A renowned contemplative, musician, composer, and retreat leader is running a sacred chant workshop in Dublin and no singing experience is needed. The workshop leader, Br Stefan Andre Waligur, has been influenced by the Taizé community in France and uses simple phrases and melodies of chants influenced by the ancient practice of opening the voice to what he calls "the soul's song.”
“Through simple, memorable singing phrases, you can develop your own daily practice, and let the flow of your voice awaken you to the longings of your soul,” say the organisers who are involved in New Monasticism, an international spiritual movement that has been growing in popularity in Ireland.
It involves cultivating monastic spirituality in the midst of the world through peace, harmony and unity of all faiths.
The chant workshop is to be held in Lantern Centre, centrally situated in Synge Street, Dublin, a centre supported by the Christian Brothers.
Brother Stefan will also conduct a day retreat on September 29 at the Chrysalis Centre, Co Wicklow. He is no stranger to Wicklow, having composed songs at Glendalough that he later recorded in Memphis. He has recorded several albums.
His musical influences come from a life-changing visit to the Taizé community in France.
There he began to write music in a similar style, to be sung at prayer in Catholic and Protestant communities.
These new chants incorporate American rhythms and harmonies, celtic melodies and the call and response style of Indian raga. A growing number of churches in the US and Europe are regularly using these chants as a part of their liturgical life.
Stefan is a teacher of English chant at the Buddhist community Plum Village, founded by Thich Nhat Hahn, and located in the south of France. For the past ten years, Stefan has travelled extensively while sharing his music in Europe, the United States, and Israel/Palestine.
He served as Liturgical Musician for the ecumenical Church of the Saviour in Washington, DC, and as chaplain at American University and in seminaries. His music has been performed by such ensembles as the Chamber Brass of Boston, the Artaria String Quartet, and the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble.
The Irish New Monasticism group has two more events on November 20 and 22 at Miltown Park Theatre in Dublin, with Cyprian Consiglio a monk of the Camaldolese Congregation.
In early September, they had news of the death of Raimon Panikkar a stalwart of New Monasticism who developed the idea of monasticism being a "universal archetype"; and that everybody has a monastery within.
He felt that time spent in that "inner monastery of being" allows all that becomes muddied and confused in daily living to settle and become clear.
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