Shantala

Benjy and Heather Wertheimer lead kirtan (sacred chanting) worldwide as the duo Shantala, with soul-stirring vocals, sacred lyrics and exotic instrumentation. The weaving of Benjy’s Indian classical singing and instrumentation with Heather’s soaring vocals is freshly original and profoundly moving. Together they create music with beauty, passion, and reverence. Shantala has performed and recorded internationally [...]
Brenda McMorrow

Canadian Devotional Chant artist, Brenda McMorrow has had a rich and diverse musical career (from folk to jazz to bluegrass) and now, with a deep devotion to the unveiling and celebration of our true beings through the power of sound, she is invited to travel worldwide to share her unique blend of original folk-inspired [...]
Shyam Kishore das

Shyam Kishore Das is a lecturer on Eastern mysticism and an Indian Classical musician, mostly performing kirtan, an ancient form of Indian devotional singing and instrumental accompaniment. Shyam has personally trained under India’s greatest musicians including Zakir Hussein and others at the Ali Akbar Khan School of Music in California and in [...]
John de Kadt

In his early twenties John left college and went searching for others ways of living. He felt that our education system was lacking something essential and that our culture was incredibly out of touch with the essence of life. He went on a sojourn not knowing exactly for what he was searching, he only knew [...]
Jahnavi Harrison

Jahnavi Harrison was raised in an environment full of kirtan from birth. She began studying Western classical violin as a child, exploring different styles of music, from Irish to Klezmer. In recent years, her studies in South Indian dance (Bharatanatyam) have led her to undertake further study in South Indian Carnatic vocal and violin. She [...]
Gaura Vani

At the age of six Gaura Vani left the US to study sacred music in a gurukula or temple school in the timeless town of Vrindavan, India. He learned ancient prayers in Sanskrit and Bengali and to sing and play ethnic instruments like the harmonium and mrdanga. 25 years later he continues to share the [...]
Devadas

Devadas is a devotee, a kirtaniya and a singer/songwriter living in Brooklyn, New York. He began composing and singing as a teenager, performing on streetcorners and in clubs in his hometown of Portland, Maine. After moving to New York City in the early 90′s, he became interested in eastern spirituality and had the good fortune [...]
Dave Stringer

The Los Angeles Times has declared the experience of chanting with Dave Stringer to be “a departure from ancient kirtan. Stringer’s performance shaped the experience into a far more compelling musical encounter.” Kirtan (pronounced keer-tahn) originated in India, and is currently experiencing a worldwide renaissance as a participatory live music experience. He has been widely [...]

Be The Response

CALL AND RESPONSE MISSION Our mission is to create events through interactive mantra music and related arts. These events offer heart opening, communal experiences and encourage the expansion of consciousness. We are inspired to bring these experiences to populations with limited access through live events, outreach programs and grassroots education. We are committed to creative [...]

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Programs

CALL AND RESPONSE FOUNDATION PROGRAMS: LIVE EVENTS: support for touring, workshops, trainings, festivals, event production OUTREACH: projects and collaborations planned to target under-served, remote or underexposed populations. Outreach includes f one time events, regularly scheduled programs and grassroots initiatives, ARTIST NETWORK: varied levels of support for affiliated artists; including co-creating, planning, booking and communications. [...]

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Be The Response

CALL AND RESPONSE MISSION

Our mission is to create events through interactive mantra music and related arts. These events offer heart opening, communal experiences and encourage the expansion of consciousness. We are inspired to bring these experiences to populations with limited access through live events, outreach programs and grassroots education.

We are committed to creative relationships with artists who embody the spirit and philosophy of healing, community building, and spiritual connection.

The Call and Response Foundation is committed to providing the communities we serve opportunities to experience events with the most highly respected musicians in this genre, who both empower and create circles of wider awareness that continue to flourish.

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News

The Power of Mantras

The Bhakti Yoga Practice of Kirtan with Brenda McMorrow Enjoy this beautiful and inspiring video rich with the colors of Dharma Boutique! Brenda Mc Morrow and the power of Mantras

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Outreach Program News

Vermont Psychiatric Hospital Welcomes “Kirtan Therapy” By Madhava Smullen Lugging along their varied collection of instruments, kirtan group the Hanumen followed their tour organizer Jennifer Canfield into the grim building, and down a long corridor lined with barred windows. This summer kirtan was just one of their seventeen performances during an eighteen-date tour across the [...]

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Thank you for Vermantra!

With Vermantra, Kirtan Storms Vermont by BRENDA PATOINE on NOVEMBER 2, 2011 The setting for Vermantra: Vermont College of Fine Arts’ Chapel While an early Nor’easter slammed the East Coast last weekend, kirtan stormed Vermont. “Vermantra” drew some of the brightest lights in the northeast kirtan world to the grand Chapel at Vermont’s College of Fine Arts for [...]

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Be The Response

Programs

Be The Response

We are committed to creative relationships with artists who embody the spirit and philosophy of healing, community building, and spiritual connection.

The Call and Response Foundation is committed to providing the communities we serve opportunities to experience events with the most highly respected musicians in this genre, who both empower and create circles of wider awareness that continue to flourish.

News