–drammen sacred music festival–2013–report

drammen sacred music festival is a meeting place for sacred music from different spiritual traditions around the world. Music has the power to define the identity of a people, but also to build bridges and express universal values. It has a huge role to play in promoting peace and global solidarity. We believe that music can bring together people from across the globe because it touches the most basic core of what is human within us, transgressing lan-guage, national, cultural, ideological, racial and religious boundaries.

This year’s festival had the theme «Water», a symbol of life and a metaphor riddled with strife. In many places people have to struggle for access to basic drinking water. In oth-ers, floods and heavy rainfall destroy lives and development plans. Drammen Sacred Music Festival wishes to contrib-ute to an understanding of our common responsibility for our earth’s resources. Man’s dependence on water and his vulnerability in the face of its force is exemplified through ceremonies and rit-uals in almost all cultures and religions in the world. Our city of Drammen is founded on the banks of the Drammen River, without which we would not have survived. Dram-men has undergone massive changes over the years, where the river that was polluted has been restored to a vital re-source in the city. This positive change is an inspiration to work further for a better environment and a better future.

We wish to thank all those who have contributed to making Drammen Sacred Music Festival 2013 a huge success! We look forward already to 2014!

visionDrammen Sacred Music Festival is a meeting place for local, national and international artists with a focus on art and music of a spiritual nature. The artists and the public share a common interest and fascination for the creative dynamic that occurs when different traditions and art forms are shared, where artistic expression is central.

Drammen is known for its international population, and the festival emphasizes an open dialogue between all the groups represented.

The festival envisions a platform that encourages different people to meet, be moved, and create meaning together through shared artistic expressions.

The ambition of Drammen Sacred Music Festival is to be a central, national festival on this front.

the boardDrammen Sacred Music Festival was formally established as a registered organisation on the 24th of May 2012. The following members are on the Board:

Arve Vannebo, Arzanne De Vitre, Eirik Solum, Eli Borch-grevink, Ivar Flaten (head), Monica Finnerud & Tore Dver-gastein. Observer: André Ruud.

working groupArve Vannebo – coordinator Arzanne De Vitre – text Bodil Juul – children’s programme Frode Bjørnstad – production and administration Ivar Flaten – media and marketing Jogita Reide-Skrastina – volunteer assistant Jørgen Nøvik – exhibitions Ricardo Sanchez – booking and production Signe Myklebust – coordinator for dialogue groups and volunteersErlend Askhov – designTom Atle Bordevik – web design and photography daily administration and executionArve Vannebo, Ricardo Sanchez & Ivar Flaten.

productionRicardo Sanchez – Producer, Fernando Sallum – Co-producer (concerts in Strømsø Church) Frode Bjørnstad – Co-producer (concerts in Bragernes Church) Jock Loveband – Sound

volunteersThe festival is supported by Drammen Faith Forum (DoTL), and several of its members have contributed as volunteers. It is because of the support from them that the logistics of the festival are possible.

sponsorsDrammen Kommune’s Inter-cultural department (Inter-kultur) has been our biggest supporter and partner. The Buskerud Municipal Council (Buskerud Fylkeskommune) and the Norwegian Cultural Board (Norsk Kulturråd) have been key sponsors. Fritt Ord, Opplysningsvesenets fond, Kulturdepartementet & DoTL have contributed signifi-cantly. We wish to thank all our supporters and sponsors, and look forward to continuing our work with them in the years to come.

collaborating partnersEmployees at Strømsø, Bragernes & Fjell Church, the Church Councils of Bragernes & Fjell, the Cultural Com-mittee at Fjell Church, Drammen Faith Forum (DoTL), Production assistants at Union Scene, André Ruud, Bodil Juul and all employees of Drammen Inter-culture (In-terkultur), Drammen Kommune, Drammen Filmklubb, Folkeakademiet in Drammen, Tankens Kraft, Buskerud Community College – department of Human Rights (HiBU), Hotel Comfort Union Brygge, Musikk in Slem-mestad – Nils Arne Helgerød, Restaurant Cappadocia.

media partnersWe received extensive coverage in the local newspaper Drammens Tidende, as well as in Dagsavisen Fremtiden, Aftenposten and Byavisa. The festival was also covered on radio and TV by NRK P1 Buskerud. Paban Das Baul’s music was presented on the national radio show “Jungeltelegrafen“ on NRK P2.

contactRicardo Sanchez – producer, mobile 951 43 127, ricardo.sanchez@drmk.noArve Vannebo – coordinator, mobile 918 03 492, arve.vannebo@pinn.noIvar Flaten – head of the board, mobile 415 45 849, ivar@fjellkirke.no

Address: Drammen Sacred Music Festival c/o Fjell kirke, Solsvingen 90, 3034 Drammen

www.drammensacred.noFacebook.com/drammensacred

–drammen sacred music festival–2013–

–drammen sacred music festival–2013–day for day

TUESDAY 17th SEPTEMBER

fjell church, 7pmbetween traditions–Mads Granum Quartet and Laila Rong Hannah

The Danish jazz quartet played “Scandinavian jazz” in-fluenced by cultural and religious traditions from several parts of the world. Mads Granum presented the concert, telling the story of Scandinavian psalm traditions. Syrian / Norwegian vocalist Laila Rong Hannah enchanted the audi-ence with her voice, and Drammen’s very own Lars Søberg Andersen (trumpet) added his unique touch. Listening to psalms sung in Arabic in the beautiful Fjell Church was unique! audience: 60

fjell church, 8pmIn association with Folkeakademiet, Drammen and the Fjell Church Council:holy water–A journey through religion’s relationship to water

Keeping true to the theme of the festival, Professor Terje Tvedt arrived soaking wet at Fjell Church to speak on the theme “Holy Water”. Tvedt is a Professor of History and Political Science. He has written a 9 volume series called “A History of Water”, and is known to us from a TV series and his latest book The Nile, River of History. He took the audience on a long journey through different religions and cultures and spoke about how water is central in all of them. audience: 70

kino city, 9pmIn association with Drammen Film Club:baraka–A film by Ron Fricke (1992)

In a beautifully lyrical film without words, the director took us on a journey back to the deepest human core that binds us together. Inspired by the word “baraka” meaning bless-ing, the film is a dramatic composition of images from nature, religious rituals, city life and war. audience: 35

THURSDAY 19th SEPTEMBER

strømsø church, 6:30pmpersian sufi poetry sung to norwegian jazz–Mahsa Vahdat, Tord Gustavsen & Erik Hillestad

The great mystic poets Rumi, Hafiz and Omar Khayyam are recited the world over in new versions. Iranian musi-cian Mahsa Vahdat sang this beautiful poetry accompanied by dynamic jazz pianist Tord Gustavsen. Erik Hillestad, one of Norway’s foremost music producers recited the poetry in Norwegian. audience: 69

union scene, 7pmfull moon ceremony –with Vilde Victoria Lassem, Txana Ixa Huni Kuin and Ricardo Sanchez

Under the light of a brilliant full moon 110 people partici-pated in a beautiful ceremony involving chanting, guided meditations and percussive sounds. Shaman Txana Ixa Huni Kuin, visiting from the deep Amazon graced the festival with blessings from nature. The organization The Power of Thought (Tankens Kraft) led the ceremony, en-couraging people to let go of old burdens and bad energy to make way for new and happy beginnings. audience: 110

WEDNESDAY 18th SEPTEMBER

drammen library, 7pmofficial opening concert–Gong master Tor Arne Håve blessed the festival with the sound of gongs before Ivar Flaten introduced the theme of the festival and the mayor, Tore Opdal Hansen declared the festival officially open.

Representatives from the faiths of Islam, Christianity, Bahai, Sikhism and the Human Ethics Forum read short texts about water from their spiritual traditions. This was followed by a beautiful concert by local musicians, Tal Zim-ra Coleman, Espen Jørgensen, Txai Fernando Sallum and Ricardo Sanchez. The library, overlooking Drammen River with its beautiful panoramic views was the perfect setting for the theme of the festival. audience: 40

the reception at hotel comfort union brygge, entire festival periodcataleya fay–Singer-songwriter from Austria

Cataleya has a great belief in the power of music to touch, move and inspire. She wishes to bring her music to a wide audience with the aim of inspiring towards greater love, hope and peace. She performed her Songs of Love at both Union Scene and in the hotel reception, connecting people and bringing harmony to the festival atmosphere. In keep-ing with the tradition from previous years, the hotel recep-tion was a meeting place for artists and audience members alike where they shared and created music together.

union scene, multisal 2, 9pmdream time –by Bålfolket

Will Rubach, Le*Na Paalviig-Johnsen, Bobby L. Kure & Anita Dreyer took the audience on a dream-like musical journey using percussive instruments, the didgeridoo, flute and voice.audience: 70

I experienced the festival as an im-portant arena for inter-cultural dia-logue and deep cultural experiences. Important issues are integrated into a programme that communicates with a large audience, without com-promising substance or becoming popularistic. This festival’s focus and profile is unique in the Norwe-gian context, and it has created a platform that is both recognisable and flexible from year to year. I look forward to following its progress!

tord gustavsen

FRIDAY 20th SEPTEMBER

bragernes church parish house, 10amdoes faith and belief make a difference?–Seminar to celebrate the 5 year jubilee of Drammen Faith Forum

In a landmark seminar, eminent speakers in the field of inter-faith dialogue exchanged thoughts and ideas. The seminar was opened by local politicians, Lise Christoffers-en (MP) and Johan Baumann.

