Öngtupqa musician Gary Stroutsos shares cultural connection to Grand Canyon on the park’s 100th anniversary

Shoreline musician Gary Stroutsos

In celebration of the centennial of the Grand Canyon’s designation as a national park, Shoreline musician Gary Stroutsos will present an evening about traditional Hopi music and the making of the album and accompanying documentary, Öngtupqa.

Öngtupqa - the Hopi name for Grand Canyon - is the creation of musicians Clark Tenakhongva, Vice Chairman of the Hopi Tribe and renowned traditional singer, Stroutsos playing the Hopi long flute, and Matthew Nelson playing clay pot percussion.

The trio recorded the album inside the Grand Canyon’s Desert View Watchtower, a stone edifice located on the south rim of the canyon, whose architecture is inspired by Puebloan ruins.

In conjunction, a documentary film about the artists’ cultural connections to the Grand Canyon and the ancient music from the Four Corners region of the canyon was released last fall. It has received recognitions and awards at several film festivals.

The event is Thursday April 11, 2019 at 6:30pm in the Edmonds Plaza Room, located at 650 Main St, just above the Edmonds Library. The program is presented by Edmonds Library with support from the Edmonds Arts Commission. Admission is free. More information about Öngtupqa HERE.