Lars Markussen

Uummannaq Music (Uummannaq, Greenland)

Located in Uummannaq, Greenland, 590 kilometers North of the Arctic Circle, Uummannaq Music is an ongoing project at Uummannaq Children's Home – the world's northernmost orphanage. Our mission is to bring a love for music to Inuit children whose environment lies far away from the world of music conservatories, symphony orchestras, and concert halls. In this harsh land of permafrost Uummannaq Music stands on four pillars: teaching, creating, performing and preserving. Teaching: In order for our students to find and create musical expressions that are in harmony with their natural environment, we consider it important for them to learn, and to be sensitive to all types of sounds and music thus enabling them to connect to their own fantasies and feelings via these media. Creating: Both students and teachers make music together, on the spot, spontaneously, with what ever musical and non-musical materials are available including acoustic and electronic instruments, natural materials such as wood, bone, skins, snow and ice. This inspires awareness and creativity on the part of each nd every participant. Performing: Uummannaq Music brings world class musicians to Uummannaq Island who perform for and work with the children. Can you imagine a string quartet or a chamber orchestra performing Mozart and Beethoven at Uummannaq Music, or a modern music group improvising new music with students off the play of the Northern lights? We can! Preserving: We feel it vitally important to keep alive and to preserve the old traditions of Eskimo music, dance and storytelling culture in the times of climate and societal change. In the old days dance competitions were held, songs were composed and stories were told. Now we are trying to reinvent this ritual. We already have a dancing house. Hopefully, one day we will have a theatre and a music hall.