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Celebrate Peace Concerts |
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07/21/2007 Lenox, MA
09/06/2007 Bern, Switzerland
09/07/2007 Zurich, Switzerland
09/11/2007 London, United Kingdom
09/14/2007 Hamburg, Germany
09/15/2007 Frankfurt, Germany
09/16/2007 Munich, Germany
09/18/2007 Utrecht, Netherlands
09/21/2007 Stockholm, Sweden
09/28/2007 Barcelona, Spain
09/29/2007 Valencia, Spain
09/30/2007 Madrid, Spain
10/26/2007 Denver, CO
10/27/2007 Boulder, CO
11/02/2007 Sedona, AZ
11/03/2007 Scottsdale, AZ
11/05/2007 Tucson, AZ
11/09/2007 Encinitas, CA
11/10/2007 San Diego, CA
11/16/2007 Riverside, CA
11/17/2007 Los Angeles, CA
Ecstatic Chant Weekend
The Yoga of Voice (at Omega Institute)
08/31 – 09/03/2007 Rhinebeck, NY
Inner Peace through Yoga & Chanting Workshop
07/20 - 07/22/2007 Lenox, MA
09/20/2007 Stockholm, Sweden
09/27/2007 Barcelona, Spain
Gurdwara, Gurbani Kirtan
09/09 – 09/12/2007 United Kingdom
10/28/2007 Golden, CO
11/04/2007 Phoenix, AZ
11/11/2007 Poway, CA
11/18/2007 Los Angeles, CA
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by Ram Dass |
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On the Celebrate Peace Tour we use our music to inspire others to create peaceful communities. Music is the one true universal language—it is the one medium that has the greatest chance of creating a peaceful world. Recently I was inspired to start a non-profit organization that will give grants to arts programs in public schools so that students at an early age will be exposed to the powerful tools of music and the arts and can in turn use those tools to bridge societies and cultures together in harmony.
I owe everything of where I am now to my past education and those that supported the arts. I realize that I have had a unique experience in my education. I do not believe, however, that I am alone in my experience, and I firmly trust that we can create a country where the majority of students can have similar experiences to mine.
I am sad to say that as I have visited my former schools, I have noticed a dramatic decline in available arts classes and performances. In a mere three years, the changes are very apparent. We cannot wait any longer. Instead, we need to inspire a renaissance in the country. It is necessary that art be found in every profession and activity. I ask for your help in creating this shift to a new renaissance. In doing so, we inspire the country to stand for what it means to: independent thought. We would be injecting vitality into American culture and helping the country remain independent yet a vital peaceful contributor to the global community.
If you would like to be involved in my project, please email me at ramdass@mac.com.
... read more |
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Notes from the Road |
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Monday, April 16, 2007
Congratulations Rishi Parbhaat Singh on your graduation from Miri Piri Academy!
Miri Piri Academy is a boarding school in northern India, located in the outskirts of Amritsar, Punjab. The school has children from eight years old all the way up to high school. The children not only receive an academic education, every graduate is a certified Kundalini Yoga teacher, they have the opportunity to study Gurbani Kirtan (spiritual music of the Sikhs), Indian classical music, Gatka (Sikh martial art), they learn to meditate (good thing to know how to do these days!), they have the opportunity to do seva (sacred service) at the Golden Temple which is one of the most sacred places on the planet, and among many other things they establish lifelong friendships.
... read more |
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 The Celebrate Peace Tour began their spring schedule with an exotic trip to Paradise Island in the Bahamas from March 22nd – 25th. They were featured, along with Wah! and Robert Gass and Judith Gass, to play at the Interfaith Sacred Music and Dance Festival sponsored by the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat. Snatam Kaur and GuruGanesha Singh’s music had been recommended by their dear friends, Deva Premal and Miten, who had played there the previous year. One of the highlights was at their final concert when Robert Gass invited Snatam, GuruGanesha and Manish to join him onstage for an amazing blend of voices and musicians. A wonderful friendship was struck up, and Robert will be joining Snatam and GuruGanesha for a joint concert in Boulder, Colorado on October 27th.
The tour then continued to Washington DC, bringing divine vibrations to the nation’s capitol at a beautifully staged television studio. They then headed north to New England and New York. They had four concerts throughout Boston and Connecticut to crowds totaling 1200 blissful chanters and then on to New York City to full-houses at the new Golden Bridge Yoga studio and Kundalini East.
