This sweet note came to me from Woody Talley, one of the organizers of the Haiti Benefit concert…
…when you were singing, all I could see in my head were images of my friends working tirelessly through literal blood, sweat and tears in the rubble in Haiti. Then just now as I’m reading your website, I can see this amazing human connection between people who, although they are of different lands, have never met, don’t even speak the same language, hold the same things dear.
Woody has worked in Haiti and so has a deep emotional connection to the people and the devastation that has happened there. He is an amazing person.
I love how music brings me in contact with people like this…
An amazing group of musicians came together on Saturday, February 6 and Sunday, February 7th to help raise funds for Haiti at a benefit concert at Whitehorse Black Mountain.
I was so honoured to be part of the line- up of these talented artists headed up by the brother and sister team of Nikki Talley and Woody Talley. Nikki was one of the main organizers of the Help Haiti Heal event and her brother Woody who has worked in Haiti with SOIL was instrumental in bringing the show together. Don Talley, Kim Hughes, Bob Hinkle, and many others, were also part of the team that brought us all together, musicians and audience members alike to raise funds for this hurting nation. All the money raised from the event went to SOIL.
And what an absolutely beautiful experience it was. Thank you to everyone who was involved. I had the joy of singing some Armenian folk songs and one song from the Armenian liturgy that I felt was so fitting for this occasion… Der Voghormya, Lord have mercy… this is what came to mind as I first heard of the devastation in Haiti… Lord have mercy on these women, these men, these children, these broken people…
So far, we are told that the concert raised over $6000. And we are all thrilled about that.
I love how music has the power to bring us all together in this way… all sorts of diverse people, gathering together in one place for our brothers and sisters miles and miles away…
Our good friends Don Talley, Bob Hinkle and Kim Hughes are working hard organizing a special benefit concert at Whitehorse Black Mountain for Haiti. The event is called Help Haiti Heal and there is already an amazing line up of artists set to perform on February 6 and 7 in Black Mountain.
I am so excited to be part of the line up.
The news from Haiti has been devastating and the photos have been unbearable to look at. My heart breaks for the people there… and then I think to myself, what good is that? How does my heart breaking change things for the people? How does my weeping help them? I look at my own babies and hold them close to me, unable to imagine what I would do if anything were to happen to them… and then I look at the images from Haiti again, and think, what are those moms and dads doing right now? Ah, this is too much…
What can I do right now?
I can pray. I can send aid.
And I can sing.
I can sing at this event and hopefully raise money to help this hurting nation in some way.
Here is our new video for all of you… it is very close to my heart… in it, you will get to meet the members of my very talented band: Eliot, Chris and River. These guys are amazing. You will also hear me talk about why I do what I do… the story behind the songs…
Barev Mariam! Beautiful!
So nice to hear you talk about the songs and your grandmother. So good to feel and hear your joy in the music.
Come to Berlin! (when the little one’s a bit older - we know touring is not easy w/) or maybe we’ll see you in Yerevan. John’s grandmother is also “Mariam” a genocide survivor. Carry on! love and peace
looking back on a most incredible decade, a most incredible year…ah, yes, I am in a reflective mood…again.
I am thinking back on days that have been full of much joy; yes, some of those days, months even, have been full of deep pain… but the joy has been the backdrop for it all. The joy is ever present because it is not dependent on a situation or a circumstance. The joy is there because He is there, holding me still.
The past ten years have been marked with so many adventures: visiting Armenia for the second time, coming home to a new door opening, delving into the music, releasing my first album of Armenian folk music…! performing with the most amazing musicians, meeting my husband, ah, what a story that is! Releasing the second album, marriage, moving, having my first child, meeting such talented musicians here, performing with them, having my second child, and so much more… and all the emotions that are woven in and through each of these events…
I am looking back and I am looking ahead… breathless in anticipation of what is to come…
“...My dream has always been to share the story of my culture with as many people who want to listen. My grandparent’s story -- especially accounts of their faith, resilience, and hope despite the many obstacles that they endured -- and more recently, the plight of the street children in Armenia -- the very children who taught me some of the songs which are now on this album -- have inspired me. I long to share these stories with others. And as I pass on this music, these stories to others, I hope that people will be as enriched as I have been.”
March 14th, 2010 at 9:34 pm
Come to Charlotte, NC for a concert please!!