From Casablanca to the dunes
The project starts with preparation in Casablanca, moves into the desert for filming, and closes with concerts back in Morocco and Mannheim.
Casablanca preparation Sahara filming Concert finale
an Aramis Project Morocco
Project Desert
Protectors of the Earth in Morocco
Format Music film project
Project Protectors of the Earth
Setting Desert landscape
The Project by the numbers
Project Insights
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7 days
Rehearsal and working phase in Casablanca
7 days
This intensive phase combines orchestral rehearsals, musical alignment, and production preparation in one central location.
3 days
Film shoot in the Erg Chebbi desert near Merzouga
3 days
Filming takes place in the Sahara dunes with grand piano, orchestra, choir, and behind-the-scenes documentary footage.
100+
Young musicians in the Aramis network
100+
The project is built around a large youth ensemble taking shared responsibility for both creative and organizational work.
4+
International choir ensembles
4+
Planned participants include Bulgarian, Ukrainian, German, and Moroccan choir voices in one collaborative setup.
2
Concerts in Casablanca and Mannheim
2
In addition to filming, the project includes live performances in Morocco and Germany as public outcomes.
5+
Media outputs from film to sound recordings
5+
Deliverables include a music film, documentary content, social media storytelling, a photography album, and high-quality audio recordings.
02
Extraordinary ideas are driven by extraordinary people, those who believe that creativity can transcend boundaries and make the world a better place. The project “Protectors of the Earth – Desert: Performing a Concert in the Dunes of the Sahara” is exactly this kind of idea - one that may initially seem impossible. Yet, with its first international project, “Protectors of the Earth – Mountains,” the Aramis Orchestra from the UNESCO City of Music Mannheim demonstrated how creative collaboration can expand the limits of what is possible. Now, the Aramis Orchestra presents the next chapter in the international Protectors of the Earth series, an idea that will bring together even more partners, artists, and institutions. Because extraordinary ideas are shaped by extraordinary people, and it’s precisely these people we are seeking for this project.
A guided path
Three chapters, one project
Switch between the route, the people, and the outputs to learn more about the project structure.
A network of young collaborators
Young musicians lead the artistic and organizational work together with international choirs, local ensembles, and partner institutions.
Aramis musicians International choirs Local partners
What the project leaves behind
The production produces a film, behind-the-scenes material, recordings, and a photographic archive that can keep traveling after the concerts.
Music film Behind the scenes Recordings and photos
04
Project Leadership
The Intercultural House Mannheim has been committed to diversity, education, culture, and intercultural dialogue through numerous projects since its founding. www.ikhm.de The Aramis Orchestra is an innovative ensemble organized and led independently by over 100 young musicians from the UNESCO City of Music Mannheim. As a national award winner of Demokratisch Handeln and recipient of the Youth Education Award Baden-Württemberg, Aramis regularly creates ambitious concert formats that promote cultural values and innovative ideas. Together, both institutions are responsible for project management, planning, coordination, communication, implementation, film production, and marketing.