations BWV 988. This meditative work is a testament to centuries of keyboard technique and musical exploration. Venue: Auditorio Fabio Lozano, Carrera 4 No. 22-61. Tickets: tuboleta.com.
The festival continues on Sunday, September 15, at 4:00 p.m., at Bogotá’s Primary Cathedral with “Lugares del Alma” (Places in the Soul), featuring works by Vierne, Bach, Bruckner, and Mozart’s Complete Church Sonatas, performed by Austrian organist Wolfgang Riegler Sontacchi and the Youth Chamber Philharmonic.
The acoustically-rich León De Greiff Auditorium at Universidad Nacional presents a recital with two acclaimed pianists, Mac McClure (USA) and María José Bustos (Spain). The performance on Wednesday, September 18 (7:00 p.m.) is titled “Visiones del Amén de Olivier Messiaen.” Admission is free to the public.
On Friday, September 20, at 6:00 p.m., Dutch harpist Gwyneth Wentink will return to the festival with “Armonia Revelada,” interpreting works by Noor Inayat Khan, Debussy, and others in the serene setting of the San José Chapel. Venue: Iglesia San Ignacio, Calle 10 No. 6-27. Free admission.
Catalina Vicens, praised as one of the most intriguing musicians in the field of early music, will make her FIMSAC debut on Thursday, September 26, at 7:30 p.m. Her program “Breaking Down Melancholy” will showcase Renaissance and Early Baroque keyboard music, including works by Marco dall’Aquila, Antonio Cabezón, and Johann Jakob Froberger. Venue: Auditorio Liceo Francés, Carrera 8 No. 86-50. Tickets: tuboleta.com.
On Friday, September 27, at 8:00 p.m., La Grande Chapelle (Spain) will present a program of 17th-century sacred works composed for the Royal Spanish Chapel, celebrating their 20th anniversary. This concert also marks the commemoration of the Honorary Plaque of the Order of Isabella the Catholic awarded to FIMSAC and Teatro Mayor by the Spanish Government. Venue: Teatro Mayor Julio Mario Santo Domingo, Calle 170 No. 67-51. Tickets: tuboleta.com.
On Wednesday, October 2, at 5:00 p.m., the Filarmónica de Música Colombiana will debut the orchestral work of Colombian composer Lucas Saboya in a world premiere at FIMSAC. The work “Oro Azul para Orquesta de Cuerdas Colombiana” will be performed on traditional string instruments and is dedicated to the patroness of Colombia – Nuestra Señora del Rosario de Chiquinquirá. Venue: Iglesia La Candelaria, Calle 11 No. 3-86. Free admission.
The festival also has an important Asian presence with a performance by the South Korean group Sincheng Akhoe on Thursday, October 3, at 7:00 p.m. Sincheng will present “Life and Death SSITKIMKUT,” a Korean shamanic ritual for the dead, combining music, dance, and theatre in a powerful spiritual experience. Venue: Auditorio Compensar, Av. 68 No. 49A-47. Tickets: tuboleta.com.
Ryutaro Suzuki (Japan) will take the stage at Museo Nacional on October 4, at 6:00 p.m., as one of the leading exponents of classical piano works. The recital “La Consagración y Lo Sacro” is another highlight of the festival. Venue: Museo Nacional, Cra. 7 No. 28-66. Free admission.
This year’s International Sacred Music Festival of Bogotá is set to be an extraordinary celebration of the sacred, from music to art, offering all who attend a profound and diverse experience. The festival closes on Sunday, October 6, at 4:00 p.m. with a grand concert titled “La Consagración” under the baton of music director Francisco Valero Terribas (Spain). Ludwig van Beethoven’s majestic Mass in D Major will be played by the Women’s Philharmonic Orchestra (OFB) and accompanied by the voices of the Youth Choir of the Bogotá Philharmonic Orchestra. Venue: Teatro Mayor Julio Mario Santo Domingo, Calle 170 No. 67-51. Free admission.
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