– DRAMMEN sACRED MUsIC FEsTIVAL – 2013 – REPORT

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dram m e n
s acr e d
m us ic
festiv a l
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2013
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repor t
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dr a m men
sac red
m u s ic
fe s tival
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2013
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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 language, 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 others, floods and heavy rainfall destroy lives and development
plans. Drammen Sacred Music Festival wishes to contribute 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 rituals 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. Drammen has undergone massive changes over the years, where
the river that was polluted has been restored to a vital resource 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!
vision
Drammen 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 board
Drammen 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 Borchgrevink, Ivar Flaten (head), Monica Finnerud & Tore Dvergastein. Observer: André Ruud.
working group
Arve 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 volunteers
Erlend Askhov – design
Tom Atle Bordevik – web design and photography
daily administration
and execution
Arve Vannebo, Ricardo Sanchez & Ivar Flaten.
production
Ricardo Sanchez – Producer,
Fernando Sallum – Co-producer
(concerts in Strømsø Church)
Frode Bjørnstad – Co-producer
(concerts in Bragernes Church)
Jock Loveband – Sound
volunteers
The 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.
sponsors
Drammen Kommune’s Inter-cultural department (Interkultur) 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 significantly. We wish to thank all our supporters and sponsors,
and look forward to continuing our work with them in the
years to come.
collaborating partners
Employees at Strømsø, Bragernes & Fjell Church, the
Church Councils of Bragernes & Fjell, the Cultural Committee at Fjell Church, Drammen Faith Forum (DoTL),
Production assistants at Union Scene, André Ruud, Bodil
Juul and all employees of Drammen Inter-culture (Interkultur), Drammen Kommune, Drammen Filmklubb,
Folkeakademiet in Drammen, Tankens Kraft, Buskerud
Community College – department of Human Rights
(HiBU), Hotel Comfort Union Brygge, Musikk in Slemmestad – Nils Arne Helgerød, Restaurant Cappadocia.
media partners
We 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.
contact
Ricardo Sanchez – producer,
mobile 951 43 127, [email protected]
Arve Vannebo – coordinator,
mobile 918 03 492, [email protected]
Ivar Flaten – head of the board,
mobile 415 45 849, [email protected]
Address: Drammen Sacred Music Festival
c/o Fjell kirke, Solsvingen 90, 3034 Drammen
www.drammensacred.no
Facebook.com/drammensacred
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dr a m m e n
sac r ed
m us i c
f e s ti v al
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2013
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day fo r day
TUESDAY 17th SEPTEMBER
fjell church, 7pm
between traditions
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Mads Granum Quartet and Laila Rong Hannah
The Danish jazz quartet played “Scandinavian jazz” influenced 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 audience 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, 8pm
In association with Folkeakademiet,
Drammen and the Fjell Church Council:
holy water
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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, 9pm
In association with Drammen Film Club:
baraka
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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 blessing, the film is a dramatic composition of images from
nature, religious rituals, city life and war.
audience: 35
WEDNESDAY 18th SEPTEMBER
THURSDAY 19th SEPTEMBER
drammen library, 7pm
strømsø church, 6:30pm
official opening concert
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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 Zimra 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 period
cataleya fay
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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 keeping with the tradition from previous years, the hotel reception was a meeting place for artists and audience members
alike where they shared and created music together.
persian sufi poetry sung to
norwegian jazz
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Mahsa Vahdat, Tord Gustavsen & Erik Hillestad
The great mystic poets Rumi, Hafiz and Omar Khayyam
are recited the world over in new versions. Iranian musician 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, 7pm
full moon ceremony
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with Vilde Victoria Lassem, Txana Ixa Huni Kuin
and Ricardo Sanchez
Under the light of a brilliant full moon 110 people participated 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, encouraging people to let go of old burdens and bad energy to
make way for new and happy beginnings.
audience: 110
union scene, multisal 2, 9pm
dream time
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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 important arena for inter-cultural dialogue and deep cultural experiences.
Important issues are integrated into
a programme that communicates
with a large audience, without compromising substance or becoming
popularistic. This festival’s focus
and profile is unique in the Norwegian 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
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 boundaries. 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)
bragernes church parish house, 10am
does faith and belief make a
difference?
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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 Christoffersen (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, moderated by Geir Arne Bore, editor at Drammens Tidende.
participants: 70
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 nationalities. In Norway, Drammen is a shining example 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
bragernes square, 3pm
a walking tour marking the city’s
religious centres
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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, 5pm
opening of maitreya heart
shrine relic tour
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The travelling exhibition Maitreya Heart
Shrine Relic Tour
Buddhist monk Lama Zopa Rinpoche has collected pearllike crystals from the ash remains of several revered Buddhist 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, 7pm
union scene, multisal 2, 9pm
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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 performance for Drammen Sacred Music Festival, Tindberg told
us of his journey with the Children of Abraham.
1 2008 the highly acclaimed CD Elise was released, combining 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).
travelling 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
double concert with elise and
kilema quartet
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After soothing folk tones from Norway, we were transported to Madagascar, when the King of Rhythm, Kilema and
his quartet delighted the audience with an inspired concert. 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, 12pm
In collaboration with Union Scene for Children and
Drammen Faith Forum
building bridges in drammen
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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, 13:15
workshops and activities
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The concert was followed by different workshops for children and adults of all ages, including a chocolate meditation 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, 5pm
In collaboration with Music in Slemmestad
double concert with elise
and ensemble lakonia
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Andreas Runeson is a guitarist and producer of the music
company Compunctio. He produced the CD Elise (Kornstad/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
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 participated in your festival. May the
saints of the world shower
their blessings on you! All our
love
paban das baul and mimlu sen
bragernes church, 7:30pm
music in joy and sorrow
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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 inspire. 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
hotel comfort union brygge, 9pm
paban das baul and mimlu sen
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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, 11pm
jam for all the festival’s
artists and guests
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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 beautiful sharing of musical and spiritual expression.
audience: 40
Muslims rehearsing together
in the church with a Christian
choir, a soulful Malagasy
quartet with Kilema driving
his audiences on a musical
trip through the land of the
spirits, great musicians from
the Baul tribe, a Shaman
healer from deep Amazon
and more artists from different cultures, disciplines and
religions. It was simply amazing! 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
SUNDAY 22nd SEPTEMBER
MONDAY 23rd SEPTEMBER
temples, churches, mosques and religious
meeting places, sunday morning
introduction centre in drammen, 12:30pm
sunday services
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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, 7pm
concert for peace
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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 – Samklang, 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
workshop with kilema
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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 demonstrated different ways of clapping and singing typical to Madagascar, 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 inter-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
The lights are listening
to the Indian guitar
Where the lights are dancing
There is
freedom
The rhythms
make the candles come alive
The people are listening
Do they see what I see?
The Indian man sings
his melody
With bells that
drip
like raindrops
The water brings us together
The water shows us
the way
The way
to peace
The play of colours
flows in the stream
A melody of
colours and words
Silent
Powerful
People
with their own colours
We unite in the water
Water makes
music
Are you listening?
Will you listen to
the water whispering?
Movements
Arms and legs
Unfamiliar sounds
Friendships
across borders
Freedom
between countries
The water
leads us
there
written by noòmi groven moldstad during the concert for peace
(translated to the english by arzanne de vitre)
Opplysningsvesenets fond
Photo: Tom Atle Bordevik, www.braign.no and Erlend Berge erlendberge.no (page 10,12 and 13) Design: Erlend Askhov, www.askhov.no