After a great concert in Philadelphia, they played at the Integral Yoga Institute hosted by the devotees of the late Swami Satchitananda. It was such a divine experience that the band was invited to play in Yogaville, the beautiful spiritual retreat center with its world-famous lotus temple which was the home and teaching center of Swamiji.
The concert in New Jersey took place during the flooding in the Northeast. In spite of a torrential downpour and road closings, 150 people braved the weather to come out for the concert.
The first concert of the Northwest leg of the tour was held in Berkeley at the Sacred Space Yoga Sanctuary. It was an amazing concert in their new temple, and was truly magical. Another highlight in California was a concert they played at the Waldorf School that Snatam attended as a child. They played in the schools’ beautiful amphitheatre to 150 children, aged 6 – 17 years. From the youngest to the oldest, they loved it so much that they immediately invited the band to return next year.
The concert in Palo Alto was filmed by SMTV, www.suprememastertv.com, a satellite TV station broadcasting in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. They will be featuring Snatam’s concert and interview on their program called Enlightening Entertainment. We will keep you posted about when it will be airing on-line.
The band was very excited to be playing their first concert in the city of San Francisco. They played a 2 ½ hour concert to one of the most enthusiastic crowds ever, and GuruGanesha proclaimed San Francisco the “Chanting capital of the world!” Snatam said it was one of the wildest nights of her musical career.
Their final concert was at the Peace Prayer Day Celebration on June 16th at the 3HO Summer Solstice gathering in the sacred Jemez Mountains above Espanola, New Mexico. It was a joyous gathering of people of all faiths and cultures coming together to forge positive change for the planet.
The addition of Manish Vyas on the tour has added a wonderful dimension to the band. Having studied under the tutelage of Ustad Alla Rakha, who was the tabla player for the famous Ravi Shankar, and the father and teacher of Zakir Hussain, Manish's incredible tabla playing and classically trained vocals captivate the audiences, and he has become a beloved member of the band.
Upcoming News
Snatam Live Album
During this entire tour, every concert has been recorded for the upcoming Live album which will include several new never-recorded pieces! We’ve also had camera crews from Prana Projects video-taping the concerts and workshops, as well as behind-the-scenes footage on the road for a DVD to accompany the CD. You’ll be hearing more about this as the release draws near.
Ocean of Pearls
An incredibly exciting project which Snatam Kaur is working on is the original soundtrack for an upcoming independent full length film called “Ocean of Pearls”. She will be recording vocals for the movie this Summer. Snatam and GuruGanesha were on the movie set in Detroit where the movie is being filmed. You can check out the movie at www.oceanofpearls.com
European Tour
The band is really looking forward to its extensive European Tour which starts in September 2007. They will be performing concerts in cities including Bern, Zurich, London, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Munich, Utrecht, Barcelona, Valencia and Madrid. Check the tour schedule for the specific dates.
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by Snatam Kaur
 In the past couple of weeks while on tour, I have really wanted to play the mantra “Aad Guray Nameh.” We hadn’t played that mantra in a while, and it started coming into my awareness again to play it. Many of you may know this mantra from my album, Prem. In the past couple of concerts, the musical experiences have been rich, and I have discovered a new depth of meaning for myself that I want to share with you.
Here are the words and the meaning of the mantra:
Aad Guray Nameh
Words by Guru Arjan, the fifth Guru of the Sikhs
Aad Guray Nameh (I bow to the Primal *Guru)
Jugaad Guray Nameh (I bow to the *Guru woven throughout time.)
Sat Guray Nameh (I bow to the True *Guru, the true identity of the Self)
Siri Guru Devay Nameh (I bow to the Great *Guru whose Great Glory will always be.)
*Guru: that which brings us from darkness (Gu) to light (Ru)
I first learned this mantra when I was a little girl because my mother would recite it before driving anywhere. She passed this on to me as it was given to her by Yogi Bhajan. He taught that before driving, put your hands in prayer pose at your heart center, close your eyes, and recite the mantra three times. He explained that it creates a buffer of time and space to avoid any possible accidents. Now as a driver myself, when I recite it, I feel that it gives me a few extra minutes of prayer that centers me before driving.
