Songs of the Soul

Songs of the Soul Poetry and Sacred Music Festival

The International Association of Sufism’s Songs of the Soul Poetry and Sacred Music Festival, which began in 2012 and continues to this day, has become a premier gathering for artists, religious scholars, and enthusiasts from diverse faith traditions, cultures, and generations. The festival provides a unique space for people of all backgrounds to come together in celebration and exploration of our shared humanity. Its mission is to foster a deep appreciation for aesthetic beauty and wonder, particularly through the transformative power of poetry and sacred music.

Among the highlights of Festivals to date were the poetry contests in 2012 and 2013, where poets from diverse cultures and traditions submitted works on themes such as The Natural Rhythm of Wisdom and Love’s Eternal Melody. The range of experiences reflected in the submissions was as beautiful as it was varied. Winners were announced during the Festival and introduced as they recited their works. The 2014 Festival, centered on Cosmology and Spirituality: Universe and Human Being, featured captivating presentations from cosmologists and spiritual leaders on the intersection of cosmology, spirituality, and humanity’s potential. Honoring the sacred ancestral land in Marin County, the Festival featured Native American songs, stories and dance, highlighting an extraordinary hoop dance.

Festival participants have been mesmerized by the poetry of both past and present Sufi poets, enchanted by Sufi music and zikr from Persian, Moroccan, Turkish, Indian, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, and Pakistani traditions, among others. Staying true to its inclusive spirit, the Festival has also showcased poetry and sacred music from Native American, Jewish, Christian, Japanese, African, and Yemenite traditions. In addition, many Sufis, poets, and scholars have addressed topics such as poetry and healing, as well as poetry’s connection to awakening, prayer, the stations of the heart, and the power of sound and listening.

Songs of the Soul 2024

Presented by the International Association of Sufism, a California non-profit, a humanitarian organization, and a United Nations NGO/DGC.

A gentle breeze blew in Tiburon, California, on June 8, 2024, carrying melodies of a symphony made collectively by all who gathered to celebrate the sacred beauty of the heart. The poets, musicians, and dancers, as well as the audience members themselves, reflected and amplified a universal message of harmony, each through their unique expression. The day opened with a thoughtful introduction by Hamaseh Kianfar, Ed.D., whose care and wisdom set the first beautiful note of the day. To this first note, a second harmonious note was added by Sara Moncada and Eddie Madril of Sewam American Indian Dance. Through stories and traditional songs of their Yaqui ancestors, they reminded us of our responsibility to tend to one another and the land upon which we depend. They concluded their session with a hoop dance, where the dancer, in a seamless flow of movement and a continual rearrangement of hoops, embodies the life spirit as it flows into and out of various plant and animal forms.

A chord was then formed by the addition of bass note from poet and translator, Francesca Bell, Marin County Poet Laureate (2023-2025). Francesca demonstrated profound courage in confronting the darkest of shadows. In doing so, her work illuminates not only illuminates the resilience of the human spirit in enduring hardship, but also reveals the tender thread of love that underlies all of life, even when it is difficult to see. Then, to this chord, a beat and rhythm were added by Taneen Sufi Music Ensemble, accompanied by bass player David Rosenthal. Through their own unique musical arrangements, they shared the enduring love poetry of Sufi masters, including such luminaries as Rumi, Shah Maghsoud, Omar Khayam, Hallaj, and others. In the ecstatic expressions of these poets and the meditative music of Taneen, the audience was lifted to the realms of the divine, where our tears dissolved into the great ocean of being, and we were carried together in a powerful current of love.

Two young Marin County poets, Mira Sridharan, Marin Youth Poet Laureate, and Clarisse Kim, Marin Youth Poet Laureate Ambassador, added their voices to the chorus, offering a promise of hope for humanity through their clear, heartfelt expressions. Their message was then amplified by Tamam Khan and Pir Shabda Khan. Through her careful and sensitive poetic renderings of the lives of Sufi women, Tamam invited us to celebrate our shared humanity, extending an invitation to unity and peace. With the joyful encouragement of Pir Shabda, we all participated in song, through a call-and-response that echoed the same call and invitation to unity.

