2011 World Festival of Sacred Music Opening Ceremony - Images by Fabian Lewkowicz

More than three hundred artists presented sacred traditions from seven lineages of world cultures during the 2011 World Festival of Sacred Music Opening ceremony at Santa Monica Beach on Saturday, October 1, 2011.The opening event, Honoring the Sea is a WFSM tradition that celebrates the shared resource of our oceans and importance of its spiritual meaning. The Festival program reflected concerns of peace, unity and environmental stewardship.

The opening procession included La Canada High School Marching Band; Halau Keali’i O Nalani and Halau O Lilinoe; Swing Brazil Tribe with Viver Brasil, Capoeira Batuque, Seara de Caridade do Cabolo Tupinamba and the Elders of the Diaspora; Senshin Buddhist Temple’s Kinnara Taiko; Agape Choir; and Remo Drum Circle. The 2011 World Festival of Sacred Music is a project of Foundation for World Arts and UCLA Center for Intercultural Performance.