(not necessarily in that order)
With plans proceeding full speed ahead for the launch of a new Christmas album with the Joy Singers, it was time to get serious about a photo shoot.
So, today was the day, with Barbara Bingham, our photographer extraordinaire, guiding us every step of the way.
It was grueling, at slightly over three hours, but also great fun. And — for once — I even remembered to take some pics to document the process.
The Joy Singers accomplished our Christmas album recording goals today, but — boy oh boy — is it an exhausting process!
The six traditional carols are “in the can” (as they say); one more full day and we’ll be done.
The Joy Singers started recording a new Christmas album last March and we’re returning to the studio soon to do the second half.
Crystal Clarity Publishers will be launching it sometime in November. Considering how much remains to be done after the recording process is complete — mastering, artwork, graphic design, marketing, promotions, etc. — time is already of the essence. ⌛
So, yes — we’re very much feeling the Spirit of Christmas even in the heat of July.
As part of her comments during this afternoon’s Gratitude Tea, Devi expressed her appreciation for the Joy Singers (who sang at the beginning of the event) by observing that we “are the music.”
I’ve been reflecting on that and, while I believe it is true, I think it doesn’t go far enough. In truth, we all “are — or can be — the music.”
All of creation is vibration. Therefore, everything in creation vibrates — including every single one of us — just not all at the same frequency.
We are blessed at Ananda to have a wealth of music that vibrates at an extremely high frequency. Members of Ananda have been singing and attuning to this high frequency music for over fifty years, which allows us to vibrate at that same high frequency in everything we do and wherever we are in the world.
When people (delivery or repair persons, etc.) visit an Ananda community, they often ask “what is this place?” They can feel the deep harmony that comes as a result of that consistently high vibrational frequency.
It’s subtle stuff that I struggle to put into words. But I’ve personally experienced the reality of this so many times that I know the truth of it in every fiber of my being.
The Joy Singers recorded all day today and we’ll be at it again tomorrow.
More to be revealed soon, but tonight I’m done in and ready for bed.
Today was our Joy Singers concert at Crystal Hermitage Gardens (part of the Expanding Light’s “Springtime at Ananda” retreat). It was scheduled for exactly a week and a day after the Oratorio, which seemed fairly doable.
The problem, of course, is that week and a day went by really fast! I was just barely recovered from the Oratorio by the time we met for our only rehearsal on Thursday night.
Going into the rehearsal, I hadn’t yet found the time or bandwidth to review all the songs and was dismayed to discover just how many of them were either newer or harder than I remembered. Suffice it to say that by the end of the evening I was not feeling particularly ready, much less confident.
So today (concert day!) was about pulling it all together — alto parts, lyrics, researching Shakespeare songs, organizing the binder, finalizing the location, etc. — which finally got the energy really moving.
Of course, once the energy was moving the grace started to flow, and I’m very happy to report that the concert went very well and was enjoyed by all.
I’m happy to give a shout out to The Expanding Light Retreat and Springtime at Ananda (in Crystal Hermitage Gardens), which are both reopening after being closed the past two years due to the pandemic.
There are two upcoming programs I want to mention in particular, because — surprise, surprise — there’s some wonderful music on offer!
First is an Easter weekend retreat, which will include our first performance of Swami Kriyananda’s Oratorio in the Temple of Light at Ananda Village. Although the choir will be small in numbers, it will still be a powerful experience!
The following weekend is a special Springtime at Ananda retreat, featuring the Joy Singers in a pre-dinner concert in the gardens.
If you’re looking for an uplifting, nurturing, spiritual weekend, I’d love to see you at one of these events!
Wow! Look what I happened upon the other day…
It’s the video “Christmas greeting” (and year-in-review) from the Joy Singers, showing what we’d been up to that year. Amazing that this was only 2012; it feels like a lifetime ago!
We sang everywhere from churches to cafes, and from Skid Row to the farmers market (plus many other points in-between), in our quest to “get the music out”. What an experience.
And, yes, the music is the recording of The Christmas Mystery that we did that year.