Religare: Music
Religare: Music
A Five-Part Series Exploring Music Through Diverse Religious and Cultural Traditions. Presented March 2021.
Religare, “to bind” in Latin, is considered by some scholars to be the root for “religion.” In the Religare Series, we explore the many facets of religious traditions that help bind them together and to each other. Featuring elements such as prayer, music, food, architecture, and rituals, this series seeks to stimulate the audience’s understanding of the richness of religious traditions both familiar and new.
Religare: Music, a series unto itself, asks the question, “How does music stimulate the human spirit?” From Gregorian chanting to ancient Carnatic music, to the silence of contemplative practice, to hip-hop, to the works of Hildegard von Bingen - creative play with sound connects us with the transcendent mystery and to the deepest parts of human experience and emotion. Featuring locally and nationally recognized artists, Religare: Music will bring participants on a journey through rhythm, harmony, melody, lyrics, and silence, as we explore the nuances of music and how it has appeared across times and cultures.
Avner Dorman writes music of intricate craftsmanship and rigorous technique, expressed with a soulful and singular voice. A native of Israel now living in the United States, Dorman draws on a variety of cultural and historical influences in composing, resulting in music that affects an emotional impact while exploring new territories. His music utilizes an exciting and complex rhythmic vocabulary, as well as unique timbres and colors in orchestral, chamber, and solo settings; many of his compositions have become contemporary staples in the repertoire. Dorman's music is championed by conductors including Zubin Mehta, Christoph Eschenbach, Ricardo Chailly, and Andris Nelsons, and by soloists such as Pinchas Zukerman, Gil Shaham, Martin Grubinger, and Hilary Hahn. You can learn more at http://www.avnerdormanmusic.com/.
Kaminari Taiko was founded in 1996 by Jay Mochizuki along with a number of talented musicians from diverse backgrounds and ethnicities. Since its founding, Kaminari Taiko has grown into the premier taiko ensemble in the Gulf South, performing at concerts and festivals from Texas to Tennessee. Kaminari's public awareness and support programs have been recognized by many organizations, including the Consulate General of Japan in Houston, the City of Houston, the Japan America Society, and Asia Society. By fusing traditional instruments with modern rhythms, Kaminari strives to respectfully advance taiko as an art form, and to inspire audiences in Texas and beyond. You can learn more at http://www.ilovetaiko.org/.
Calmecac Indigenous Arts Organization was founded in 2014, as an umbrella organization for people to be introduced to the indigenous arts here in Houston by way of traditional ceremony. Our traditional name is Calmecac Tonantzin Yolilitzyotl which translates to Mother Earth resurrecting. We have been in the traditional Native American ceremonies for 23 years and have been in our Danza Azteca Splendor (Mexica/Aztec dance tradition) for 18 years. Our style is not affiliated with the church or any religious institution we are a form of native American spirituality that is expressive through the arts as our form of prayer. You can learn more at www.houstonaztecdance.com.
Since 2004, it has been the goal of the founder of KoumanKe’le’ African Drum & Dance Ensemble, to reconnect current and future generations to the history and traditions of the Diaspora, along with its transitions and current applications through dance, drum, and culturally educated performances. You can learn more at https://koumankele.com/home.
Composer Anthony Brandt is a Professor of Composition and Theory at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music and Artistic Director of the new music ensemble Musiqa, winner of two national awards for adventurous programming. Dr. Brandt’s catalog includes three chamber operas, as well as orchestral, chamber, vocal, theater, dance, and television scores. Recordings of his music are available on the Albany, Crystal, and Navona Live labels.
Dr. Brandt and neuroscientist David Eagleman have co-authored The Runaway Species: How Human Creativity Remakes the World, which has been published in thirteen countries. Dr. Brandt writes and speaks frequently about music cognition and creativity, and is currently a co-investigator in two neuroimaging studies involving music.
You can learn more about Dr. Brandt here!
Fatih Bayram is a musician, producer, and dubbing director. He's been performing with various ensembles in New York and New Jersey since 2006. He has played classical Turkish music, Turkish folk music, and contemporary Turkish music with musicians all around the United States, including Chicago, Boston, Washington DC, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York. He has introduced the sound of Turkish folk and popular music to many at intercultural gatherings and festivals around the nation.
You can learn more about the Istanbul Trio here!
The GRAMMY® Award-winning vocal ensemble Chanticleer has been hailed as “the world’s reigning male chorus” by The New Yorker, and is known around the world as “an orchestra of voices” for its wide-ranging repertoire and dazzling virtuosity. Founded in San Francisco in 1978 by singer and musicologist Louis Botto, Chanticleer quickly took its place as one of the most prolific recording and touring ensembles in the world, selling over one million recordings and performing thousands of live concerts to audiences around the world.
You can learn more about Chanticleer here!
Celebrated Indian (Hindustani) Vocal virtuoso Pandit Suman Ghosh’s mellifluous voice, soul-stirring artistry, and technical perfection, elevates his music to divinity.
