Mary Verdi Live in Concert

TAKE DIVINE FLIGHT WITH MARY VERDI An Inspired New Voice in World Devotional Music Mary Verdi’s message is one of love—the universal love that unites people of all spiritual traditions and walks of life. Her chief vehicle for communicating this love is her exquisite singing voice, deeply imbued with power, majesty and the ardent compassion of a lifelong spiritual seeker.

In concert, Mary and her musical ensemble possess the insightful ability to touch every listener’s heart in a way that connects them with their own inner divinity. “I hope their spiritual side soars with joy,” she says of her audiences. “Our focus is to surround listeners with as much love, compassion and peace as possible. As they head out on the road this year, Mary and her group will be featuring songs from her newest CD, her sixth album to date, Flight. The disc is solidly anchored in Mary’s song craft—a blissful union of gossamer melodies and heartfelt, empowering lyrics. These blend effortlessly with graceful settings of much-loved mantras such as Om Shanti and Om Mani Padme Hum. Mary’s crystalline voice is accompanied by her own supple piano and acoustic guitar playing, the amber warmth of a string trio and the expansive rhythms of world percussion. It all adds up to an inspired new flavor in world devotional music—a sacred space where kirtan, gospel, country, pop and chamber music all join in the sacred dance of the Divine. “For me,” she says, “the closest sound to the divine is the celestial sound of strings—viola, violin and cello!"

From the release of her 2006 debut lp Ocean for Travel onward, Mary has distinguished herself in Contemporary Christian music. Church was a large part of her upbringing, as her father and grandfather were music directors in various churches. She often sang at three different houses of worship during the Christmas season. Along the way, though, Mary found another source of spiritual connection through the practice of yoga. She says all these experiences taught her the valuable lesson that there are many different forms of worship all leading to the Divine—the One. “As a 20-year practicing yogi, I fell in love with ancient Sanskrit mantras and felt a real need to add them to my concerts,” she says. “It is time for all walls to be taken down and for all forms of worship to be one. I just label myself a Christian Yogi.”

Since then, Mary has become a vital part of the Western Massachusetts yoga music community, co-creating the popular Music, Mandala & Motion workshop series at Berkshire Yoga Dance & Fitness, and leaving audiences jubilant and joyful wherever she sings. On her current tour, she’s joined by two key players from Flight: World percussionist John Marshall, who has worked in the past with renowned kirtan singers such as Snatam Kaur and Krishna Das; and violin, viola and flute player Eileen Markland, who has toured Africa as a U.S. Department of State “American Cultural Specialist” and performed at the United Nations Peace Summit of Women Religious and Spiritual Leaders in Switzerland. The love, devotion and talent Mary and her group bring to the stage is something that transcends all names—dissolving all into an ocean of sublime musical meditation. “Through celestial sounds,” Mary says, “it is our hope to soften hearts and offer a moment of compassion and peace to the listener.”