History

The World Festival of Sacred Music – Los Angeles (WFSM) began as a one-time millennium event in 1999 with a letter from H.H. the Dalai Lama who suggested that people from around the world mark the new millennium with hope and commitment to peace and universal responsibility through music. In response to this call, Foundation for World Arts in association with EarthWays Foundation, and the UCLA Center for Intercultural Performance produced the 1999 Festival. As a result of the overwhelming response from the community, the organizing partners took initiative to host the Festival every three years since – 2002, 2005, and 2008.

Over the past decade WFSM has brought together tens of thousands of people of diverse ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds, including artists of all types, community and religious leaders, educators and students. With a combined total of 226 multidisciplinary events presenting the work of 7,000 artists in 195 diverse venues across Los Angeles and a total attendance of 300,000 people in throughout four Festivals, WFSM is the largest citywide Festival currently active in Los Angeles. With the fifth festival in 2011, we hope to ensure a sustainable model that can be carried on to 2014 and beyond.

Archive: See WFSM 2008 Website  |  See WFSM 2005 Events  |  See WFSM 2002 Events  |  Urban Prayer Flag 2002

Festival Artists and Venues (1999-2011)

Artists

1st-West Ensemble
Abhijit Banerjee
Abhiman Kaushal
Ablaye Cissoko
Adaawe Women’s Percussion Ensemble
Adam del Monte
Aditya Prakash with Le J Trio
Agape International Choir
Alessandra Belloni
Alex Spurkel
Ali Akbar Moradi
Ali Jihad Racy and the Mystical Legacies
Ensemble
Alisa Weilerstein
American Indian Dance Theatre
Amy Knoles
Anahata & the Urban Gypsy Dancers
Ananda Amarawansa - Art Foundation of LA
Andrew Werderitsch
Angel City Chorale
Ann Licater
Ansambl Teodosievski
Antonine Bonsorte
Armand Sabal-Lecco
Armandinho
Arohi Ensemble
Arup Chattopadhyay
Ava Nahas Percussion Trio
Axiom of Choice
Ayo Adeyemi
Bali & Beyond
Banafsheh Sayyad
Banda Juvenil Solaga
Bill “Elkwhistle” Neal
Bill Shozan Schultz
Billy Goodrum
Bob Bellerue
Bobby Sokolov
Boude Moore
Briseyda Zarate
Brookinaires Gospel Choir
Cantor Caren Glasser
Cantori Domino
Capoeira Angola Center of Los Angeles
Capoeira Batuque
Cappella Gloriana
Carlos Reynosa
Carlos Torres
Chaksampa Tibetan Opera
Christoph Bull
Christopher Pellani
Chirgilchin
Choir of St. James’
Cindi Alvitre
Conjunto Folklorico de Cuba
Craig Eastman
Craig Kohland
Cristian Amigo
Cristobal Osorio
D. Sabela Grimes
DAFRA
Danza Floricanto/USA
David Beery
David Gerhart
David Martinelli
Desert Cahuilla Birdsingers
Djelia Kadi