In my early twenties, I discovered another gift of this mantra that I often share in concert. As illustrated in Yoga for Prosperity by Siri Kirpal Kaur, Yogi Bhajan gave a wonderful meditation that utilizes the power of this mantra to bring prosperity. The kind of prosperity he spoke of is the timeless and unending prosperity of the heart that not only encompasses the physical plane but also the mental and spiritual planes. Basically, it gives you the opportunity to tap into the wealth of God’s Love and Light that is with us all of the time, but that we must come into frequency with to experience in a full and real way in our daily lives. When we do it in concert with audiences, it is incredibly moving and beautiful.
Now in my early thirties, and especially in the past couple of weeks, I have discovered a new dimension to this mantra. The mantra speaks of bowing to the Guru, to the inner wisdom that brings us from darkness to light. We bow to the wisdom which existed at the beginning of time, to the wisdom which has existed throughout the ages, to the true identity of the self, and to that inner teacher whose glory will always be. As a Sikh, I connect with the teacher within, the Guru, by reciting the sacred words that were written by the Sikh Gurus and other saintly masters of the time and are compiled in a sacred volume called the Siri Guru Granth Sahib. It is this experience of reciting those words that brings us from darkness to light. All the enlightened beings, Jesus, Mohamed, Moses, and Buddha had this gift of bringing disciples from darkness into light, and they are very much alive through the purity of their teachings. This is the essence of Guru.
As I chanted this mantra over and over again in the concerts and at home, I realized that within myself I am evoking the spirit of my soul to bow to my inner Guru. This mantra can bring protection while driving a car, it can bring prosperity to the heart and consciousness, and when you have your head bowed to the Divine, then all of the facets of life are taken care of.
For me, this was a beautiful and wonderful discovery. May it be of service to you on your path in this lifetime.
God Bless You.
Sat Nam.
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by GuruGanesha Singh
 Greetings from Room 210 at the Super 8 Motel in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho on the morning of May 29th! Tonight we have our first concert ever in the state of Idaho and we’re looking forward to a magical evening! Yesterday was very challenging as we drove approximately 500 miles from Eugene, Oregon. It isn’t always easy to stay positive on long drives like this, especially when five of us are in such close proximity with little stretch room in our jam packed tour van. Fortunately we like each other and we’ve found that humor is a great antidote to physical discomfort. Ram Dass seems to have an endless library of funny voices and characters. Manish never runs out of good ‘tofu’ jokes. Krishan doesn’t say much but when he does it’s often very funny in a dry, edgy way. Snatam knows us all so well that she’s become a master at poking fun and getting us laughing without hurting anyone’s feelings.
Sometimes the Universe conspires to make us laugh too. Recently I was pumping gas into the tour van in a fairly conservative state and this big angry looking guy gets right in my face and says, ”You know who you remind me of ??” I’m thinking, “Uh –oh, here we go”. I respond as respectfully as possible with, ”Who sir?” He says, ”ZZ Top!!” and gives me a big smile.
God is great! Keep smiling and laughing!
Peace and Blessings!!!
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Spirit Voyage Live Events Job Opportunity
Full Time Tech Manager
2008 Celebrate Peace Tour
Become an integral part of the international Celebrate Peace Road Tour which is bringing peace through sacred music and Kundalini Yoga to cities across the US and Canada.
Employee Specifications:
Job title - Technical Manager
Minimum of a 2 year degree in the art of sound engineering.
2 years of work experience in a recording studio or live performance venue/tour is preferred.
Experience or the ability to learn Quickbooks store software.
Specific duties include, but are not limited to:
Setup and Teardown for each concert
Engineering the sound for each concert
Set up lighting for each concert
Maintaining gear
Vehicle/Driving
Managing the Product Store
Salary and Benefits:
Salary is $1500/month.
Benefits package includes medical insurance, and a place to live for the year.
If you are interested please send your resume and cover letter to:
Akal Sahai Singh Khalsa
Phone: 1-303-665-1483
Fax: 1-888-233-4645
Email: akalsahai@spiritvoyage.com |
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Welcome! We’re excited to let you know that Snatam’s newsletter has expanded and will now be called The Celebrate Peace Tour Newsletter. It features tidbits from the entire band, including their personal stories, lessons and inspirations.
