Sedona Yoga Festival 2018 • Musicians Line-up
Blog by Valerie Irons
I’ve been attending and working behind the scenes of the Sedona yoga festival since the very first year. The yoga and workshop presenters at Sedona Yoga Festival are consistently among some of the very best the yoga community has to offer – and 2018 continues to raise the bar! I’d like to take a moment and shine the spotlight on the amazing musical offerings available at SYF 2018. From kirtan, sound-healing, sacred music artists and DJ’s, Sedona Yoga Festival 2018 has something for everyone!
Bhakti yoga, one of the branches of yoga, is the path of loving devotion to God. At the heart of Bhakti Yoga is kirtan. SYF has delighted us with truly wonderful heartfelt kirtan in the past and will crack our hearts wide open again in 2018!
Mike Cohen
Headlining the kirtan artists this year will be Mike Cohen, from the Boulder CO area. A life-long musician with 15 years experience developing leaders, Mike has released three critically acclaimed albums. For over a decade, Mike has toured North America, offering accessible and potent Kirtan events in yoga studios, healing centers and at festivals. Mikes will be offering kirtan and some great workshops at SYF 2018.
Sukha
Sukha is Southern California based husband/wife team Sukhmani and Sukhman. They play their own blend of unique and modern “rock inspired” mantra music for classes, events and they were on the 2016 Grammy® Ballot for Best New Age Album of The Year. Keep an eye out for their kirtan and Kundalini Yoga class at SYF!
The Band of Now
The Band of Now from Phoenix, AZ offers heartfelt devotional music in both English and Sanskit. Prem Vidu, Band leader, Composer and Director gained his BFA in Percussion Performance & Jazz Studies, and life eventually led him to share his devotion through song and prayer. Guided to facilitate spirit-medicine journeys, he combines 10 years of leading ceremony with an 8 year practice of chanting. Check out their kirtan, yoga and sound-healing offerings!
Sanjali
Sanjali, is a kirtan wallah, sound-healer and breathwork practitioner living in Sedona, AZ. She founded Bhakti Tribe Sedona in 2010, bringing kirtan and devotional music to the Red Rocks of Sedona. She has just finished recording her first cd, Devaprana “An Offering To the Gods”. Inspired by divine love, she is deeply grateful. Look for her kirtan and other offerings in the SYF schedule.
Ashana
SYF will also be bringing back Ashana – one of the premiere healing music artists and New Age vocalists of our time. Ashana’s original sound is the forefront of an entirely new genre of healing music. Weaving together soaring, angelic vocals and the celestial sound of crystal singing bowls, Ashana is not to be missed!
Three Trees
Three Trees is Sedona’s very own Healer, Teacher, Musician, Artist and the creator of ‘SoulMonic™ Sound Healing’. He holds a passion for deepening our connection to the Sacred through music and understands the mysteries of sound and rhythm. Following this path for the last 17 years as a sound healing practitioner and teacher (as well as being a craftsman of drums, didgeridoos, and native flutes), gives Three Trees a unique and profound understanding of the relationship between sound, Rhythm, Intention and Sacred Connection. Check the schedule for his sound healing and also his toning class!
Poranguí
Porangui, another Sedona resident, was reared among the three cultures of Brazil, Mexico and the U.S., and was steeped in various traditional forms of music, healing and ceremony since birth. Poranguí has over fifteen years of international work experience as an artist, musician, educator, filmmaker, consultant and therapist, utilizing the healing properties of sound and movement to foster our individual and collective well being. As a performing musician, Poranguí weaves a sonic tapestry of ancestral songs to awaken the soul. Experience indigenous and modern sounds from around the world, offered to move your body, mind, and spirit. He will be offering sound-healing, a guided dance journey and a body percussion workshop! www.porangui.com
DTO Music
DTO composes, performs, and teaches piano and electronic music for yoga, weddings, and inspirational events to heal and awaken. His songs combine him playing piano, digital music production, collaborations with several vocalists, and powerfully moving sanskrit mantra to further the awakening and expansion through their sacred sounds. He is part of a powerful crew of musicians known as Buddha Music Group who together all contribute to “raising the vibration of the planet through art and music.” Dave is a powerful vessel for changing lives, uplifting and awakening souls, and bringing ones closer to their healthiest, best self. Be sure to find him on the SYF schedule! www.dtomusic.com
Valerie Romanoff
Valerie Romanoff loves playing the electric guitar, sitar/guitar and bass and creating music; she lives mostly in New York and part-time in Sedona, Arizona; She co-founded Starlight Orchestras in 1998 and has spent many years producing and performing live music for upscale events around the country. She has an affinity for the path of self-discovery and awakening, metaphysical pursuits, and a life of spiritual connection. These different aspects of her life are now merging together in a most exciting way. Through sacred music, Valerie offers tools for upliftment and joins the global movement in creating a more compassionate world.
www.valerieromanoffmusic.com
Secret Sessions
We can always count on SYF to bring outstanding DJs to the festival! Keep a lookout for Secret Sessions – a Sedona based creative collective with exceptional music that always inspires a proper get down!
Mental Physix
Mental Physix is a DJ/Producer Duo consisting of Crisanto Santa Ana (Santosha) & Dru Ali (Hyphen-Select) and known for defying musical genres. The third eye is the invisible brow chakra thought to provide perception into esoteric, mystical domains. If there was a third ear, it would hear sounds similar to Mental Physix…They are a much loved duo and returning to SYF yet again! Be sure to find them in the schedule!
DJ HyFi
DJ HyFi, nomadic DJ fusing fresh beats with vinyasa, will also be joining SYF this year! DJ Hyfi is a pioneer in the fusion of yoga and electronic music, performing live DJ sets for workshops, festivals, and events across the nation and internationally. DJ HyFi comes to SYF through Kate Swarm and Gordon Ogden. Look for him on the schedule!
A partnership in the works for a few years, SYF is thrilled to be partnering up with YogiTunes in 2018! The first boon from this partnership, is that Alex King Harris (aka Rara Avis) will be a featured DJ. Aside from being the CEO and Co-Founder of YogiTunes, Rara is an internationally known pioneer of contemporary music for yoga, dance and the healing arts. A dedicated master of his craft with over 2 decades experience in multi-instrumental live performance and music production with a core focus on where the electronic underground, yoga and ecstatic dance movements collide. Rara’s guitar, vocals, flute, didgeridoo and dj techniques combine pre-produced sounds with live electronic elements to create a truly original, shamanic music for embodiment. Whether it be in a yoga class or on an ecstatic dance floor – Rara’s sounds are guaranteed to take you on a journey of blissful re-entry into the soul. Check out his lecture and ecstatic dance church. He will also be on faculty for Yoga for PTSD training! www.raraavis.com
Yogi Tunes will also be bringing DJs to play with SYF and to help hold down a sound space – a constant container of music – onsite: The YogiTunes Lounge in vendor village! Be sure to stop by! YogiTunes will be sponsoring some great classes as well!
Another boon from the SYF and YogiTunes partnership is the FREE musical compilation “Sounds of Sedona Yoga Festival 2018” – a carefully curated selection of tracks from this year’s hugely anticipated festival lineup, in addition to SYF Alumni Artists. The compilation will be available on January 3rd. Go to the SYF homepage www.sedonayogafestival.com and follow the giveaway link. Deepest bows to the artists who have generously gifted these tunes for our enjoyment at home and in class! You will love it!
We are all so excited and we hope you are feeling it too! Get ready to come experience the glory of Sedona’s transformative and enlightening energy, the stunning beauty of the red rocks and the talents and gifts of all the presenters! We can’t wait to see you in February!
On Sale Now!!!