Professor Oddbjørn Leirvik held a keynote lecture on the development and progress of inter-faith work being done in Norway. Dr. Andrew Wingate, Dr. Shanthikumar Hettiarachchi and Suleman Nagdi, visiting from England, shared their experiences on inter-faith work in Leicester. The day was concluded with a panel discussion with Lise Christoffersen, Johan Baumann, Oddbjørn Leirvik, Bente Sandvig, Anne Grete Spæren Rørvik & Unni Helland, mod-erated by Geir Arne Bore, editor at Drammens Tidende.participants: 70

bragernes square, 3pma walking tour marking the city’s religious centres–To celebrate the 5 year jubilee of Drammen Faith Forum a walking tour of Drammen was organised from Bragernes to Strømsø. Led by priest Jan Otto Eek, the tour included stops at the main town squares, the office of the Human Ethics Forum, St. Laurentius Catholic Church, Drammen Centre Mosque, Drammens Theatre, Ypsilon bridge, and other relevant religious centres in the city.participants: 40

union scene, black box, 5pmopening of maitreya heart shrine relic tour–The travelling exhibition Maitreya Heart Shrine Relic Tour

Buddhist monk Lama Zopa Rinpoche has collected pearl-like crystals from the ash remains of several revered Bud-dhist masters after their cremation. This exhibition, which has travelled the world over, showcased these relics that bear with them the spiritual power and wisdom of the ages. It was also possible to receive a blessing from the monks and nuns accompanying the exhibition. The exhibition opened on Friday and went on till Sunday evening. visitors: 300

bragernes church, 7pmtravelling with the children of abraham–Renowned Norwegian actor Svein Tindberg has scripted a text based on his experience of the 3 holy books and traditions in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Over 84,000 people have seen his play since 2012. In this special perfor-mance for Drammen Sacred Music Festival, Tindberg told us of his journey with the Children of Abraham.

Ensemble Lakonia, a Swedish group consisting of Andreas Runeson, Maja Simonsson, Michala Østergaard-Nielsen & Andreaz Hedén set the tone for the performance with their sacred music. Their CD Nattens Lovsang was released the same day. audience: 158

It was a pleasure and an honour to be a part of Drammen Sacred Music Festival. One of the most important tasks we have as human beings is to break down the walls that divide us, across cultures, religions and nationali-ties. In Norway, Drammen is a shining exam-ple of a city that manages that, and music, well, art in general, is a powerful tool in this process. I wish the festival all the very best in the years to come. May many more people experience the joy this festival spreads!

svein tindberg

Trust and solidarity between people is essential for the quality and success of any society. Drammen Faith Forum contributes to building bridges across well-established bound-aries. The key words here are respect, a community feeling, trust and appreciation of each other, despite our differences. In this way DoTL contributes to Drammen’s reputation as a culturally diverse and thriving city with fewer conflicts than we see other places in Norway and in the world

lise christoffersen (mp)

union scene, multisal 2, 9pmdouble concert with elise and kilema quartet–1 2008 the highly acclaimed CD Elise was released, com-bining traditional psalms from Oppdal with modern free jazz styles. Ingebrigt Håker Flaten (bass) presented these songs, originally sung by his own grandmother in a new avatar with Gunvor Fagerhaug Gustavsen (vocals) and Andreas Bjørkås (fiddle).

After soothing folk tones from Norway, we were transport-ed to Madagascar, when the King of Rhythm, Kilema and his quartet delighted the audience with an inspired con-cert. Kilema has participated in this festival for the second time and is a genius at bringing together people through music. audience: 30

SATURDAY 21st SEPTEMBER

union scene, 12pmIn collaboration with Union Scene for Children and Drammen Faith Forumbuilding bridges in drammen–Drammen Soul Children (Conductor, Andreas Harket), the girls’ choir from Bragernes Church (Conductor, Beate Strømme Fevang) and a group from the Afghan cultural centre RIKS (lead by Seyed Ali Hoseini) showcased the breadth of cultural work being done with children in Drammen.

Kilema from Madagascar lead the children’s choir through two delightful songs before enchanting us with his own music.audience: 270

union scene, 13:15workshops and activities–The concert was followed by different workshops for chil-dren and adults of all ages, including a chocolate medi-tation by Steinar Ims, drum workshop by Sidiki Kamara from Mali, bio dance by Alva Alvita and other activities. All the participating children got a certificate with their names written both in the Latin alphabet, as well as in Persian by Haji Hossin Baqeri & Nader Taheri from the mosque. participants: 75

slemmestad church, 5pmIn collaboration with Music in Slemmestaddouble concert with elise and ensemble lakonia–Andreas Runeson is a guitarist and producer of the music company Compunctio. He produced the CD Elise (Korn-stad/Flaten) in 2008 and released Ensemble Lakonia’s new album Nattens Lovsang in collaboration with Grappa. This meditative music is a cross between jazz, folk music, and liturgical music inspired by services at Nya Slottet in Bjärka-Säby. audience: 28

bragernes church, 7:30pmmusic in joy and sorrow–Sigvart Daglands marriage and funeral orchestra with Bragernes Church girls’ choir