Besides his performing genius, Pandit-ji is a path-finding Guru and founder of the Center for Indian Classical Music of Houston, a frontrunner in upholding this priceless lineage.
Key honors bestowed upon him include a Lifetime Achievement Award, Gold Medal for Excellence at the Park City Film Music Festival, and a Proclamation ‘Pandit Suman Ghosh Day’ by the City of Houston commemorating his arrival here. He has as performed at the Indian Parliament and for the President of India at the Presidential Palace.
You can learn more about Pandit Suman Ghosh here!
Jeremy Johnson, Dramaturg at Houston Grand Opera, serves as the resident opera information source for audiences, patrons, and staff, communicating the musical, historical, sociological, ideological, and dramaturgical context for each of HGO’s operas. He works closely with composers and librettists on the commissioning and development of contemporary opera, solicits and reviews scores and libretti for production, and makes programming and casting recommendations as a member of HGO’s artistic team. He holds two degrees in vocal performance from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, an MBA from the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois, and a certificate in copyright law from Harvard Law School. He is passionate about contemporary opera’s ability to disrupt the industry toward a more creative, equitable, and accessible future.
Paolo Bordignon is an Organist & Choirmaster of St. Bartholomew’s Church in New York City and harpsichordist of the New York Philharmonic. 2019-20 included concerts with Camerata Pacifica, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Boston Symphony Chamber Players, the All-Star Orchestra, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, among others.
Festival appearances include Aspen, Bard, Bay Chamber, Bridgehampton, Jackson Hole, Palm Beach, and Vail.
Paolo studied at Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music before earning a doctorate from the Juilliard School. He is an Associate of the Royal Conservatory of Music and a Fellow of the Royal Canadian College of Organists.
You can learn more about Paolo here!
Wheeler Avenue Baptist Sanctuary Choir worships, sings praises and makes a joyful noise unto the Lord. It is energetic and vibrant adult choir know for their high-level of praise. The Age Range is 18 yrs and up.
You can learn more about Wheeler Avenue Baptist here!
Peter Bouteneff teaches courses in theology, spirituality, and the arts at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, where he is a professor of systematic theology and founding director of the Institute of Sacred Arts.
Dr. Bouteneff’s first degree is from New England Conservatory where he studied jazz and ethnomusicology. After some years living and traveling in Japan, Asia, and Europe he landed at St. Vladimir’s Seminary, where he received his M.Div. degree in 1990. From there he went to Oxford and wrote his doctorate under the supervision of Metropolitan Kallistos Ware. For five years he was on the staff of the Faith and Order Commission at the World Council of Churches in Geneva. Since 2000 he has been bringing all of these experiences to bear on his teaching, writing, and public speaking. His close kinship with the music of Estonian composer Arvo Pärt has led to the seminary’s Arvo Pärt Project, which has blossomed into a celebrated endeavor involving high-profile concerts, conferences, and publications. The Pärt Project has also expanded into the seminary’s Institute of Sacred Arts, of which Bouteneff is founding director.
You can learn more about Dr. Bouteneff here!
Anthony B. Pinn received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1994. Other degrees include the BA from Columbia University, the MDiv and MA, both from Harvard, and an honorary Doctorate degree from Meadville-Lombard Theological School. Pinn began his teaching career at Macalester College (St. Paul, MN), where his research and teaching earned him early tenure and promotion to full professor within the first eight years of his career. In 2003, Pinn accepted an offer from Rice University (Houston, TX), becoming the first African American to hold an endowed chair at the University. After an additional semester at Macalester and a semester at Williams College as the Sterling Brown 1922 Visiting Professor, Pinn joined the Rice faculty as the Agnes Cullen Arnold Professor of Humanities and Professor of Religious Studies at Rice University. While at Rice, Pinn founded and directed the Houston Enriches Rice Education (HERE) project (2007-2012). During the summer of 2012, Pinn received approval to transform the HERE Project into the Center for Engaged Research and Collaborative Learning. This center is a part of the Rice University Kinder Institute for Urban Research. Pinn also founded and directs the doctoral concentration in the study of African American Religion at Rice. Outside Rice, Pinn has served as the first executive director of the Society for the Study of Black Religion, and he also served on the Meadville Lombard Theological School Board of Trustees (2007-2012). In addition, he has served in various roles on the board of directors and the executive committee of the American Academy of Religion. He is also the Director of Research for the Institute for Humanist Studies Think Tank (Washington, DC).
Bun BIt’s been well over 25 years since Bernard Freeman—known better to the world as Bun B—changed the hip-hop landscape as one half of the legendary UGK alongside the late Pimp C.
As a solo artist, in 2006 Bun B won an ASCAP Award for Top R&B/Hip Hop Song for his writing and performance on the single “Give Me That” and also holds an MTV Music Award for Best R&B Video for Beyonce’s “Check On It” featuring himself and Slim Thug. His third solo album, 2010’s Trill O.G. was met with critical acclaim, garnering five-mics from The Source and an XL rating from XXL Magazine, with guest appearances from Drake, Gucci Mane, Jeezy, T-Pain, and more. By 2013, he would release his last project before his musical break, The Epilogue, boasting big name collaborations with Rick Ross, 2 Chainz, and Big K.R.I.T.
