Exhibition image "Living with gods" ©British Museum
Faiths In Tune
Special music events
"Living with gods" exhibition
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Interfaith performances "Light & Fire"
Sunday, 3 December 2017 - 14:00-16:30
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Interfaith performances "Water & Nature"
Sunday, 4 February 2018 - 14:00-16:30
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7th London Interfaith Music Festival
Sunday, 25 March 2018 - 10:00-17:00
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Venue: The British Museum
Great Court
Great Russell Street
London WC1B 3DG
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Entry: Free
Please note: For admission to the exhibition as such, please consult the exhibition website.
FAITHS IN TUNE special music events for the exhibition
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Living with gods - The British Museum
Sunday, 3 December 2017 | Sunday, 4 February 2018
In light of its new exhibition "Living with gods", the British Museum has invited Faiths In Tune to contribute several music events to the special exhibition's programme.
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The British Museum's new exhibition Living with gods runs from 2 November 2017 to 8 April 2018 and looks at how people have been practising religion throughout human history, highlighting the common elements of worship in different faith traditions and offering "a perspective on what makes believing a vital part of human behaviour."
>> Learn more about the Living with gods exhibition here.
The exhibition as such covers a variety of aspects from personal prayers to community rituals, yet leaves out the role of music in religious practice. This is where Faiths In Tune comes in to complement the exhibition with two themed music afternoons that show common threads between different religions, expressed through music in four performances per event.
Inspired by the exhibition, the first music event will be held on 3rd December, themed "light & fire", and the second will be on 4th February, themed "water & nature".
After that, our 7th London Interfaith Music Festival on 25 March 2018 will coincide with the final weeks of the exhibition.
3 December 2017, 14:00-16:30
LIGHT & FIRE
Light and fire are essential elements of faith practice of most religions, reaching from candles and other fire-related rituals to light as a symbol of the divine, of hope, of purity, of the hereafter and so on. Several religions also celebrate festivals of light, with each of the four represented religions at this event having their festivals of light sometime between fall and winter, including the Hindu Diwali (19 October), the Burmese Buddhist Tazaungdaing festival (3 November), the Jewish Hannukkah (12-20 December) and the Christian Advent (1st advent on 3 December), St Lucy's Day (13 December) and Christmas (24-26 December).
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Check out the BBC4 "Living with gods" podcast episodes relating to the exhibition and event theme:
On Light: 26 Oct 2017 - Here Comes the Sun
On Fire: 24 Oct 2017 - Fire and State
14:00
Buddhism / Myanmar
Htike Yadana
Htike Yadana will present a traditional Buddhist Dance from Myanmar.
14:40
Hinduism / Interfaith
The charismatic Renu Gidoomal will invite audiences to sing traditional Indian Hindu bhajans as well as music from multiple faith backgrounds with her.
15:20
Judaism
With her cristal-clear and at the same time passionate voice and her unmistakable charm, Rachel Weston is one of the most authentic, talented Yiddish music artists in the UK.
16:00
Christianity
The London International Gospel Choir, led by Naveen Arles, will perform modern gospel music.
4 February 2018, 14:00-16:30
WATER & NATURE
Nature plays an important part in all religions, as something to be conserved and looked after, or as a source of spirituality and a place where to encounter the divine. The element of water is also important on the one hand as part of physical religious rituals, and on the other hand as a symbol for life, purification, cleansing, renewal, journey, continuity, patience and even destruction and death. Especially rivers and lakes play important roles both for physical rites and figuratively - rivers Jordan, Ganges and Osun, or lake Titicaca are just some examples of waters considered sacred. Many religious stories and myths also revolve around water, the great flood being just one example.
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Check out the BBC4 "Living with gods" podcast episodes relating to the exhibition and event theme:
On Water: 25 Oct 2017 - Water of Life and Death
On Nature: 27 Oct 2017 - Dependence or Dominion?
14:00
Shamanism / Colombia
Rafa Semilla will present the Shamanic, indigenous and afrodescendent religious music traditions of Colombia.
14:40
Islam
Muslim artists Fahad Khalid and Mehmet Akyildiz have Pakistani and Turkish roots respectively and bring together a mesmerising blend of soulful guitar, blissful flute and captivating spoken word.
15:20
Santeria / Espiritismo / Cuba
The London Lucumi Choir, directed by vocal coach and ordained Santeria priestess Daniela de Armas, will perform the music of the Afro-Cuban religious traditions of Santeria, Lucumi, Arara and Palo.
16:00
Sikhism / Kundalini Yoga
Siri and her ensemble sing and play music based on the Kundalini Yoga Tradition and are sure to lift you up and calm you down at the same time with their strong charisma, radiating glow and beautiful purity.