Sigvart Dagland is one of Norway’s foremost popular artists with a huge repertoire of music that has come to be loved across Norway. Together with Torjus Vierli (known for his collaborations with Winter Moon and Frøydis Grorud) and the sisters Reigstad, known as Garness Duo, he presented a collection of songs that delight and in-spire. The girls’ choir from Bragernes Church (Conductor, Beate Strømme Fevang) participated in this concert. Tone Østerdal from the Buskerud Municipal Council opened the concert. audience: 151

Delighted to join this tiny magic initiative to take the life of the spirit forwards to a new future for this world through songs, music and art. Thanks also for the tender care and compassion towards all the artists who participat-ed in your festival. May the saints of the world shower their blessings on you! All our love

paban das baul and mimlu sen

hotel comfort union brygge, 9pmpaban das baul and mimlu sen–Wandering minstrels from Bengal, India

The Bauls are a group of wandering minstrels who sing in the tradition of Vaishnava Hinduism and Sufi Islam. Paban Das performed together with his partner and muse, Mimlu Sen. He explained the lyrics of his songs, making the concert even more meaningful. Arzanne De Vitre, also from India, read excerpts from Mimlu Sen’s book The Honey Gatherers.audience: 53

reception, hotel comfort union brygge, 11pmjam for all the festival’s artists and guests–After the concert by the Bauls, all the festival artists and guests were invited to join in a jam session. In the true spirit of the festival, musicians met in an electric jam that was neither planned nor orchestrated, resulting in a beauti-ful sharing of musical and spiritual expression.audience: 40

MONDAY 23rd SEPTEMBER

introduction centre in drammen, 12:30pmworkshop with kilema–On initiative by Arzanne De Vitre, a teacher at Introduction Centre, Kilema was invited to hold a workshop for youngsters and adult immigrants. Kilema talked about Madagascar and his background, the rich musical legacy of Africa and his hand-made instruments. He and his brother Nestor demon-strated different ways of clapping and singing typical to Mada-gascar, to the great delight of the students and teachers at the school, many of whom are from Africa. audience: 80

We are proud of our festival and how it has touched both artists and audiences alike. We are determined to continue our work in in-ter-faith dialogue. We hope to reach and inspire a larger audience through the shared experience of music and art. Thank you for your support! Please join us from 17th to 21st September at Drammen Sacred Music Festival 2014!

arzanne de vitre

SUNDAY 22nd SEPTEMBER

temples, churches, mosques and religious meeting places, sunday morningsunday services–Many religious groups have their prayer services and gatherings on Sunday. Artists, our guests from Leicester and other visitors were invited to join in these, as well as experience a guided tour of their places of worship.

strømsø church, 7pmconcert for peace–The closing concert of the Drammen Sacred Music Festival

In keeping with tradition, we closed this year’s festival with a glorious Concert for Peace at the beautiful Strømsø Church. Several of the festival’s artists performed – Sam-klang, Cataleya, Lindita Ottarson, Sayed Zaker Hoseini, Ixa Huni Kuin, Paban Das Baul & Mimlu Sen, Birds Have Ears, Drammen Soul Children & the Kilema Quartet.audience: 150

Muslims rehearsing together in the church with a Christian choir, a soulful Malagasy quartet with Kilema driving his audiences on a musicaltrip through the land of the spirits, great musicians from the Baul tribe, a Shaman healer from deep Amazon and more artists from differ-ent cultures, disciplines and religions. It was simply amaz-ing! A festival full of heart, soul, spirit and peace. Thanks to all of you who gave us this opportunity to experience Drammen Sacred Festival 2013.

kilema randrianantoandro

Photo: Tom Atle Bordevik, www.braign.no and Erlend Berge erlendberge.no (page 10,12 and 13) Design: Erlend Askhov, www.askhov.no

Opplysningsvesenets fond

The lights are listening to the Indian guitar

Where the lights are dancingThere isfreedom

The rhythmsmake the candles come alive

The people are listening Do they see what I see?

The Indian man singshis melody

With bells that drip

like raindropsThe water brings us together

The water shows usthe wayThe wayto peace

The play of colours flows in the stream

A melody of colours and words

SilentPowerfulPeople

with their own colours

We unite in the waterWater makes

musicAre you listening?Will you listen to

the water whispering?

Movements Arms and legs

Unfamiliar soundsFriendships

across bordersFreedom

between countriesThe waterleads us

there

written by noòmi groven moldstad during the concert for peace

(translated to the english by arzanne de vitre)