Kirtan Leader Blog

IN THE WORDS OF MIKE COHEN

Fire & Destruction

December 30, 2021 was a terrifying day in Boulder, Colorado, where my partner and I live. Ninety percent of Boulder County was in severe or extreme drought, and we hadn’t seen substan...

CHANTS FOR CHALLENGING TIMES

“Mike Cohen’s voice is a grounding force of granite lined with velvet.”

The past four years, during which Chants for Challenging Times was composed, recorded, and now released, have been challenging i...

HARMONIUMS & HEADACHES

Since they were introduced in 2015, I have been enamored with the Bhava brand of harmoniums created by Old Delhi Music. Last fall I thought it might be wise to try a few others to see if they were indeed bes...

Vocalist, voice teacher and Kirtan Leader Institute instructor Dawnia Dresser has a beautiful way of describing the difference between singing and sacred chant.

1. The External Loop 

Dawnia has been singing since age 5. Before di...

It was her first lesson, and very first time playing the harmonium.

I instructed her to place her thumb on the middle C, and pinky on the middle G. She squeezed the bellows with her left hand. A broad smile spread across her face ...

I love the harmonium... what an instrument!

The harmonium was built by the French as a home version of a giant church pipe organ. The British brought it to India, and the Indians have used it to great effect since. 

The harmonium...