Domonic Dean Breaux
Dona Cici
Donna De Lory
Dr. Rickie Byars-Beckwith
Elders of the Diaspora
Elisabeth Waldo
Emikeke
Emiko Susilo
Enzo Avitabile
Eric Sevilla
Erik Alvarado
Erik Ehn
Esma Red_epova
Essential MC
First African Methodist Church
Flor de Serena
Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Monastic Choir
Francis Awe
Fritz Heede
Gabriel Improta
Gagaku - Tenrikyo Missions Shenshin Buddhist Temple
Gaia Mama
Gamelan Burat Wangi
Gamelan CUDAMANI
Gamelan Sekar Jaya
Ganesh Kumar
Gary Lemos
Gema Sandoval
Geoffrey Dent
Georgianne Cowan
Geri Keams
Gillbert Levy
Gina Rene
Git-Hoan Drancers
Global Mala Project Sacred Music Members
Grace Nono
Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa
Gwen Wyatt
Gwen Wyatt Chorale
Halau Keali’i O Nalani
Halau O Lilinoe a me Na Pua Me Kealoha
Hani Nasser Band
Hans Shisler
Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre
Heyraneh
Hirokazu Kosaka
Hoopnotica Hoopdance Troupe
Hradistan Dulcimer Band
Hun Lakorn Lek
I Dewa Putu Berata
Iddi Saaka
IKKYU Zen Archers
Indigo Triangle
Iqbal Kamar Sidi
Jacqueline Bobak - Cal Arts Faculty and Students
Jacqueline Fuentes
Jagannathan Ramamoorthey
Jai Uttal & The Pagan Love Orchestra
James Newton and the Sacred Music of Duke Ellington
Jamie Papish
Jason Hann
Javad Ali Butah
Jeffrey Barnes Bahai Chori
Jeffrey Kahane
Jim Berenholtz
Jim Santi Owen
Jiri Pavlica
John Villa
John Barnes - The Jeffrey Barnes Baha'I Choir
John Villa
Jordan Charnofsky
Juan-Felipe Orrego
Kan Zaman Takht Ensemble
Kaoru Watanabe and BodyTraffic
Karl Snyder
Kartik Seshadri
Kate St. Pierre
Kenny Endo
Khmer Arts Academy
Kinnara Gagaku
Kitka and Tzvetanka Varimezova
Kiya Runa
Klezmer Craze
Koji Nakamura
Koorosh Moradi
Koyasan Buddhist priests
Krishna Das
Kristen Smiarowski
Kristin Barnes
Kumu Hula Association of Southern California
Kungwan Kurdpon
Kunzang Rinpoche
Kyaw Kyaw Naing
La Canada High School Marching Band
LA Chamber Orchestra
Lalo Izquierdo
Lailla del Monte
Larry Karush
Laurel Kitten
Lazaro Galarraga
Leo Chelyapov
Leonica Shinneman
Lesa Terry and the Women’s Jazz Orchestra
Lexi Pearl's MoMomentum Dancers
Lian Ensemble
Lifou Island Dance Theater From New Caledonia
Lisa Rafel
LMU Gamelan-Kembang Atangi
Long Beach Drum and Dance Festival
Los Angeles Electric 8
Los Angeles Master Chorale
Los Folkloristas
Luis Proença
Luiz Badaró
Mader
Makoto Taiko
Malaika
Malathi Iyengar & Rangoli Foundation for the Arts
Malik Sow
Majikina Honryu
Mamak Khadem
Mani Puri Dance Visions Ensemble
Manny Saenz
Martin St. Pierre
Masanga Marimba and Mbria Ensemble
Masashi Nomura
Maurita Phillips-Thornburgh
Mayfield Senior School Choir
MB Gordy
Melanie Kareem
Mestre Amen & The Batuquieros
