CHANT
OF SAINTS
“Immersive, fascinating, imaginative and sensory”
– Barb P.
CHANT OF SAINTS is a sound art installation conceived and created by Donald King with a commission by The United Music Experience in Austin, Texas. It is an immersive sound sensory experience and environmental installation. Experientially speaking, the installation is inspired, in part, by the Japanese Karesansui gardens. The installation is a sonic collage that marries constellations of inspired vocals (chants) from various spiritual traditions, both sacred and secular. The genre-defying soundscape bends, blends, and remixes a sampling of sacred and secular music that ranges from Buddhist chants, gospel hymns, the Islamic call to prayer, gregorian chants, Jewish mi sheberach, Shinto, jazz, and hip hop. It is an invitation to reflect and meditate on the universal human aspiration and pursuit to reach beyond ourselves in an attempt to connect with the divine. Or, as John Coltrane suggests, A Love Supreme. Ultimately, like the Japanese Karesansui gardens, it is intended to aid reflection, introspection, and meditation.
“My sense of interconnection was re-affirmed, supported, and enhanced.”
– Mark W.
“Somewhere in the middle of section two, as I’m listening to all these voices and chants that were NOT from my spiritual tradition, it dawned on me: ‘ah, we’re all seeking the same thing.’ It was a moment of unification for me with the rest of the world.”
– Wayne H.
“…speaks to the specificity and universality of what Chant of Saints offers to all of us, and how much more alike and aligned we are even though we come from different backgrounds.”
– Charles G.
“I am pretty sure I had a slight out of body experience”
– Jon W.
Chant of Saints is presented with the generous support of:
