| Scott Medina - Summit founder,
kirtan leader...
Scott started leading evenings of devotional chanting six years
ago out of necessity ~ he wanted to chant and yet, at the time,
there were few public opportunities to come together in this way.
A leader of the Dances of Universal Peace, Scott shared some chants
with fellow peace dancers and before long there was enough enthusiasm
to begin holding larger gatherings. Since then the kirtan movement
has grown exponentially! Scott has since recorded three CDs of
original chants, "Bolo" and "Enchanted" and the lastest "StarHouse
Kirtan Live!". He leads large kirtans at the StarHouse on a quarterly
basis, and smaller kirtans at Nanak's Nook in Boulder; please
e-mail Scott for upcoming dates & directions. His kirtans are
known for their upbeat energy and ecstatic enthusiasm. Sign up
on the e-mail list at ColoradoKirtan@aol.com.
Scott dreamed up the Kirtan Summit in 2005 as an offering to the
community, and an opportunity to bring all of the wonderful local
leaders together. He co-leads Yoga/Kirtan events with his partner
Shanti, www.EnergizeJill.com.
He also founded www.SpiritualEventsCalendar.com
which is a free listing of local spiritual happenings.
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Shanti (Jill Clements)
- volunteer coordinator, goddess of everything
Shanti founded her company, Energize, out of her passion to guide
people on their journey to adopt a holistic fitness lifestyle.
Shanti inspires her students to live from their core through mindful
presence in both their energetic and physical bodies. Her Vinyasa
Flow yoga classes are a dynamic infusion of inspired pranayama
and guided meditation, core strengthening and balancing asanas
along with chakra attunements. The union of Shanti's advanced
training in Pranic Healing with her Personal Training and Yoga
certifications provides her yoga students with a holistic approach
to open and balance the subtle body while energizing the physical
body. She instructs all levels of students offering private sessions
as well as classes and workshops at various studios in the Boulder
area.
EnergizeJill@aol.com
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Robert Gass
A well-known seminar leader, organizational shaman and leader
coach, for 30 years Robert has been one of the pioneers in the
revival of sacred chant in the West. His CDs with his renowned
recording group, On Wings of Song, have sold over 700,000 copies,
including the best-sellers Om Namaha Shivaya, Alleluia, and Ancient
Mother. Robert is author of the book Chanting: Discovering Spirit
in Sound, and founder of the record label Spring Hill Music.
www.SacredUnion.com
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Bhakti Shakti - The Sacred
Power Of Devotion
Bhakti Shakti Chanting is an exquisite devotional experience,
using the ancient tools of Mantra and Sacred Sound to evoke the
Power of Devotion through Sanskrit chanting. Join us in our ongoing
practice of Bhakti Yoga where we sing together, breathe together,
and in the silences between each chant, drop into our true blissful
identity: the Supreme Consciousness of Oneness.
The Kirtan is led by Karen DeMarco on harmonium, with Kali Martin
and Anandamayi on harmonium, Brian Borg and Harsh Agrawal on tabla,
Hal Paris on djembe, and Joseph DiMasi on bass. Our musicians
come from many different backgrounds but we share a love of singing
to the Divine. For all of us, Kirtan is a spiritual practice that
brings us into connection with our true selves.
www.BoulderKirtan.com
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Eyal Rivlin & Danya Uriel
- Angels of song!
Eyal and Danya are devoted to revitalizing Jewish chanting as
a form of meditation and joyful prayer on the path of the heart.
They create and share their music in the service of peace - inner
and outer. Drawing on the power of the repetition of sacred phrases
in a Kirtan-style, they use Hebrew chants to create an experiential
connection to the One. Come and weave your voice into this holy
song we are creating together.
www.HebrewChanting.com
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Ariana Saraha - kirtan
bliss princess...
Kirtan leader, teacher, and professional singer, Ariana's greatest
love is singing the river of the divine. Ariana has been involved
in the Summit from its inception, in order to share some of the
healing waters that flow through her, and perhaps inspire others
to do the same. Singing in the Mother tongue of Sanskrit is a
blessing unto itself, a boundless grace enfolds us in her arms...
She has also had the pleasure in current years to begin studying
the ancient Indian system of Raga music and is currently releasing
a delicious cd of Classical Indian style vocal warmups.
For events, cds, ceremonies, and performances, please visit her
website...
www.ArianaSaraha.com
(Ariana also created this website, as
well as many others... For more, visit Ariana's design site, ::Creatrix
in the Matrix::)
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Steve Bross - tabla maestro,
chantleader, funniest man in Boulder ;-)
After riding a unicycle off a diving board in High School at Kinhaven
Music School in Vermont, Steve Bross wondered where one could
possibly go from there. He decided India was a good choice, where
he spent a year in Pune on an exchange program, and discovered
the irresistable phatness of the tabla, which he studied for the
better part of a year. After returning, and playing rock and reggae
through his college education, studying art and architecture at
Oberlin College and Columbia University, he took off a year and
toured the East Coast with a Reggae band. After earning a Masters
Degree in Architecture from Yale, and subsequently designing fire
stairs for a couple years, he co-founded a dot-com company in
Seattle, Global Sight (which even has a regional office in Gunbarrel!).
Then he got deeply into the Bhakti tradition, resurrecting the
tabla, and now spends his time split between developing websites,
facilitating Nonviolent Communication, and playing tabla with
a wide variety of wonderful musicians and fellow Spirit nuts.
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Kabir - the ocean of Raga
swims through this beautiful man!
Kabir fell in love with Indian music in 1964 and soon found it
was his life. He began studying bamboo flute and voice in South
India and later spent many years in North India and got immersed
in the slower more expansive raga style there... He joined a kirtan
group in Bombay and soon found that kirtan can take you to the
same Presence that the intricate raga music can. Since then he
has been combining kirtan and raga in his teaching [kirtankars
in India often look for a raga singer to study music with]. Kabir
teaches privately & has ongoing classes in Boulder, Denver and
Naropa University: all of Kabirís students learn to play tambura
and learn the svaras ‚ the sung tone names: SA RE ga ma PA DHA
ni SA. Much of his repertoire is from the vast collection of Ammachi's
songs, and he has had the blessing of performing for her several
times. Currently Kabir is beginning to write up his discoveries
of the harmonic perfections of 5 tone ragas. Kabir's Divine Singing
CD set [8 CDs] is available from Sounds
True.
303-443-8029
hckabir@earthnet.net
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Heart Connection Community
Kirtan
Susan St Clair, Michelle Davidson, Stuart Allen, Steve Bross,
and friends
Susan St Clair: Lead Vocals & Harmonium. Susan
has been in love with chanting and kirtan since 1980 after being
introduced to chanting while living in the Ananda Community in
Northern California. "Paramahansa Yogananda was my first inspiration
to learn chanting and harmonium. My other wonderful inspirations
are Ammachi and Amma Karunamayi and all the devotees of kirtan
that I have met along the way." In 1992, Susan moved from the
Ananda Community to Ft Collins, Colorado to establish a metaphysical
bookstore: Northern
Lights Wholistic Books and Gifts. She now leads Kirtan every
Friday evening at Mandala Center in Boulder. For details visit:
www.KirtanCommunity.com
Michelle Davidson: Vocals and bells. She and
Susan have been leading kirtans together since July 2006. Michelle
is a gifted Astrologer and is a certified teacher of kundalini
yoga.
Stuart Allen: Guitar and vocals. Stuart joined
us in Oct of 2007 and added his beautiful vocal harmonies and
guitar expertise to our music. Stuart also leads Dances of Universal
Peace in Denver.
Steve Bross: Vocals and Tabla, percussionist
extraordinaire! Steve has played Tabla with just about every musician
in the Boulder area, we are blessed to have him with us every
Friday at our kirtan. |
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Shiva's Garden
There are some artists who awaken us to our innermost Selves.
As the subtle energy of their musical expression permeates our
hearts, a sense of delight and wonder begins to reveal itself
from within. Shiva's Garden is just that type of band. Their blend
of roots rock, folk and kirtan offers sweetness and a cutting
edge that dissolves musical boundaries and opens our hearts in
the process. The Boulder-based band comes from a variety of musical
backgrounds. They have all been residents of Shoshoni Yoga Retreat.
The band formed in 1997 out of a collective wish to grow spiritually
and mutual devotion to H.H. Mahamandaleshwar Rishi Shambhavananda.
They offer kirtan on the third Friday of every month at Eldorado
Mountain Yoga Ashram and every Monday evening as part of their
community night at the same location.
www.Shoshoni.org
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Sadananda
Sadananda was born and raised in a mixed Catholic and Baptist
family in the Mexican neighborhood of Denver. A series of mystical
experiences during his teens and twenties led him to study with
the masters of the East who were arriving in America during the
late 60's and early 70's. After studying at Naropa Institute and
Insight Meditation Society, Sadananda travelled to India to follow
in the footsteps of the Buddha. For seven years he lived the life
of a traditional sadhu, meditating in temples, ashrams and cremation
grounds and he became the beloved disciple of Sadguru Raghudas
Maharaj.
Sadananda has always been a musician. In the 70's as a singer
and songwriter he studied and performed at the Denver Folklore
Center. In India he imbibed Kirtan at the feet of the true Kirtan
Masters of Maharashtra. Today Sadananda is an adept Kirtan leader
and inspiring meditation instructor.
www.AlandiAshram.org
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Jaya
Jaya is a spiritualist who has studied bhakti yoga for 20 years,
earning a degree in Bhakti Sastri, the teachings of devotion.
He is also an initiated Vedic brahmana who has a degree in Psychology
(a unique combination which has enabled Jaya to help hundreds
of people spiritualize their lives).
www.BoulderKrishnaHouse.com
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Padma
Padma is a native of Italy and has been studying Indian folk music
for over 13 years. In order to get the best musical training he
spent several years in India learning the harmonium, khol (mridanga-dholak),
and tabla. Padma's unique fusion of Gypsy and Mediterranean melodies
with traditional Indian ragas is loved by all.
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