Master Sikh musician Dya Singh sings of universal peace and harmony at Smith Opera House
GENEVA -- Dya Singh is a master musical interpreter of the traditional Sikh songs and texts, and at presenting this original material together with diverse influences from around the globe. He and his group perform at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 11 at the Smith Opera House, 82 Seneca St. This is the first show in The Smith's
2008/2009 "Passport World Music Series."
Based in Australia, he is acknowledged as the most significant singer/ musician in the world today of the Sikh mystical musical tradition, a form that originated in Punjab (now North India/Pakistan) and has now spread throughout the western world with the recent diaspora of Sikhs around the globe.
Originally from Malaysia, his father was a renowned Sikh spiritual minstrel and Dya learned the songs and the art of singing beside his father in the Sikh ‘gurudwaras’ from the age of five onwards. In the late 70’s he stopped singing publicly for almost fifteen years and in
1992 began again to present concerts in Australia. In the southern hemisphere, away from the stern and restraining eye of the traditional Sikh establishment, a revolution in Gurbani sangeet began to take place. In March, 2000 that revolution reached a pinnacle with the production of Dya Singh's highly acclaimed CD "300" which won him "Male Artist of the Year" at the World Music Awards in Sydney. Dya Singh of Australia is now a household name in the multi-cultural world music scene. Since 1995 he has released fourteen CDs and four cassettes as well as made extensive tours throughout the US, England, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, and Australia.
The basis of the music is Sikh (spiritual), Punjabi and North Indian (in that order). It then embraces music virtually from any other part of the globe including blues, jazz, folk (all kinds), country & western, country, Australian indigenous, bush, etc. The only criteria laid is that it should enhance the universal spiritual messages of truth, love, peace, harmony, equality and justice that Dya Singh stands for. Influences to date within the music of Dya Singh include Vietnamese zither (dang thranh), Southern European gypsy violin, European flute, Polish dulcimer, blues and electric guitar, bouzouki, didgeridoo, Nepalese drums and tabla, Irish bohdran and Irish fiddle.
Dya Singh has been one of Australia’s pioneers in the development of new Australian World music. A Dya Singh performance is many things, and moves as the mood requires -- soothing, uplifting, exhilarating, hypnotic, informative with interaction and improvisation between the musicians, and conveying the sense of joy that arises from creativity and spirituality meeting on stage. The music is transformational in that no matter what the context, the music is true to the traditional intention and captures the essential mystical quality that has inspired the Sikhs (and many others) for centuries. The critics are unanimous in their praise of his voice, his control over his material and his innovations and improvisational approach to the music. A Dya Singh concert is an inspirational experience. The music takes you by the heart , soothing in a meditational way, and then uplifts with an array of glorious sounds, compelling rhythms, blended instruments, drones, wonderful improvisations and a message in words and chants that speaks of tolerance, respect, fulfillment, love and the quest for universal harmony.
Remaining shows in the "Passport" series are Celtic rockers Scythian (Nov. 15), French guitar jazz from the Stephane Wrembel Trio (Jan.
30), and Americana fiddle tunes with Jay Ungar & Molly Mason (Feb. 28).
Tickets are $15. Subscriptions are $45 – four shows for the price of three. Series subscribers enjoy the benefit of the "Passport Ticket Exchange" whereby if a patron is unable to attend a particular performance, they can use the ticket for another performance, give it to a friend, or invite a guest to a future performance. Call The Smith box office at 315-781-LIVE (5483) or toll-free 866-355-LIVE
(5483) to reserve your passport. Individual tickets may also be purchased online at www.TheSmith.org.
The Smith Opera House is located at 82 Seneca St. It is owned and operated by the Finger Lakes Regional Arts Council, a 501(c)(3) not- for-profit organization supported, in part, with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, the City of Geneva, the Town of Geneva and by contributions from individual supporters.
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