Suzanne is an ecstatic vocalist, innovative composer, teacher and invoker of the sacred. Both as a performing and recording artist, as well as a facilitator of transformational workshops and intensives for many years, Suzanne has received critical acclaim.
Called a contemporary “musical priestess”, she creates sacred and participatory ceremonies for large gatherings and festivals worldwide. As a voice for joyful and sustainable activism she has created trainings and curriculums for numerous communities, is co-creator of Off the Mat, Into the World® programs and co-founder of “Bare Witness” Humanitarian Tours.
Suzanne’s musical explorations in the realm of electronic dance music, devotional chanting and songs of the ecstatic soul have brought her to the forefront of the “kirtronica” sound (Conscious Dancer magazine named her a “kirtronica pioneer”).
Her music has been commissioned for film, theatre, and DVD, including “Gifting It,” an award winning documentary film about the Burning Man Festival, and the bestselling, award winning "Vinyasa Flow Yoga I and II with Seane Corn" produced by Gaiam Inc. She also created the soundtrack for a postnatal Yoga DVD entitled “YogaBonding” and appears in the DVD “Yoga from the Heart” with Seane Corn and produced by Yoga Journal.
Her latest performances are a thoroughly modern exploration of devotional music and have been known to have an audience on their feet in a matter of minutes. She has been called a soulful and groove-loving musical priestess – refining and reinventing the ancient traditions of ecstatic prayer through the voice. Her first solo album “Bhakti” reached #1 on the New Age radio playlists and she was chosen as “Best Spiritual Artist” in the 2008 Norbay Awards sponsored by the North Bay Guardian. Her latest album “Blue Fire Soul” (produced by Christopher K) is an album created specifically for yoga classes and will be available soon.
Fanna-Fi-Allah translates as: annihilation into Allah. Qawwali is an ancient practice wherein the fire of divine love (ishq) is ecstatically expressed through the mystical verses of Sufi poets, sung in Urdu, Farsi, Hindi and Punjabi.
Qawwali's passionate devotional themes of love are divinely inspired by a mystical relationship with Allah. Each Qawwali song embodies the mood of the poetry within sophisticated ragas combined with an exultant spontaneity. The foremost expression in this music is through the voice, accompanied by two harmoniums, booming Pakistani tablas, hand clapping and the tampura. Traditionally Qawwali music is performed in Sufi shrines wherein audience participation is integral to the prayerful atmosphere as well as dancing ecstatically to the music's driving rhythms and passionate chorus. Listeners will usually be immersed in tears of sublime devotion.
Tahir Qawwal and Amena Chisty Qawwal lead the Fanna-Fi-Allah Qawwali party consisting of five to ten rigorously trained musicians. This collection also includes Arjun (Arjun & Guardians) and Deja (Hamsa Lila) from the party.
Fanna Fi Allah are infinitely blessed to be the foremost disciples of Rahat Fateh Ali Khan (undisputable the greatest Qawwali master of Pakistan and only nephew-successor of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan) and Dildar Hussein (World renound tabla master from the Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's Qawwali party). This young Qawwali party has only begun performing outside of Pakistan, India and Hawaii since the summer of 2004.
As the duo Shantala, Benjy and Heather Wertheimer lead kirtan (sacred chanting) worldwide, bringing audiences sacred lyrics, soul-stirring vocals, and exotic instrumentation. Kirtan is celebration of spirit through the chanting of sacred names carrying participants into a state of heightened awareness, bliss, and devotion. The audience is invited to participate fully through call-and-response, dance, and meditation. The weaving of Benjy's Indian classical singing and instrumentation with Heather's soaring vocals is fresh, original, and profoundly moving. Together they create a beautiful music full of passion and reverence. Shantala has performed and recorded internationally with such sacred music luminaries as Krishna Das, Deva Premal and Miten, and Jai Uttal.
Heather Wertheimer is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist who draws on her special love of both music and yoga to lead devotional chanting for yoga workshops and spiritual gatherings. Heather has toured in the U.S. and abroad with her husband Benjy, Steve Gorn, Manose, and Deva Premal and Miten. Heather's debut CD with Shantala,
"Church of Sky," was named one of the top ten albums of 2004 by New Age Retailer and has aired on radio stations nationwide. In April 2003, she and Benjy released
"The Love Window," a well-loved collection of sacred chants that has become a classic among yoga practitioners.
Benjy Wertheimer is an award-winning songwriter, vocalist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist (tabla, congas, percussion, esraj, guitar, and keyboards). Benjy has toured and recorded with such artists as Krishna Das, Deva Premal and Miten, Jai Uttal, Walter Becker (Steely Dan), and virtuoso guitarist Michael Mandrell. He has opened for such artists as Carlos Santana, Paul Winter, and Narada Michael Walden. A founding member of the internationally acclaimed Ancient Future world fusion music ensemble, Benjy toured the U.S., Canada, and Japan with renowned bamboo flute master GS Sachdev. He studied Indian classical music for over 25 years with some of the greatest masters of that tradition (including Alla Rakha, Zakir Hussain, Ali Akbar Khan and Z. M. Dagar). Benjy's music receives extensive airplay around the world, and his CD "Circle of Fire" reached #1 on the New Age radio charts in November 2002.
Prema Mayi was born in Chile. At the age of twelve, she entered an ashram of Bhakti Yoga in Europe. Now, thirty years later, her natural, gentle zeal for bhakti is embellished with a warm-hearted maturity and an inspiration to share with others what she has imbibed, through the medium of sweet and melodic kirtan.
The practice of bhakti develops transcendental devotional sentiments, and kirtan, its foremost process, is saturated with transcendental sound vibration. Under the guidance of her guru, Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayan Maharaj, Prema Mayi’s absorption in the study and practice of bhakti blossoms. Each year she journeys from America, where she now lives, to perform pilgrimage of Braj in the holy land of India.
Prema has learned sacred chants and mantras that have been carefully passed down through a disciplic succession of pure-hearted saints over the centuries. The potency of these chants has been preserved. The source of these chants is divine, and therefore they resonate with our soul, the essence of our being.
By nature, we are transcendental and eternally free, but, covered by the veil of material existence we experience suffering. Sacred sound has the power to transform. It frees one from the anxieties of daily life, bringing awareness of a divine presence. This is why, since time immemorial, sacred chants have been fundamental in the practice of yoga.
It is not necessary to understand the language of the chant, as its potency is beyond our comprehension. With an open heart one may relish the bliss carried through this vibration.
“There are channels by with which the infinite descends. The infinite cannot be contained within a limited sphere, but if He is really infinite then He has the power of making Himself known in all His fullness to the finite mind. By the channel of transcendental sound, He comes. When out of His own prerogative He takes the initiative and reveals Himself, there is actual perception of God – self realization, transcendental revelation.”
— Srila Sridhar Maharaj, Descent of the Holy Name
The soul’s inherent yearning for spiritual happiness is fulfilled in every possible way through the practice of Bhakti Yoga, which directly connects the soul with Divinity. Bhakti Yoga accesses the inner heart of every living entity, where the foundation of the craving for eternity and the bliss of real love are active. When it is humbly practiced under the guidance of one whose heart is steeped in pure love for the Supreme Person, one receives a relish with which no happiness in this world can compare. Prema Mayi in her own natural way wishes to share what she has learned from such an acharya with you.
Kathy’s music is very positive and uplifting in its message; you just feel better after listening to it.It has been featured in concerts on public television, as well as receiving airplay with featured interviews on numerous radio shows. She tours nationally, and aside from public concerts, also does festivals and concert programs for teens at therapeutic boarding schools. She is also invited regularly to sing for Her Holiness Mata Amritanandamayi, the hugging saint, and to share her music at programs for Gangaji, a distinguished and well-respected American spiritual teacher. Kathy makes her home in Mt. Shasta, California.
Kathy began her professional recording career in 1989 with her debut CD Heart Space. She has released 8 more CD's on her own independent label Precious Music. Her CD's have sold tens of thousands of copies, and her release Journey Home was voted by Amazon.com in the top ten best new age CD's of 2002. Kathy has just released a new CD entitled Return To Love, which is co-produced by Windham Hill artist Billy Oskay, who has produced three gold records. The new CD not only displays Kathy's considerable talents as a singer/pianist/songwriter of inspirational music, but it also demonstrates her considerable musical range with Celtic/Folk flavored tunes, rhythm and blues, and even a few chants in call and response style.
Uma has traveled the spiritual path for thirty years, studying with various teachers. She has sung and led kirtan since the 1970s in numerous ashrams and yoga studios. She leads kirtan on retreats with Ram Das and others in the U.S. and abroad, and with “Uma and Friends,” she currently leads several regular chanting groups in northern California.
Uma is also the creator of the Magic Mirrors oracle cards and the author of Developing Your Intuition With Magic Mirrors, published by Hay House.
"Uma's beautiful voice and bhakti spirit connect our hearts to the profound and ancient devotional practice of kirtan." -Ram Das
Geoffrey has played on over eighty published albums including Krishna Das 'One Track Heart'; Gabrielle Roth 'Trance'; Coleman Barks 'Rumi: Poet of the Heart'; Bhagavan Das 'Now'; Tulku 'Trancendance', Little Wolf 'Wolf Moon', MC Yogi 'Elephant Power', and Stephen Kent 'Family Tree'. Geoffrey has performed with many great musicians including David Liebman, Don Cherry, Reggie Workman, Rashied Ali, Badal Roy, Don Byron, Mickey Hart, Simone Shahine, Peter Apfelbaum, Trilok Gurtu, Steve Gorn, and many others. Geoffrey has served as a producer for artists including Shiva Rea 'Yoga Trance Dance'; Rita Coolidge & Walela 'Unbearable Love'; Diana Rogers 'Unveiled'; Jai Uttal, Geoffrey Gordon and Jai Lakshman 'The Hanuman Chaleesa: Songs in Praise of Hanuman'; Swami Vishwananda 'Love Beyond Word's I and II'; and Geoffrey's CD 'Breath of Rama'.
He played on many of Jai Uttal's CDs including 'Monkey', 'Beggars and Saints', 'Shiva Station', 'Spirit Room', 'Nectar', and 'Mondo Rama'. Geoffrey played tabla, multiple hand drums, and sang with Jai Uttal on all tours and concerts from 1992 - 2003. He worked with Ram Dass at many events and played the drum parts on Ram Dass's CD 'Chord of Love' and in the film 'Fierce Grace'.
Geoffrey's percussion is heard on movie soundtracks with composers Carter Burwell (composer- 'In Bruges', 'Burn After Reading') and Academy Award winner Elliot Goldenthal (composer- 'Frida, 'Batman Forever'). Some of the popular film soundtracks Geoffrey played drums and percussion on include 'Raising Arizona', 'The Big Lewbowski', 'Demolition Man', 'Titus', 'Airheads', 'Kalifornia', 'The Locusts', and 'Storyville'.
Geoffrey had worked on and off Broadway and has played music on television including on MTV. He was featured in "Rumi: Poet of the Heart" on PBS with Coleman Barks.
Geoffrey Gordon was born in New York City. He began playing drum set and singing in rock bands at the age of fourteen. From 1971-1974 Geoffrey played drums in several popular rock bands in Woodstock and IthacaNY. Geoffrey met Ram Dass in 1971. From 1971-1973 Geoffrey studied Ashtanga Yoga, Tantra, and Hatha Yoga and became a devotee of Neem Karoli Baba. He studied tabla with the great master Ustad Allarakha beginning in 1975 (Ravi Shankar's premier tabla player). He also studied tabla with Ustad Zakir Hussain and North Indian Classical Music with Ustad Ali Akbar Khan.
Peter & Harbin Kirtan Band
Peter has been leading chanting at Harbin since being mentored in the ways of Kirtan by Bhagavan Das. He is a philosopher, artist, musician, minister and a manager at Harbin since 1999. His early yoga practice was heavily influenced by Gurudev Swami Satchitananda and Ram Das. Peter studied Leonard Orr's "Rebirthing" breathwork in the '80's. Peter's classes incorporate singing the bhajans and the techniques and philosophy of breathwork and are restorative and follow a gentle flow of primarily floor work.
Arpita
Arpita has been an avid singer and musician all her life, was initiated by Bhagavan Das as a Kirtan leader and blesses us with her angelic voice and heartful prayers at a monthly Saturday night Kirtan. She plays harp, ektar, sitara, harmonium and tambora. And as if to round out all that Hindu dharma, she also, for several years, led Harbin Rituals for the 8 major pagan holidays. Arpita, who is currently going for her Masters in Oriental & Integrative Medicine, is a multi-talented bodyworker of 16+ years, who has cultivated a comprehensive understanding of the body both energetically and physically.
Harmony Ananda is your host and yoga teacher for the Kirtan weekend. She will be offering morning flow yoga classes with live music. Harmony has been a yoga instructor for over 20 years. She is a 500 hour certified yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance and also certifed in TriYoga, as taught by Kali Ray and Kripalu as taught by Yogi Amrit Desai. Harmony is currently a Harbin Resident and the Events Coordinator at Harbin Hot Springs. Her 30 year devotion to yoga and the spiritual path has inspired her to organize this first Kirtan Gathering at Harbin and form Ecstatic Kirtan Productions with Lyn Hunstad another Middletown kirtan enthusiast.
