They call themselves the Sangita Sisters. Six women who met “divinely” to perform Kirtan.
What’s Kirtan, you ask? “It’s a form of devotional music,” says Sarah Loomis, one of the six Sisters. “It’s the music of yoga.”
On Saturday, March 22, the Sisters will be performing in a fundraising event at Raffa Life Yoga Studio in Cranston.
Annette Burke is one of the group’s founding members. “We were all interested (in Kirtan) individually.” Burke had been in another group previously, “but it didn’t have the right energy.”
Last July, five of the six came together organically. The sixth member, Sue Curzio, joined in September. “I had never heard of Kirtan,” she said. The other members approached her, saying, “You’re a female bass player, do you want to join our group?”
Curzio has done a lot of ensemble work, both on the amateur and professional level as a self-described “hired gun.” For her, Kirtan is a “very different form. Community is a huge part of it. It’s music as medicine.”
Sangita is a Sanskrit word that means “singing songs,” says Burke. And that’s what the Sangita Sisters are. Six women singing songs.
The music is “call and response.” One performer leads a chant, and the others repeat it. The audience is encouraged to repeat the chants as well. These are actual songs, and lyric sheets are provided to audience members.
“These are ancient mantras,” says Lisa Rubchinsky. “Some are thousands of years old. It’s all emotional.” To Rubchinsky, the group “a real coming home. I feel like I’ve known them forever.”
While the music is devotional, it doesn’t focus on one particular deity. “All deities are one,” says Rubchinsky. The music helps “tune in to different energies.”
The other two members of the group are Jennifer Albamonti and Katie Johnson-Hoopes. All six are singers, and most play an instrument, including guitar, bass, drums and harmonium.
Loomis, who works as a personal trainer, points to scientific evidence about the benefits of music. Burke put it more simply. “It’s food for the soul.”
The performance on March 22 will benefit the Keri Anne O’Donnell Memorial Fund, established to honor the passion for performance of a young woman taken from this world far too early. Burke is a lifelong friend of the O’Donnell family, and helped organize the performance.
Starting April 12, the Sangita Sisters will be the house band at All That Matters Yoga + Wellness in Wakefield, performing once a month.
The Sangita Sisters perform at Raffa Life Yoga Studio on Sharpe Drive in Cranston this Saturday, March 22 at 7 PM. For complete information and tickets, visit www.raffalife.com/events-1 and scroll down to the March 22 event.
FULL DISCLOSURE: Frank O’Donnell, the author of this piece, is president of the Keri Anne O’Donnell Memorial Fund, established after the passing of his 15-year-old daughter in 2010.