EVER LOS ANGELES GLOBAL MUSIC FESTIVAL
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2023,
PRESENTED BY THE RESONANCE COLLECTIVE AND NUMINOUS MUSIC
LOS ANGELES, CA – Alaska’s highly acclaimed Inuit musical group Pamyua, will make their Los Angeles
concert debut when they headline the inaugural Los Angeles Global Music Festival, taking place on
Saturday, September 9th at the First Congregational Church of Los Angeles. Presented by The
Resonance Collective and Numinous Music, the day-long Festival will feature a celebration of diverse
cultures through musical performance. Pamyua will also offer an interactive Yup’ik dance workshop
earlier in the day, where they will teach drum-dance songs and choreography seen in Yup’ik ceremonies.
The Festival will include a local opening act representing a culturally spiritual tradition as well as an
adjoining series of workshops to be announced later in the summer. The First Congregational Church of
Los Angeles is located at 540 S. Commonwealth Ave., near Koreatown. Pamyua is known for their compelling, interactive performances that blend the traditional Inuit songs and drum dances of their Yup’ik/Black ancestors with contemporary soul and R&B, often referred to as “tribal funk” or “Inuit soul.” Their unique style and sound derives from combining traditional melodies with contemporary vocalization and instrumentation. Their concerts showcase the indigenous Inuit cultural traditions and stories of their bi-racial heritage through music and ceremony passed down through the generations.
The Global Music Festival extends the Resonance Collective and Numinous Music’s mission to highlight
historically neglected cultural and spiritual practices through art and music. The Festival will present
sacred music and dance from around the world, celebrating both the differences and similarities found
in these practices.
No group better emphasizes this ethos than Pamyua, described as “one of the 10 greatest Alaska artists of the millennium” by Alaska Magazine. Founded by brothers and Yup’ik/Black artists Phillip and
Qacung Blanchett, Pamyua expresses the ceremonies and culture of the Yup’ik through a modern lens,
incorporating popular music and dance into their performances, yet staying true to their Inuit heritage.
At a time when diversity and inclusion are more important than ever, Pamyua is bringing the music and
culture of Indigenous people to the forefront of mainstream entertainment, through their musical
contributions to such shows as ABC’s “Alaska Daily” with Hilary Swank, Nat Geo’s Emmy-winning “Life
Below Zero: First Alaskans,” and Discovery Channel’s “Flying Wild Alaska.” The group’s music and
videos are now also featured in the Library of Congress’ permanent national archive in the Library’s
American Folklife Center.
“We are deeply committed to honoring cultural identity. It is a privilege for us to contribute to the
cultural community, sharing the richness and uniqueness of Indigenous culture and experiences. As
artists, we celebrate the joyous spirit of our Inuit heritage, showcasing the music, dance, and ancestral
traditions that define us,” says Phillip Blanchett, co-founder of Pamyua. “Participating in this event
offers us a wonderful opportunity to share the captivating stories of our Yup’ik heritage with diverse
audiences in Los Angeles. We work to foster meaningful understanding and respect for cultural diversity, inspire unity, and strengthen the bonds that connect us all.” “The Resonance Collective’s mission is to explore how artists from different cultural perspectives re-invent how we define sacred music today,” says Fahad Siadat, artistic director of the Resonance Collective. “A cosmopolitan city like LA deserves more opportunities to celebrate music from around the world, and we are happy to provide a festival experience where attendees can experience these fantastic performances as well as learn about the traditions first-hand.” “Los Angeles currently does not have such a festival and has not had one for a while now,” adds Craig S. Hyman, co-producer and curator of the Festival. “It is a city of deep cultural and ethnic roots with a fantastic history, so very diverse throughout, and it is underserved and largely unnoticed by the general public as a whole. It is profoundly important that people know and embrace these various cultures that we live side by side with, and in turn realize how we are all one and in this together.”
The Festival will take place at the First Congregational Church of Los Angeles (FCCLA), a thriving hub for exciting musical experiences. In recent years, FCCLA has hosted and presented concerts by the HEAR NOW Music Festival, Monday Evening Concerts, LACMA, and Ambient Church, featuring musical artists such as opera singer Davoné Tines, electronic musician Suzanne Ciani, organist Sarah Davachi, the Musica Angelica Baroque Orchestra, and Pulitzer-Prize winner Raven Chacon. As a part of FCCLA’s
commitment to the arts and social justice, the community enjoys hosting diverse voices who bring new
artistic perspectives to important cultural topics.
Tickets for the Festival start at $35 and are available now at bit.ly/lagmf2023 . For more information
about the event, please visit resonancecollective.org. To learn more about Pamyua, visit pamyuamedia.com.
CALENDAR EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:
THE LOS ANGELES GLOBAL MUSIC FESTIVAL 2023
Who: Pamyua; local act TBA
When: Saturday, September 9, 2023; workshops start at 3pm, doors open at 7pm
Where: First Congregational Church of Los Angeles; 540 South Commonwealth Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90020
#
Pamyua is Alaska’s most famous Inuit band. Their performances honor and share indigenous Inuit
cultural traditions and stories of their bi-racial heritage through music and ceremony passed down
through generations. The group’s compelling performances blend traditional Inuit drum/dance melodies
and songs of their ancestors with contemporary R&B and soul music, often referred to as “tribal funk” or “Inuit soul.”
Pamyua showcases Inuit culture internationally through their music and dance concerts, sharing their
indigenous knowledge and history. Their unique style and sound derives from combining traditional
melodies with contemporary vocalizations and instrumentation, paired with traditional dances and the
artful inclusion of symbolic, native masks.
