October 1 – 16, 2011

Balinese dancers, Slavic women singers,taiko drummers, Hawaiian choruses—this always ambitious festival is back with 34 events unfolding over two weeks, and they’re all free. Shows are scattered across the city in venues ranging from UCLA’s Fowler Museum and the Luckman Fine Arts Complex to houses of worship and the Ballona Wetlands—appropriate, given that this year’s theme centers on tiny island nations beset by rising oceans. “Water Is Rising,” the festival’s gala concert at Royce Hall, will be performed by threatened islanders.

Fourteen years ago His Holiness the Dalai Lama sent out a simple letter to people around the world proposing that we mark the new millennium by hosting a festival of music on every continent on the planet, and suggesting that it be called The World Festival of Sacred Music. Somehow I was on his mailing list. As I read his short letter, I nodded along in agreement that music can be a powerful way to promote peace and global solidarity. Despite current events, we presenters, community activists, funders, and above all, performing artists, affirm our aspiration for peace by presenting to you the fifth World Festival of Sacred Music. We believe in the power of music to bridge communities, articulate collective values, and expand and define our civic identity.

The Festival presents the artistic accomplishment and rich diversity of sacred heritages in our city. The heartfelt and accomplished artistic expressions of more than eight hundred and thirty-two renowned local and international performers can be seen in thirty-two events held across Los Angeles. We invite you to reflect on the shared values expressed in these traditions as you cross neighborhoods, cultural, religious, linguistic and ideological boundaries. Music manifests continuity—of time, linking present and past, and reaching out to future generations; of wisdom and faith; of community; and of our highest aspirations and hopes for the future of life on our beautiful blue-green planet.

Of special mention this year is our focus on the global environmental crisis, beginning with our opening event Honoring the Sea and closing with the premiere performance of Water Is Rising. World peace cannot be secured in the face of tragic dislocation and suffering posed by global warming. Three years in the planning,Water Is Rising, will present thirty-six artists from the world’s smallest countries — the island nations of Kiribati, Tokelau, and Tuvalu. Their homeland and cultures face oblivion if the tide of climate change is not reversed. I have traveled twice to these islands to organize this program and I am pleased to announce that after our Gala Concert, we will take this program on a forty-two day U.S. tour.

The music of this festival holds powers and possibilities far beyond your personal entertainment or gratification. Your collective presence signifies our fundamental interdependence as individuals and citizens of the world. Here lies the heart and soul of the Festival. Join us in reaffirming the vision of the Dalai Lama fourteen years ago. Open your heart and listen.

Judy Mitoma, Festival Director