Sacred Music Festival

The first Sacred Music Festival in Stroud was an unforgettable event. The day was an enthralling mix of workshops, dancing and performance, the Festival was a non-stop celebration throughout. The event was brought to life with a performance outside the Subscription Rooms courtesy of Bhangra band RSVP with high energy chants and vivacious rhythms the crowd were soon tutored in some impressive Bhangra moves ready for the Bhangra procession through the town. When their set was over they started to bring everyone together into one big parade of spirited music. They wound their way through the streets of Stroud bringing with it a vibrant effervescent energy. Concluding with a peel of bells at the hub of this multi-cultrual event, St Lawrence's church, the Sacred Music Festival was in full session!

Both in the Church and outdoors in the sunshine many revellers took part in immersive druid dancing, taize singing and sacred songs. The event united together varying faiths in a beautifully harmonious fashion. However the much anticipated evening portion of the day was fast approaching. The church began to fill with noise and bustling visitors until there was barely any seating left. It was heart warming to see such a devoted crowd who valued this message of peace and unity so much.

The first act was the amazing Renewal Choir from Bristol. Using their impeccable harmonies, powerful vocals and infectiously danceable arrangements they brought gospel to a whole new level. They created such a resonance with the audience that the whole church ended up getting on their feet and joining in with enthusiasm. Embracing the psalms and teachings to the fullest they really produced an impactful and moving set.

Changing the direction completely to the soothing sounds of divine Sikh music, Qi-Rattan took centre-stage. Jagdeep's beautiful melodic vocals intertwined wonderfully around Amritpal's instinctual and driving rhythms which made for sincerely profound listening. So much so that the impact on the audience lasted long after their performance was over.

Moving towards a more traditional style of praise, Jenna Monroe graced the stage simply accompanying her vocals with her keyboard. She particularly entranced the audience with a creatively arranged take on "He's Got the Whole World" as it perfectly complemented the haunting quality of her vocals. Jenna brought with her a riveting sense of storytelling that made for a deeply sincere and captivating recital.

Cantabile Consort used their mesmerising a capella skills as they enraptured every listener to the extent that the church would have been quiet enough to hear a pin drop. Their voices really brought through a pristine clarity and focus to their message. Furthermore the raw and exposed vocals let their synergy, accuracy and pitching truly shine.

Tabla Tom and Friends delivered their inspirational Indian devotion sound to the Sacred Music Festival in a big way. What was really enjoyable was their clear understanding of pacing. They could entice the audience in with their effortless chants and automatically adapt their pathos to amp up the involvement. The rapturous beat changes made for a very involved performance overall. 

The Sacred Music Festivals very own house band Raga Baba's were certainly a crowd favourite. They gave atmospheric world music fusion sound in abundance with their stunning blend of voices and harmonious instrumentation. Their set opened with an expressive dance set to words by Eve Milleaur which was deeply moving. Their performance was complemented by the appearance of Craig Pruess, who is amongst other things an accomplished sitar player and skilful trumpeter. At the end of their set their engagement with the event was really moving as they asked all who attended to hold hands with one another to embrace their music and the message behind them to the fullest. They whole-heartedly represented what the festival stood for and that's what made their music so breath-taking. 

To round off this inter-faith event in style it was up to the internationally renowned Karama to deliver. They did that and then some. Karama practically brought the church down with their diverse musical landscapes. So much so that chairs were pushed away in ernest and swaying bodies soon filled the spaces they had left. There was a great deal of enthusiastic dancing and celebrating, it was the perfect end to a harmonious and thought-provoking festival.

By Melissa Tucker