Founded by brothers Phillip and Qacung Blanchett, the group includes Ossie Kairaiuak and frequent
guest members. The band is proud to represent indigenous culture, and believes music and dance
create unity. Together, each member masterfully interprets the Inuit traditions with joy and sincerity.
The response to their message is tremendous and the group is a symbol of pride for Alaska’s indigenous people and all who see them perform.
Pamyua was recently commissioned by the Library of Congress to provide a music video for the Library’s special “Homegrown Concert Series” in the Library’s American Folklife Center and permanent video archive. The concert video and group’s oral history is now online, free to the public to view anytime.
Pamyua is also busy bringing the indigenous sounds of Alaska to television. They made two special
appearances performing their original music live on ABC-TV’s recent hit series “Alaska Daily,” starring
Oscar winner Hilary Swank. They also scored original music and songs for multiple episodes of Nat Geo’s Emmy-winning docuseries “Life Below Zero: First Alaskans,” and were asked by the BBC to provide more music for the popular show. The weekly series follows new Alaska Natives using the techniques and methods passed down through the generations, as they try to thrive and survive in the brutal Alaskan environments, with the challenges presented by today’s climate change. Pamyua also
performed and co-wrote the theme to the popular PBS children’s show “Molly of Denali” and composed original music for Discovery Channel’s “Flying Wild Alaska.”
This fall, the band will complete the second leg of a six-state tour of the Midwest on behalf of Arts
Midwest, funded in part by the National Endowment of the Arts, and will perform at the Kennedy Center in November. Pamyua works with world-class musicians from Alaska and Denmark, and regularly travels the world sharing their unique blend of “Inuit Soul” and cultural harmony, captivating audiences wherever they perform.
The Resonance Collective was founded in 2021 as a non-profit organization that seeks to cultivate
curiosity and a sense of sacredness to the creative life of Los Angeles in an inspiring and supportive
social environment. Embracing a diversity of cultural and spiritual approaches in how society defines
“art” and “sacred,” the Resonance Collective welcomes and serves those interested in sharing spiritual
uplift through music. Led by Artistic Director Fahad Siadat, the Resonance Collective furthers this
mission through its three divisions: the Original Works program, which creates interdisciplinary,
theatrical narratives based on spiritual transformation; the Golden Thread Concert Series, which curates exceptional music from all religions and cultures; and the N.E.O. Voice Festival, which educates creative musicians interested in holistic vocal performance and writing for the voice.
Since starting in 2022, the Resonance Collective’s Golden Thread series has presented artists from
around the world, including the Philippine Madrigal Singers, Gamelan Burat Wangi, sacred Middle
Eastern artist Yuval Ron, traditional Indian raga and kirtan performer Kamini Natarajan, and many
others. In June 2022 at BroadStage, the Resonance Collective premiered The Conference of the Birds, an a capella oratorio based on the Sufi poet Attar’s classic poem, directed by André Megerdichian, with
music by Fahad Siadat and a libretto by Sholeh Wolpé. The Resonance Collective will present the
oratorio in November 2023, as part of the California Festival.
Craig S. Hyman is a music industry veteran with more than 30 years’ experience in the music and
entertainment industries. Passionate about music, with a talent for identifying emerging artists around
the world, he is CEO and Founder of Numinous Music Presents and Productions, a Los Angeles,
California and New York City based entertainment arts consulting company specializing in presenting,
programming and curating live music performances, A&R, record label operations and expertise, talent
booking, artist management, music licensing, marketing/branding, social media, artist relations, live
production and touring, full service large-scale event production and music industry consulting services.
Craig’s background encompasses almost every aspect of the music industry, from managing the A&R
department at RCA records to creating a boutique reissue record label from scratch to producing and
curating industry showcases and developing independent artists, ground-breaking world music and
performing arts presentations, publicity, and top-level marketing, merchandising and more.
Experienced in managing global multi-city tours and live concert production, Craig has represented or
consulted for artists in or from Europe, South America, Iceland, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, India,
Australia, Asia, Africa, the U.S., Hawaii, Mexico and Canada.
Some past and present Numinous Music clients include: Santana, RCA Records, Showtime, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Central Park Summerstage, MTV London & Los Angeles, The 2009
Presidential Inaugural Ball, Hosteling International Bi-Coastal Music Series, The Chris Isaak Show,
Sundance Channel, Black and White Ball, Cablevision, Ned Evett, Sia Tolno, Afro Dead, The Klezmatics,
Sahba Motallebi, Sony, Tony Bennett, AMC Channel, Heart Of Afghanistan/Fanoos Ensemble, Santa
Clarita International Film Festival and Los Angeles Global Music Festival.
A skilled producer of TV and film for broadcast and theatrical release formats, Craig has produced TV,
film and events in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Austin, Nashville, Washington D.C., San Jose, Vancouver, Toronto, Hawaii, France, Poland, Iceland & More.
Craig recently served for three years on the Board of Directors for the Center for World Music in San
Diego, California, and held the position of Chairman of Programming for the organization. Craig advised
on the Board of Directors for The Music Managers Forum (U.S. Chapter-NYC) from 2003–2010. Both are non-profit organizations. Craig has also worked successfully as a freelance music journalist.
A strong advocate for world and all music in a global community, he has been an avid music collector
and a researcher of all genres since childhood. Craig possesses that rare combination of artistic
sensibility and business know-how. A global music seeker, he is skilled at recognizing and nurturing
talent, with a passion for building bridges between cultures and communities through music and the
arts.