Interfaith Kirtan
with Rev. Will Burhans, Rev. Katherine Silvan and Kevin Makarewicz

Interfaith Kirtan blends the practice
of Hindu Kirtan ( call and response chanting )
and the Christian spiritual tradition
to awaken us to the Divine
and align our hearts
to the Heartbeat of the World.

Come sing of Sophia, the Wisdom of God.

Come chant in Aramaic, the original language of Jesus.

Come pray with your breath, voice and own opening heart.

No vocal ability or musical skill required but only a willingness to respond to call of the Divine.

What is Kirtan?

The word 'Kirtan' comes form the Sanskrit root kirt which means to name, to communicate, to celebrate, to praise, to glorify. In Yoga, Kirtan is the practice of devotional singing and repeating the name of God in community with others.
The practice of Kirtan dates back at least 1000 years (using mantras predates written history).Early Hindu holy men and Vedic masters used chants and simple mantras as a way to reach a state of consciousness conducive to communion with the divine. It is believed that regular, prolonged invocation in this manner can lead to powerful knowledge and understanding of ultimate Truth.

To my way of thinking, the original Kirtan is when a infant makes his or her first sounds and his/her mother responds back with her love and sound. Our format is simple, we use call and response chants, generally easy lyrics and accessible melodies which allow participants to deeply feel into the music. There is space of harmonizing and improvising.

Interfaith Kirtan with Rev. Will Burhans, Rev. Katherine Silvan and Kevin Makarewicz

Interfaith Kirtan blends the practice of Hindu Kirtan ( call and response chanting ) and the Christian spiritual tradition to awaken us to the Divine and align our hearts to the Heartbeat of the World.