The first edition of the IKUMA Music Festival made for a joyful day in Tasiilaq on Friday. The music festival brought together residents of all ages for a day of great music, enjoyed together.
Music on Stage
Today’s highlights included concerts by Rasmus Lyberth, Small Time Giants, and Lysteriet, all of which generated great excitement among the audience at the city’s soccer field.
Prior to the festival, the duo Lysteriet had held music workshops for children and young people as part of IKUMA’s program. The workshop series gave participants the opportunity to work with music and performance before they had the chance to share the stage with some of Greenland’s most renowned musicians.
Locally rooted, municipally supported
Behind the festival are four people who all grew up in Tasiilaq: Carl Florian Sørensen, Mathias Stenbakken, Pappi Zaki Henriksen, and Paakkannaq Henriksen. What began as an idea for a music workshop for children and young people combined with a concert evolved into a full-fledged music festival.
The festival has received financial support from Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq through the Sermeq Fund and the Department of Leisure and Culture in Tasiilaq. In addition, the municipality and the Tasiilaq Local Committee have contributed facilities, equipment, and practical assistance, as well as coordinating volunteers to help carry out the event.
“It’s inspiring to see how IKUMA evolved into a festival that created a new and wonderful setting for music in Tasiilaq. The festival provided many wonderful experiences for the town’s residents and visitors and strengthens our sense of community. We are very pleased to have helped support this initiative,” says Hjørdis Viberg, Regional Director for East Greenland.
The Sermersooq Municipal Council provided financial support, with assistance from the Tasiilaq Local Committee and the Department of Leisure and Culture in Tasiilaq. In addition, the festival was made possible with support from a number of sponsors and partners. The Municipality of Sermersooq is pleased that the Danish High Commissioner in Greenland, Greenland Airports, Hotel Hans Egede, the Nuna Foundation, the Bank of Greenland, Icelandair, Arctic Wonderland Tours, Tækker, ATA, Tasiilaq Renovation, as well as Bendt Duus and Patrick Abrahamsen, for helping to make the festival possible.
The festival concluded with choral performances on stage, featuring, among others, the local choir Inngeratsiler. Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq would like to thank the organizers, the festival volunteers, and everyone else involved for their efforts in making the festival a success.
