I recently finished composing the last piece for the marriage CD that I am working on.  I am thrilled about it as it will be a combination of three quotations in one song.  It consists of a short passage from Abdu’l-Baha on love (which I have included as the ‘Thought of the day’ below), an Apache (Native American) wedding blessing and a quotation about love from Henri Matisse.  The three quotes are intertwined in one piece and sung together in parts.  The next step of the project will be recording these pieces professionally.  In addition to the CD, the package will include a lovely booklet of quotations on love and marriage from different sources.  Both the CD and the booklet come in a beautiful Chinese silk package which is intended to be given as gifts to couples at weddings or visiting a friend’s home.  I can’t wait for you to see and hear it.   If you have any thoughts for a title for a marriage CD, please let me know.

Thought of the Day:

“Where there is love, nothing is too much trouble and there is always time.”

Naw Ruz is here! Naw Ruz is an ancient Persian festival celebrating the first day of spring (March 21), and is also the Baha’i New Year.  To celebrate, I have created a new ‘Special Gifts‘ page for you! It contains a brand new song that has never been released called ‘The Light In Thy Love’. I am giving this song to you as a free download as a thank you for supporting me, and my creations. I have also put the video for my song ‘This Is Faith’ by May Main and produced by Jarome Matthew, from my new CD ‘Fire And Gold’ on the special gifts page. Now you can use it for your presentations and events!

Enjoy, and check my blog again to be informed of more special gifts in the future.

Click here to download your special gifts.

Happy Naw Ruz!

I began the process of recording ‘Fire and Gold’ three years ago this month.  The first piece I recorded was ‘The Hallowed Beauty’.  The month of March is a special time of year for me as I fast for 19 days.  The Baha’i fasting period (which is from March 2-20) is a time for reflection and learning about detachment from this physical world.  It is a symbol and a reminder to take time out in order to look within oneself and clean away the dust and dirt (unhappiness, resentments, negative emotions, etc) that may have accumulated on one’s soul throughout the year.  A few of my friends wonder why I do it and wonder if it is even healthy.  My reply is that even though it may be outwardly challenging at times, I feel so happy and refreshed knowing that I’m going through a spiritual cleansing.  And more and more doctors are also realizing that periodic fasting is in fact one of the best things for cleansing our bodies and maintaining our physical health.

While fasting, I normally do not record vocals as for me singing is an exhausting experience which sometimes takes between 2-4 hours of recording time in the studio.  Drinking is important to keep the vocals lubricated and smooth.  But that day (three years ago), I felt such an urge and energy to go ahead and sing.  I find that I need to be in the mood to sing otherwise the vocals are dull and there is dryness to the sound and lack of emotion in the song.  What was amazing when recording ‘The Hallowed Beauty’ was that I managed to complete the vocals in one session without any water.  It was an inspirational morning.  I have tried recording other pieces while fasting since then, but I have not been able to do so.  There seemed to be a certain magic in the air that day, perhaps in part due to it being the commencement of ‘Fire and Gold’.  

Interestingly, now during the fast I am again focusing on a new project that I mentioned in my last blog– a CD on marriage.  Soon, I will tell you more about the final piece that I just finished composing. J

Thought of the Day: 

“Even though outwardly the Fast is difficult and toilsome, yet inwardly it is bounty and tranquility.”  -Baha’u’llah 

I am now working on my next project, which is a CD on the theme of marriage.  At the moment the vision is that it will consist of five pieces with quotations and prayers from several sources.  So far, I have chosen quotes from the Baha’i writings on marriage, a prayer for husbands and one for women. I have also selected a quote from the Bible about love for which I just composed the melody last week.  I am looking for one more quotation about love from any source, so if you have any ideas or quotes to contribute, I would love to hear them.  

When I started composing the quotation from the Bible, I found a couple of phrases quite challenging to set to music.  It just didn’t flow at the time and it was difficult to find an appropriate melody for the words in the passage.  I decided to take a break, but after some encouragement from my producer to persevere, I felt inspired to try again. This time the music came so naturally and rapidly that I was amazed! 

 It is hard to describe what happens in those moments that one feels truly inspired:  I feel as if I am in touch with a different realm. Composing music is such an inspiring and mysterious subject for me.  In times when the urge to create is strong I feel impelled to put everything else on hold so that I can make a rough recording, otherwise I may lose it altogether and the next time I try, something completely different may be inspired. How important it is to make use of those creative moments and persevere!

Thought of the Day: 

“Endeavor your utmost to compose beautiful poems to be chanted with heavenly music; thus may their beauty affect the minds and impress the hearts of those who listen.”    

– Abdu’l-Baha

A few nights ago I went carolling with my children and a few friends in the neighborhood for the festival of Ayyam-i-Ha.  For Baha’is this is a time of bringing cheer to others, visiting the poor and needy, giving gifts and enjoying the company of family and friends.  We surprised some of our neighbors by singing several joyful songs in English and Chinese.   We were quite the little band of merry songsters – my son on his African drum, my daughter with her maracas, me on the guitar and a small group of little singers with a few of their parents! 

We dropped by five families and I was touched by a comment from one of the ladies we visited.  She exclaimed that this had been the best Ayyam-i-Ha gift she had ever received!  That made it all worthwhile. :) 

I also created a simple song for Ayyam-i-Ha to teach some friends who came over to our home to celebrate.  It is a simple tune on the guitar and has a three-part harmony.  It was such fun teaching everyone his or her part and trying to sing in the same rhythm.  We had a good laugh….

Thought of the Day:

“It behoveth the people of Baha, throughout these days, to provide good cheer for themselves, their kindred and, beyond them, the poor and needy, and with joy and exultation to hail and glorify their Lord, to sing His praise and magnify His Name.”   - Baha’u'llah