International Polar Year celebration concert

Submitted by Jenn Wagaman
Phone: 907-474-5082
01/11/08

The University of Alaska International Polar Year office is sponsoring a concert by the Inuit tribal funk band Pamyua at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 1, 2008 at the Hering Auditorium. The concert is a celebration of the unique cultures of the North and its people’s ability to adapt to changes in both cultural and natural landscapes.

Pamyua is an Alaska-founded group, started 10 years ago by brothers Stephen and Phillip Blanchett, who dreamed of sharing the ancient stories of their people through music and dance. The brothers, who are of Yup’ik Inuit and African-American descent, quickly gained international attention. They formed Pamyua after being joined by Greenlandic Inuit singer Karina Moller and Ossie Kairaiuak, a dancer from Chefornak, Alaska.

In 2003, Pamyua was chosen at the 45th annual Grammy Awards to represent Native American music and performed at Times Square Studios for the Celebration of American Music. The band’s latest album, "Drums of the North," is its first strictly traditional Yup’ik album ever produced. "Drums" was recently awarded a 2007 Aboriginal People’s Choice Music Award for Best Inuit Traditional CD.

Tickets to the concert can be purchased for $5 at the door or in advance from UAF Wood Center, Gulliver’s Books, McCafferty’s and UAF Center for Research Services. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. for general seating. Proceeds from the concert will be used to support IPY education programs in Fairbanks schools.

CONTACT: Cherie Solie, statewide IPY outreach manager at 907-474-6264 or c.solie@uaf.edu or Jenn Wagaman, outreach coordinator, at 907-474-5082 or jenn@alaska.edu.

About IPY
The polar regions have profound significance for the Earth’s climate and environments, ecosystems and human society. IPY is an interdisciplinary and internationally coordinated research campaign, ushering in a new era of polar science. For more information on IPY, visit www.ipy.alaska.edu.