The Art of Chanting Weekend
With Rabbi Laura Duhan-Kaplan, Charles Kaplan, Seemi Ghazi, Pandit Tejomaya, Leah Hokanson, Deborah Van der Goes, Allannah Dow, Tina Jones and David Bodaly
January 26 - 28, 2024
Do you enjoy the spirit-lifting and soul-nourishing experience of chanting in the community? Are you curious about how different faith traditions worship through song and chant?
We are thrilled to invite you to the Art of Chanting Weekend! This is an opportunity to join together in the community and sing chants from many faith traditions. Together we will explore Indigenous spirituality with David Bodaly, Jewish chanting taught by Laura and Charles Kaplan, Islamic chanting taught by Seemi Ghazi, Hindu chanting taught by Pandit Tejomaya, and ecumenical Christian Taizé chanting taught by Leah Hokanson.
Since time immemorial, humans have gathered in spiritual communities to sing and chant together. Community singing and chanting is, in essence, community building—opening us to our sense of shared humanity, and to Spirit, Source, and the Divine (whatever language you choose) through voicing a common purpose and intention together.
Weekend Residential and Commuter options are available. We hope you will join us!
Program Schedule (subject to change)
Friday
7:00 – 7:30 pm– Welcome and gathering with David Boadly, Snuneymuxw elder and knowledge keeper
7:45 –900. pm – Overtone Chanting with Leah Hokanson
Saturday
8:00 – 9:00 am — Breakfast
9:00 – 10:30 am — Session 1: Taizé Chanting with Deborah Van der Goes
10:30 – 10:45 — Break
10:45 – 12:15 pm — Session 2: Hindu Chanting with Pandit Tejomaya
12:15 –1:00 pm — Lunch
1:30 – 3:00 pm— Session 3: Jewish Chanting with Laura and Charles Kaplan
3:00 – 3:30 pm — Break
3:30 – 5:00 pm — Session 4: Islamic Chanting with Seemi Ghazi
5:00 – 5:30 pm — Free time
5:30 – 6:30 pm — Dinner
6:30– 7:00 –Free time
7:00 – 8:15 pm — Contemporary Ecstatic Chanting with Trio Sayso
Sunday
8:00 – 9:00 am — Breakfast
9:00 – 10:00 am – Room Check out
10:00 – noon Community Chanting Celebration with everyone, including all available weekend workshop facilitators
noon – 1:00 pm Lunch & Departure
Drop-in options
As a part of the weekend, there will also be two gatherings that are open to the wider community:
Saturday evening we will experience together Contemporary Ecstatic Chanting with Trio Sayso (Allannah Dow, Leah Hokanson and Tina Jones); and Sunday morning the weekend’s activities will culminate in a Chanting Celebration that includes most of the Art of Chanting weekend’s chant leaders.
Teachers
Rabbi Laura Duhan-Kaplan, spiritual director and award-winning teacher, is Director of Inter-Religious Studies at Vancouver School of Theology. Her recent books include The Infinity Inside, a guide to spiritual practice, and Mouth of the Donkey: Re-imagining Biblical Animals, an exploration of Biblical ecology. Laura lives in Vancouver on Coast Salish territory with her husband Charles, who is a musician, chant leader, and retired child psychologist.
Learn more about Rabbi Laura Duhan-Kaplan
Charles has been passionate about music for 65 years! These days, he plans Jewish musical events and plays classical and flamenco guitar, solo and with two ensembles. He’s also a prayer leader, with or without an instrument in his hands, and his happiest moments are when co-leading with his beloved, Laura.
Learn more about Charles Kaplan
Seemi Bushra Ghazi is a lecturer in Classical Arabic at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. She has a special interest in Islamic literature, culture, and spirituality, as well as Islam and Gender. She is working on a Feminist interpretation of the Qur’anic narrative of Bilqis (The Queen of Sheba). Seemi follows the path of Rumi and the practice of Sema’ (the turning ceremony of the Dervishes). Ms. Ghazi is also a student in the Rifa`i Ma`rufi, Chishti, and Rifai Sufi spiritual lineage and a performer of traditional Islamic arts, including recitation of the Qur’an and Hamd, or…
Learn more about Seemi Ghazi
Pandit Tejomaya was called to a spiritual life from early on. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Minnesota and a Master of Science in Health from the University of Wisconsin. Following in the tradition of his upbringing, Tejomaya entered a Christian monastery as a Dominican Monk, but the hand of the Guru was already at play in his life. Following the monastic life, Tejomaya had a 20-year career in occupational health research. But a stage III cancer diagnosis in 1995 re-awakened his call to spiritual living and thus led him to the Eastern philosophy…
Learn more about Pandit Tejomaya
Leah is a lifelong adventurer of music, sound and listening—as a group facilitator, community choir leader, pianist, improviser, singer/songwriter and certified sound healing practitioner. She is co-founder (with Lynette Jackson) of Sound, Belonging & Wholeness, offering programs that explore vocal sounding and intentional listening as portals to Presence, healing and transformation. She also directs the Song Keepers Women’s Choir (Gabriola) and is Music Director at the First Unitarian Fellowship of Nanaimo. She’s worked with many esteemed vocal artists and sound healing pioneers, including Chloé Goodchild, Jill Purce, Rhiannon, and Karina Schelde. Leah holds a master’s degree in piano performance and…
Learn more about Leah Hokanson
Allannah has been playing the cello since she abandoned the idea of becoming a dancer at age 14. She emerged from classical training to play in the classical world and then at midlife found her voice accompanying singer song-writers, subsequently becoming a singer song-writer herself. She particularly enjoys playing chants!
Learn more about Allannah Dow
Tina Jones has found her true voice! Her nearly 30 year music journey, exploring classical and jazz to disco and JUNO-nominated kids’ music, has finally resulted in an earthy and expressive dive into the world of Canadian folk music. The result is a unique blend of jazz and folk, played on the banjo in the clawhammer style with the addition of some of Western Canada’s finest jazz musicians. Whether playing solo at house concerts and small intimate venues or with a full band at Folk Festivals and Jazz Festivals, audiences are taking notice. With two releases as a singer songwriter,…
Learn more about Tina Jones
David Bodaly is a Snuneymuxw Knowledge Keeper and Elder, photographer, harvester, tour guide, genealogist and weaver, exclusively making Coast Salish-style hats and teaching our strong spiritual connection to the cedar. He also offers programs for youth who access services through Katimavik as well as many schools and VIU.
Learn more about David Bodaly