The next movement featured a harmonious synthesis of the gifts of Riffat Sultana, a master of Qawwali who represents eleven generations of vocalists from India and Pakistan, and Georges Lammam, a Lebanese musician and solo violinist who brings Arabic arts and cultural heritage to the forefront in the United States. They were joined by two more highly talented musicians: guitarist Richard Michos and drummer Rami Ziadegh, as well as bass player David Rosenthal. Full of vitality and excitement, the group’s collaborative musical expression lifted us all to new heights of joy as we clapped along to the beat.

The final movement of this wonderful symphony of the soul featured Avay-i-Janaan, an international and intergenerational poetry slam and music collective that originated through the Echoes of the Unseen. Using spoken word, rap, and stirring music, Elizabeth Miller, Craig Laupheimer, and Richard Wormstall took us on a cosmic journey into the “felt connections between self and universe, origin and potential,” directing our gaze into the mystery of reality through the lenses of both science and mysticism. At the end of the day, with hearts full, we said our goodbyes as the breeze echoed our songs of the soul. The International Association of Sufism gives thanks to all who attended, and all who shared their gifts in community.

Presenter Bios:

Sewam American Indian Dance

Eddie Madril is a member of the Pascua Yaqui tribe of Southern Arizona and Northern Sonora Mexico. He is an active member of the Native American community and a representative of his culture through various aspects: as a dancer, singer, teacher, playwright and filmmaker. Eddie is currently a professor for American Indian Studies at San Francisco State University and is a monthly host for KPFA Radio’s Bay Native Circle program.  He has presented as a guest lecturer across the country in American Indian music, dance, religion and contemporary culture for Tufts University, Stanford University, St. Mary’s College, and Dominican University, among others. Additionally, he has had the honor of being an invited guest for Academic symposiums on a variety of Native American issues. As a dancer and educator he regularly presents and performs throughout the western United States for such groups as the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival (performer and panelist), Young Audiences of Northern California and Youth in Arts. He has also been a member of the advisory committee at the de Young Museum of San Francisco for Native programming.

Sara Moncada (Yaqui/Irish), is an artist, dancer, filmmaker, author, Native scholar and cultural arts advocate. Sara is CEO of The Cultural Conservancy, a native-led non-profit organization working in Indigenous rights and revitalization, is adjunct professor of American Indian Studies at San Francisco State University and is co-author of the book The Dance of Caring, a book exploring Native Hoop Dance as a model for care. As a dancer, Sara began her studies in dance and theatrical performance at the age of five, with her 30 year dance career evolving to include classical ballet, modern dance, and Flamenco. Her involvement in her Native American culture merged with her professional dance training and she joined Sewam American Indian Dance in 2008. Sara presents internationally on Native/Indigenous traditional dance, arts and culture, traditional land practice and ecological systems, and Native Foodways. Sara currently serves on the Board of Directors for Association of Ramaytush Ohlone, the American Indian Cultural District San Francisco, and the Indigenous Partnership Advisory Council of Dominican University and is honored to have served as a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts. http://www.sewamdance.com/about.html

Francesca Bell 

Marin County Poet Laureate for 2023-2025, Francesca Bell, is a poet and translator. She is the author of two collections of poetry, Bright Stain (Red Hen Press, 2019), which was a finalist for the Washington State Book Award and the Julie Suk Award, and What Small Sound (Red Hen Press, 2023). She translated Max Sessner’s collection, Whoever Drowned Here (Red Hen Press, 2023), from its original German. Her work appears widely in magazines such as ELLE, Los Angeles Review of Books, New England Review, North American Review, Mid-American Review, and Rattle. Bell grew up in Washington and Idaho and did not complete middle school, high school, or college. She is the former poetry editor of River Styx and the current translation editor of Los Angeles Review. She lives with her family in Novato. https://marinpoetrycenter.org/programs/marin-county-poet-laureate/

