Belief.net article

Belief.net has a great article about the 700 Voices event that happened this past weekend. I was at the day long event last year but couldn't make it this time.

I love to read other people's experiences at kirtans, especially when they are new to it!

You can find the article and other related articles Here

All day Kirtan

Integral Yoga Institute in NYC is having an all day kirtan next Sunday.

from their website (click title):

SPECIAL GUEST PROGRAM
Kirtan-A-Thon
Chant All Day to Benefit the IYI
Sunday, July 19 • 11 a.m.–8 p.m.
$54 in advance $90 day of event

Join Devirose, Kamaniya, Keshavacharya Das, Rev. Kim Lesley, Maxananda, Robin Renee and SiriOm Singh in a full day of ecstatic and devotional chant. The day will be divided into three segments of chanting. After the first, we’ll share a yummy, vegetarian lunch. We’ll break again after the second for snacks in the late afternoon. The festive day will end with a raffle for a five-CD set of David Newman/Durga Das’s albums. All proceeds will go toward the establishment of a scholarship for Integral Yoga’s prestigious Teacher Training program.

Click here to register for this program.
Devirose is a spiritual teacher who offers meditation instruction, devotional chanting, Hatha yoga and extensive knowledge of psychospiritual development. Her many years of training and experience as a psychotherapist and teacher inform her deep understanding of the process of personal transformation and her ability to skillfully guide others in the development of Love and Wisdom. A gifted composer and singer, Devirose offers powerful kirtan in both Sanskrit and English as a means of opening our Hearts to the call of the Diviine. http://www.devirose.com
Kamaniya leads ecstatic Kirtan and shares sacred chants and healing songs from diverse spiritual traditions. Kamaniya’s love for Kirtan and Sanskrit chanting is contagious. She has sung and recorded with several well-known devotional singers. http://www.myspace.com/kamaniya
Keshavacharya Das spent his last 16 years in different ashrams around the world, studying the Bhakti tradition and residing regularly at the sacred places in India. He focused his life entirely on the practice on chanting and Kirtan. His Kirtan is deeply influenced by the north Indian region Vrindaven, the place of Sri Krishna and many great saints. His singing is companied by harmonium, flute, mridanga (Bengali drum) and other percussions. http://www.kesavacarya.com
Reverend Kim Lesley is a singer/song writer/percussionist with 25 years of experience touring and recording. She has sung with Paul Young, Jools Holland, Sting, Steve Winwood, and Eric Clapton and appears on CDs by Lenny White, Voyceboxing, The Interfaith Choir, and her very own CD, Daughter of God. reverendkimlesley.com

Max Vazquez, a k a Maxananda, is a fashion designer with a passion for the Nada energy frequency. He is a master overtone singer and a recording artist with Krishna Das’s posse. http://www.maxananda.com
Robin Renée is a performing songwriter, meditation and bhakti yoga practitioner, and a freelance writer. She has shared the stage with some of the West's best-loved kirtan singers, including Krishna Das, Wynne Paris, and Dave Stringer. Her recordings include In Progress, All Six Senses, Live Devotion (her first dedicated wholly to sacred chant), and a new compilation CD, spirit.rocks.sexy - Mantra-Pop headlines from the clairaudient dreams of the evocative Robin Renée. http://www.robinrenee.com http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/kirtanorama
SiriOm Singh is a devotional musician, percussionist and vocalist, teaching and performing in The USA and internationally.

His musical background is in church and gospel choirs, jazz, R@B and soul. After rediscovering his spirituality through the practice of kundalini yoga and meditation, he found his way back to his musical roots.

His music CD Travel The Light was released in 2006.

http://www.siriomsingh.com


Wish I could be there. I'm dying to hear Robin Renee in person. Not to say that I don't want to hear the others, I've just recently heard about Robin through Spirit Voyage and am curious.

New Album- Dya Singh

Sikh artist Dya Singh has released a new double cd set: Sukhmani Sahib.
You can see the release Here and you can purchase the cd from Spirit Voyage or from the artist's own page Dya Sing Wolrd Music Group where you can also hear sound bites.

Note: each day Spirit Voyage has two items on sale for a greatly reduced price. Today, for example there is a Wah! cd and a Kundalini Yoga book.
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Here is a great article about Kirtan and Hinduism. The number of people who are participating in kirtans in the west is rising (due to the overall increasing popularity of yoga) and many of the people participating do not follow any of the paths normally associate with kirtan (Hinduism, ISKCON, Sikhism, etc). It's interesting to look at why peopel want to chant when it isn't part of their religious traditions. I think it speaks volumes to the power of taking part in a community event in which one doens' thave to do anything but be there making a joyful noise.

Article from Filmy Friday: Kirtan and Hinduism specialists exchange views on ecstatic chanting

Kirtan (chanting) as a vehicle of divine bliss was discussed when Dave Stringer, one of the most gifted singer of kirtan genre, and Rajan Zed, acclaimed Hindu statesman, met at Truckee in California.