As a professor of Theology at Houston’s Rice University, Bun along with Professor Anthony Pinn led a course about Religion and Hip-Hop Culture. For Bun it fortified one of his personal goals. “Reestablishing my connection to Christ was one of the big things for me,” he expresses.
When Hurricane Harvey hit in 2017, Bun was at the forefront of recovery efforts, furthering his philanthropic contributions. He and Scooter Braun organized the Hand In Hand Telethon that ran concurrently in Los Angeles, New York, and Texas, raising $40 million. A second round of fundraising once the storm hit Florida and Puerto Rico brought in an additional $20 million dollars. During the past couple of years, Bun has continued his involvement with local communities and community leaders in support of a wide variety of relief efforts and the organization of major rallies to honor the legacy of George Floyd and call for policing reform.
On January 1, 2021, Bun welcomed the new year with the release of the collaborative EP Distant with fellow Houston rapper LE$.
His mantra is simple and one that has carried him for decades and will do so for decades more. “Live for today,” he declares, “but be smart in case tomorrow comes.”
Rollin Simmons has served as Cantor at Congregation Emanu El here in Houston for the last three years. At Emanu El, her roles include music director, worship leader, teacher, pastor, life cycle officiant, youth choir director, concert producer, and conversion mentor. She is grateful to work with an inspiring clergy team and staff to enrich the lives of the Jewish community and beyond. In her free time, she enjoys art projects with her kids Levi and Bea, eating delicious treats baked by her husband, Rabbi David Segal, and walks with their dog, Olive.
Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton is an internationally known writer, educator, activist, performer, and poet laureate emeritus of Houston. She was formerly ranked as the second best Female Performance Poet in the World. Her recent poetry collection, Newsworthy (Bloomsday Literary), was nominated for a Pushcart Prize, named a finalist for the 2019 Writer’s League of Texas Book Award, and received honorable mention for the Summerlee Book Prize. Its German translation, under the title Berichtenswert, is set to be released in Fall 2021 by Elif Verlag. Mouton was a finalist for Texas State Poet Laureate, a Kennedy Center Citizen fellowship, and the prestigious Breadloaf Retreat. Her work has been highlighted and studied in Canada, England, New Zealand, and Germany. She recently performed as a part of the Kennedy Center's virtual performance, Arts Across America, and was named a Houston Artist Commissioning Project award winner by the Society for the Performing Arts Houston. Her second book, Black Chameleon, is set to be released in 2022 by Henry Holt & Co. She recently created a new Storybook Opera for HGOco, Lula, the Mighty Warrior, which reinterprets one of the stories from Black Chameleon and is set to debut in early 2021.
Punya Pragya Ji hails from India. She is a disciple of His Holiness Acharya Mahashraman ji. She was initiated into the Saman order in the year 1993 at the age of 21, after 5 years of theological studies in the Jain religion in India. She has an M.A. in Prakrit language and literature and an M.A. in English.
She held the position of Principal and Director of Mahapragya International School since 2009. Currently, she is the head nun of JVB Houston for the past two years where she conducts classes in Jain Philosophy, Healthy living, and Preksha Meditation. She is well-traveled in India, the USA, UK, Spain, Africa, and Canada promoting Jain Values, Preksha Meditation, and Non-Violence.
Megan Ihnen is a “new music force of nature.” Her performances thrive on elaborate sound worlds and fully-developed dramatic interpretations. A gifted narrative and non-narrative musical storyteller, Megan’s performance work explores the depths of memory, nostalgia, the perception of time, and complex relationships. Passionate about contemporary chamber music and opera, Megan has worked with individuals and ensembles around the globe including: International Contemporary Ensemble, Fifth House Ensemble, Great Noise Ensemble, Rhymes With Opera, and Synchromy. She is deeply committed to the belief that new music should be performed and loved in communities of all sizes. She has recently traveled to and performed on SPLICE Festival, Oh My Ears, ÆPEX Contemporary Performance, Detroit New Music “Strange Beautiful Music Marathon”, Omaha Under the Radar Festival, Works and Process at the Guggenheim Series, and New Music Gathering. Her voice and saxophone duo Megan Ihnen & Alan Theisen present… has traveled to twenty four cities in the US since 2017. Learn more about Megan at meganihnen.com.
Live Oak Friends Meeting is an open, welcoming community of unprogrammed Quakers who meet in expectant worship seeking to connect directly with Spirit. The Quaker faith, formed in mid-seventeenth-century England, differed from other Protestant groups in believing that each seeker had direct access to divine revelation and therefore, everyone was equal in the sight of God. Based on their understanding of scripture, they also eschewed fighting with weapons of any kind and refused to swear oaths. This put them in direct conflict with the social and political standards of the time and resulted in imprisonment and loss of property. Ever since, Quakers, guided by seeking that of God in everyone and the testimonies of equality, integrity, simplicity, and peace, have been involved in service in many areas of social justice.