Taneen Sufi Music Ensemble

Formed under the guidance of Sufi Masters Shah Nazar Seyyed Ali Kianfar and Seyyedeh Nahid Angha, Taneen, Sufi Music Ensemble has performed locally and internationally for over twenty-five years at events that focus on peace-building, human rights, and interfaith understanding. All members of the ensemble are seekers on the Sufi path. Honoring the heart’s longing for connection to the source of love, peace and beauty, they sing Sufi poetry in English translation, as well as sacred words in Arabic and Persian, accompanied by original music that springs from meditation and prayer. Music from Taneen Sufi Music Ensemble is available both on Apple Music and Amazon, as well as through other streaming services. https://ias.org/music-and-poetry/

Tamam Kahn

Pir Shabda Kahn

Pir Shabda Kahn, a direct disciple of the American Sufi Master Murshid Samuel Lewis, has been practicing Sufism since 1969 and since 2001, is the Pir (Spiritual Director) of the Sufi Ruhaniat International, the lineage tracing from Hazrat Inayat Khan and Murshid Samuel Lewis. He is also the Spiritual Guide of the Dances of Universal Peace~ worldwide. Shabda has studied and performed North Indian Classical Vocal Music under the guidance of the late Master Singer, Pandit Pran Nath, since 1972. He is also a disciple of the illustrious Tibetan Master, the 12th TaiSitu Rinpoche. Shabda leads retreats and camps in Sufism with an emphasis on the mysticism of breath; the science and art of wazifa and zikr; music; the walking meditations of Murshid Samuel Lewis and opening the heart. He brings gentleness and humor in transmitting the rich lineage of Sufism.

Riffat Sultana

Riffat Sultana channels the musical wisdom of 500 years and eleven generations of master vocalists from India and Pakistan.  Daughter of legendary classical singer, the late Maestro Ustad Salamat Ali Khan.  Riffat is the first woman from her family’s musical lineage to publicly perform in the west. Riffat performs a wide variety of traditional and modern material from the Indian sub-continent, including, Sufi, Geet, Ghazal, Filmi, Qawwali, and Bhangra.  She sings popular Bollywood classics to entertain audiences at parties.  Her acoustic ensemble features instruments including tabla, bansuri flute, and 12 string guitar.  Highlighting her performances are devotional, and ecstatic Sufi songs to great saints like Shahabaz Qalander and Baba Bule Shah, sure to move your heart, soul, and feet! https://www.riffatsultana.com/ 

Georges Lammam

Georges Lammam, of Palestinian descent, was born in Beirut, Lebanon. He is a solo violinist exemplifying the Arab style of instrumental improvisation.  A recording artist, composer and artistic director for the Georges Lammam Ensemble, Georges is a featured artist in other musical groups – Ancient Future, Wobbly World, Shabazz and Pena Pacha Mama Group. Mr. Lammam, as an artistic emissary, brings Arab arts and his cultural heritage to the fore in supporting Palestine – both the culture and the people.  His music has enhanced and supported the work of arts and philanthropic non-profits in support of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. His compositions and performance excerpts are included in scores for two award-winning documentaries: Occupation 101 and Tea on the Axis of Evil, and he recorded a well-known folkloric debke in a 2016 feature film, Wrestling Jerusalem by Aaron Davidman.  Opus Omnia (2017) is the most recent within a five CD discography and available at itunes, CDbaby and Amazon, and a new recording is nearing completion to be available in 2024. https://www.ancient-future.com/georges.html

Avay-i-Janaan

Avay-i-Janaan Echoes of the Unseen is a poetry slam and music collective originating through the Echoes of the Unseen. The members represent the journey of a human being from and into the heart, and creation of the universe within themselves. Through poetry, movement, rhythm, and song, audiences are invited to seek their own origin in the light that emerges from the stillness of inner peace and unity. Members of the collective span generations, faith traditions, and backgrounds. In addition to music and poetry, members of Avay-i-Janaan are trained as scientists, psychologists, cosmologists, spiritual leaders, and educators. Through immersive and multi-dimensional journeys, they weave leading-edge science from the wisdom of the mystical tradition in ways that foster felt connection between self and universe, origin and potential. https://ias.org/music-and-poetry/