Michael Fitzpatrick
Michael Perricone
Michael Sakamoto
Micheline Berry
Miroslaw Tadic
Monks & Nuns of Zangdokpalri
Mystic Journey
Mythili Prakash
Nabil Akbib
Najwa Gibran
NAMAH
Naser Musa-Adam del Monte Ensemble
Nevenka
Nils Kline and Greg Bendian
Oguri
Ohlone Humayan Dancers
Oliver Tarpaga
Omar Faruk Tekbilek & Ensemble
Omo Aché Afro-Cuban Music & Dance Company
Oscar Reynolds
Pandit Swapen Chaudhuri
Partho Sarathy
Pasadena Jewish Temple & Center
Chamber Choir
Pasadena Scottish Pipes and Drums Ensemble
Paul Humphreys
Paul Livingstone
Paulo Moura
Pedro Ricardo Miño
Peni Candra Rini
Perla Batalla
Peter Jacobson
Philipo Franchini
Philippine Chamber Singers - Los Angeles
Pima Singers and Dancers
Primavera en Salonico
Prince Diabaté and Ensemble
Qi-chao Liu
Radha Botofasina
Rangoli Indian Dance Troupe
Raphael Lopez
Rajeev Taranath
Rara Avis
Ray Yslas
Rayna McInturf & Hoopnotica Dance Company
Remo Drum Circle
Rev. Dr. Michael Bernard Beckwith
Richard Horowitz
Rickie Byars-Beckwith – AGAPE
Rina Mehta
Rob Levit
Robert Een
Robertinho Silva
Romeo Guzman
Rosangela Silverstre
Rupayan
Sabbir Kamar Sidi
Sacro Sud Project
Sakorn Yangkhiawsod ("Joe Louis")
Salaam Suite
Samba Society
Sami Asmar - Whirling Dervishes of
Damascus
Samira Kadiri
Sarah Thomson
Savina Yannatou
Scot Cunningham
Seara de Caridade do Cabolo Tupinamba
Second Mount Carmel Missionary Baptist Church Choir
Self-Realization Fellowship
Shakers n’ Bakers
Shakti Dance Company
Shaman's Dream World Music Ensemble
Sheela V. Bringi
Shiva Rae. Yoga Trance Dance
SHO
Sidi Goma
Simon Shaheen
Sizzle Ohtaka
Songs of Spirit
Sophiline Shapiro
Southern California Panharmonic Orchestra
Southern California Sacred Sites Singers.
Sri Susilowati
Sufi Soul, The Mystic Music of Islam
Stan DeWitt
Stefani Valadez
Steven Tokunaga
String Theory
Suemobu Togi
Suman Laha
Surrealestate
Suzanne Teng & Mystic Journey
Swing Brazil Dance Company
Sylvia Cotton Singers
Taiko Center of Los Angeles
Taiko Project
Tarang
Te Vaka
Tetsuya Nakamura
The Alchemy Handbell Ensemble
The Arohi Ensemble
The Carpetbag Brigade Physical Theatre Company
The Mystical All-Star Band
The On Ensemble Taiko Drummers
The Shaman’s Dream World Groove Ensemble
Theatre of Yugen
Ti'at Society
TishTones
Tjiangeua and Friends
Tony Khalife Group
Unity Nguyen Ensemble
Vanessa Paloma & Jordan Charnofsky
Vardan
VAS
Vidwan T.H. Subash Chandran
Viji Prakash & Shakti Dance Company
Viver Brazil Dance Company
Volker Goetze
Voxfire
WAC Students
Wael Kakish
Waewdao Sirisook
Waldemar Bastos
Walfredo Reyes Jr.
Watts Towers - Day of the Drum
Xorin Balbes
Yeh Dede
Yidumduma Bill Harney
Yonto
Yuriko Doi
Yuval Ron Ensemble
Zen Dancing
Zephy: Voices Unbound
Zhena Folk Chorus

