LIHU‘E — Liz Hahn of Waimea returned from a unique, 19-day choral tour in India, participating as a soprano singer in the “Voices of Baha,” an internationally-acclaimed choir composed of 130 auditioned singers from over 25 nations. Translated in English,
LIHU‘E — Liz Hahn of Waimea returned from a unique, 19-day choral tour in India, participating as a soprano singer in the “Voices of Baha,” an internationally-acclaimed choir composed of 130 auditioned singers from over 25 nations. Translated in English, the word “Baha” means “Glory.”
The concerts were visually enhanced by the colorful array of national costumes each singer wore to represent their country or their heritage. Hahn dressed in Hawaiian muumuu with artificial maile and pikake lei.
The Voices of Baha were joined by eminent Indian singers and musicians to create a singular blend of Western and classical Indian music.
Capacity audiences in the National Centre for Performing Arts in Mumbai, the CMS Auditoriums in Lucknow, the Baha’i Information Centre Auditorium and the Baha’i House of Worship in New Delhi, were entertained by the choir’s performance of rare Hindi ragas composed by legendary Indian musician Ravi Shankar. Several pieces of Western and Persian spiritual and popular music were included in the repertoire.
American composer, conductor and organizer of the tour, Tom Price said the Voices of Baha has performed in over 35 countries globally since it was founded in 1992, and is primarily a Baha’i choir. The songs’ lyrics evoke the spiritual teachings of the founder of the Baha’i faith, Baha’u’llah. He proclaimed that there is one God, that religion is essentially one and that humanity is one family.
In 1986 Shankar composed nine ragas based on the writings of Baha’u’llah. Long-time friend and colleague of Shankar, Ashit Desai, conducted the Indian choir for that ceremony. Desai, his wife Hema and son Alap were featured singers in this tour. Price arranged four-part vocal harmonization to accompany Shankar’s melodies, several of which were heard for the first time on this tour.
Chicago-based operatic soprano Emily Price, acting as assistant conductor and another featured soloist on the tour, said that initially, singing in Hindi was challenging for the Western choir members, but they thoroughly enjoyed the learning experience.
To add to the musical diversity, Hahn’s Hawaiian piece, “Blessed is the Spot,” was sung in a jazz style by American jazz singer Rachael Price.
“I set that prayer to music back in the ‘70s, and the choral version was originally arranged by music legend Russ Garcia for the Hawai‘i Baha’i TV series “The New World,” Hahn said. “Since then, that simple tune has been sung in many languages around the world.”
