Spiritual sounds to fill church

SONGS, silence, mindfulness, and meditation will come together under the one roof as part of a concert in Buninyong next month.

Titled River Runs Deep, the performance is bringing together local and interstate musicians to showcase original meditative pieces at Buninyong Uniting Church.

For the past half-decade, South Ballarat Uniting Church minister Reverend Paul Sanders, who’s organising the event, has been writing lyrics with violinist and pianist Naomi O’Hern, guitarist and vocalist Nick Randall, and composer Lachlan Mack.

The concert will showcase the results of that work with about 20 to 25 original songs.

Reverend Sanders said the program is offering something different from the typical concert.

“It’s that spiritual or religious imagery but in a way that’s much more available and it’s music that has that more meditative style,” he said. “We’ve put a lot of work together for different settings.

“It’s mooring us into that journey and using water and river as a metaphor, this idea of just immersing ourselves in life through calming and reflection, of waiting through life where sometimes it’s shallow and sometimes it’s deep.

“There’ll be the opportunity for the audience to sing with us because the pieces are often very simple and accessible, and we’ll have moments to pause for silence.”

Featuring the core composing team on guitar, vocals, and violin, with the exception of Mack, additional performers including cellist Lucy Price, flautist Dini Tuerner, piano and vocals from Leanne Earl, with Reverend Sanders playing a Japanese bell.

Silence and poetry readings will also play a part in the program, with Reverend Sanders delivering his original spoken word works as well as pieces from mystical traditions. Samantha White and Uniting Church’s Reverend David Leech will also read poetry.

“It’s kind of a journey through poetry, sound, silence, and music,” Reverend Sanders said.

“The other element of this is it covers that idea of our place on the earth. It’s not just taking us into rarified places.

“The idea of this whole thing is grounding us which is a different image than water, but taking us into the depths and bringing us into our relationship with the earth and each other.”

River Runs Deep is being delivered as part of the Chamber of Music series.

The concert will take place on 8 September at Buninyong Uniting Church from 4pm to 6pm including a short intermission. Entry is $20 general and $15 concession.

The event will be preceded the day before with a presentation from Professor Martin Westbrooke at 9.30am, who’ll detail his efforts revegetating New South Wales’ Nanya Station as part of the church’s Conversations on Edge of the Mountain series.

Tickets to that event are $15 and can be pre-booked by contacting Reverend Sanders on 0407 833 515.