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Venues

18th Street Arts Complex
Adat Shalom, West LA
Agape International Spiritual Center
Alfred Newman Recital Hall, University of Southern California
Angels Gate Cultural Center
Armory Center for the Arts
Autry National Center
Ballona Freshwater Marsh
Barnsdall Park, Hollywood
Bergamot Station Writers Boot Camp
Beth Shir Shalom
Beverly Hills Presbyterian Church
Bing Theater, LACMA
Blankenship Ballet of Venice
Brand Library & Art Center
California Institute for the Arts, Valencia
California Plaza
Carpenter Performing Arts Center
Cathedral Of Our Lady Of The Angels
Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock
Center For Yoga
Church In Ocean Park
City Hearts
Community United Methodist Church
Congregation N'vay Shalom
Crenshaw United Methodist Church
CSULA, Luckman Fine Arts Complex
Earth and Sky Lodge/Soundformation Music
Faithful Central Bible Tabernacle
First Baptist Church of Glendale
First African Methodist Episcopal Church
First Lutheran Church of Venice
First Presbyterian Church Of Encino
First United Methodist Church of Santa Monica
Fo Guang Shan Hsi Lai Temple
Glendale Arts
Golden Bridge – A Spiritual Village
Golden Harp Enterprises
Grand Performances
Greek Theater
Green On The Hill, Signal Hill
Haramokngna American Indian Cultural Center
Harold M. Williams Auditorium, The Getty Center
Highways Performance Space
Hindu Temple Society of Southern California, Malibu
Hollywood Bowl
Holy Family Church of Glendale
Holy Nativity Episcopal Church
Hsi Lai Temple
Immanuel Presbyterian Church
Inner-City Arts
Invasion Group
James Armstrong Theatre, Torrance Cultural Arts Center
Japan America Theater
Japanese American Cultural & Community Center
Japanese American National Museum
John Anson Ford Amphitheatre
Kan Zaman Community Ensemble
Kol Tikvah Synagogue
Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church of So. Ca.
Long Beach and Homeland Neighborhood Cultural Center
Long Beach Drum Festival
Los Angeles Bahá'í Center
Los Angeles Public Library
Loyola Marymount University- Murphy Recital Hall
Loyola Marymount University- Sacred Heart Chapel
Loyola Marymount University- Sunken Garden
Luckman Fine Arts Complex
MacArthur Park, Long Beach
Madison Site Theater, Santa Monica
Madrid Theatre, Canoga Park
Maha Yoga
Malibu Pueblo
Mark Taper Auditorium
Mayfield Senior School
Mt. St. Mary's Chapel
Multi-Cultural Music & Art Foundation of Northridge
Museum of Cultural Diversity
Museum of Latin American Art
Nate Holden Performing Arts Center
Natural History Museum
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church
Pacific Asia Museum
Pasadena Jewish Temple Center
Plaza de la Raza
Plaza Methodist Church
Plummer Park, West Hollywood
Puvunga, Cal State University Long Beach
Rancho Cordillera del Norte
Richard & Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center
Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater
Ruth B. Shannon Center for the Performing Arts, Whittier College
Sacred Movement
San Fernando Mission
Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center at College of the Canyons
Santa Monica Pier
Schindler House
Second Baptist Church
Self Realization Centers-Fullerton, Hollywood, Pasadena
Senshin Buddhist Temple
Sepulveda Unitarian Universalist Society (the "Onion")
Shaila Music
Sinai Temple, Los Angeles
Skirball Cultural Center
Sound Journey
Sri Lankan Cultural Triangle
St. James Church
St. James Presbyterian Church
St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral
St. Lucy's Catholic Church of Long Beach
State Playhouse Theater, Cal State, Los Angeles
Temple Bar
Temple Isaiah
Temple Israel of Hollywood
Temple Kol Tikvah
Tenrikyo Church
The Alchemy Building
The Armory Center for the Arts
The Cora Company
The Eli and Edyth Broad Stage
The Fountain Theatre
The Getty Center
The Irvine Barclay Theatre
The Janet and Ray Scherr Forum Theatre at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza
Civic Arts Plaza
The Los Angeles Art of Living Center
Theater Raymond Kabbaz, Le Lycee Français de Los Angeles
Thorne Hall, Occidental College
Topanga Community House & Sacred Grounds
Triloka Records
UCLA Armand Hammer Museum of Art and Cultural Center
UCLA Dance Bldg
UCLA Fowler Museum
UCLA Royce Hall
UCLA Schoenberg Hall
UCLA Sunset Canyon Amphitheater
UCLA -University Catholic Center
United Cambodian Community. UCC Arts of Apsara
University of California, Northridge
USC - United University Church
USC – Taper Hall of Humanities
Venice Beach
W. M. Keck Foundation Children's Amphitheatre at Walt Disney Concert Hall
W. M. Keck Foundation Children's Amphitheatre, Walt Warner Grand Theatre
Warner Grand Theatre
Wat Thai of Los Angeles
Watts Towers Arts Center
Wayfarers Chapel, Palos Verdes
Westminster Presbyterian Church
Westwood United Methodist Church
Will Greer Theatricum Botanicum
Wilshire Ebell
Wilshire United Methodist Church
World Peace Ikeda Auditorium
Wright Ranch, MalibuYogaworks, Santa Monica

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