Sivumut-Nunavik :
An exceptionnal project

Two immersive music creation residencies in the heart of traditional Inuit communities

June 7, 2025

The Oktoecho ensemble is about to embark on an exceptional adventure in Nunavik, with two immersive music residencies at the heart of Inuit communities. Sivumut-Nunavik, a unique project, is co-directed by Inuit throat singer Lydia Etok and composer Katia Makdissi-Warren. It combines musical creation, youth workshops, and outdoor performances, in partnership with ESUMA and the Inuit youth summer camps.

The project is designed to foster authentic and lasting exchanges, while highlighting local cultural practices.

The residencies will occur in Umiujaq from June 15 to 22, 2025, and in Kangiqsujuaq from July 15 to 22, 2025. For a week, youth participants will take part in a series of diverse workshops: world percussion with Bertil Schulrabe, traditional flutes with Michel Dubeau, Inuit throat singing with Lydia Etok and Louisa Quaritalyu, and musical creation with Katia Makdissi-Warren.

Participants will also be introduced to electronic music with Eryk Warren and jazz/pop vocals with Hélène Martel, accompanied by cellist Marc Labranche. These workshops will culminate in an open-air concert, made possible by autonomous sound equipment that allows performances right in the heart of nature, without the need for traditional infrastructure.

Sivumut-Nunavik goes far beyond simple artistic transmission. It is a true space for collaborative creation, where youth are involved at every stage, right up to their on-stage performance alongside professional artists. By integrating into the daily life of the villages, the project encourages genuine and lasting exchanges, while celebrating local cultural practices. Its goal is clear: to give young people a voice, a stage, and a renewed sense of pride in their cultural identity.

‘Sivumut-Nunavik is a true space for collaborative creation, where youth are involved at every stage.’

Photographer and videographer Marie-Christine Couture will document this collective journey to preserve its memory and share its impact on a broader scale. Through Sivumut-Nunavik, Oktoecho aims to build lasting bridges between Northern and Southern Quebec, while offering a renewed vision of musical creation, deeply rooted in Inuit traditions and open to the world.

About Oktoecho

Founded in 2001, Oktoecho has been in residence at Maison de la Culture Ahuntsic since 2010. Under the artistic direction of composer Katia Makdissi-Warren, along with co-directors Lydia Etok (Inuit section) and Nina Segalowitz (Indigenous section – First Nations and Inuit), Oktoecho creates original Quebec works inspired by the meeting of Western, Middle Eastern, and Indigenous music traditions. The ensemble embodies a world where the fusion of traditions transcends borders and reflects Quebec’s plural identity. At Oktoecho, the Nunavik spelling is respected; the word “Inuit” remains invariable.

Featured image: Damian Siqueiros

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