Sangeeta Kaur
Sangeeta Kaur is a composer and opera trained singer/performer of Vietnamese descent. Coming from a hard working immigrant family, Sangeeta achieved her high level artistic status through similar values. Although her parents were not musical, she found out early in her childhood that music was for her. Beginning by singing at school and exploring the violin, she soon began to take a serious interest in music. This love of music and the arts carried through her college years and she is now a professionally trained opera singer and composer. During the late 90’s, a friend introduced her to yoga and this had a major effect on her creativity. She began to fuse the two, as well as her Buddhist influences, into a new and exciting unique art form of New Age and operatic crossover music.
Today she has numerous albums to her credit and has composed an award winning Opera titled “Niguma.” Her latest release titled “Compassion” is a wonderful collection of songs that features her mixed influences. This finely produced album contains world class choirs, crystal bowls, tasteful instruments and of course top notch vocals. Sangeeta explains the process of creating the album “I wanted each song to be filled with choir. Kind of like a classical version of an oratorio, but a New Age version of sound… using crystal singing bowls… using human voice as a healing quality. It was an experiment, creating rhythm with the choir instead of them singing everything sort of legato and lush. I was trying to create pulse… rhythm with the human voice.” I recently spoke with Sangeeta about the album and her career.
R.V.B. – Hi Sangeeta… how are you? I see you have a 917 number… did you live in New York at one time?
S.K. – I did… yes.
R.V.B. - Where did you grow up?
S.K. – I grew up in California. I went to Boston for my grad school and then I moved to Europe. Then I moved to New York after that.
R.V.B. – I guess you were in the city somewhere.
S.K. – I started in Astoria. Then I went to the upper East Side and then to the lower East Side.
R.V.B. – So you’ve been around. I understand you are going to Iceland. My daughter just returned from Iceland about a month ago and came home engaged.
S.K. – No kidding??? Amazing!!! Were they there for the holidays?
R.V.B. – No… they got a deal they couldn’t pass up. It was like $2,300 for 8 days for airfare and hotel.
S.K. – Did they like it?
R.V.B. – Oh yeah! It was cold there but they went to the hot springs and saw all the sights. She came back with a diamond ring on her finger.
S.K. – OMG!! Hahaha
R.V.B. – Are you going there to perform or just a vacation?
S.K. – My husband and I are going to go there for Christmas. We decided to dis’ everybody and just go and have a quiet time.
R.V.B. – Good for you. You’re gonna get away from it all.
S.K. – Yeah!!! Every year we’re here so we wanted to do something totally different. Then we’re going to fly to Vienna to see in the new year.
R.V.B. – Very nice! I have to say that in the past week I have been become a big fan of your music. It’s fantastic!!! It’s groundbreaking… it’s new… it’s different, and that’s what really appeals to me.
S.K. – Thank you.
R.V.B. – You crossover to different genres and it’s very, very interesting.
S.K. Thank you. My team and I really worked hard on this, by not listening to others who say “You have to stay within the genre.” We didn’t listen. Hahaha
R.V.B. – You tried to take a different path with Compassion as opposed to Mirrors?
S.K. – Yes… it’s completely different. I feel the first album called “Niguma” had similar elements – with the full and bigger sound – Niguma was the first album after four years of releasing. I wanted it to be free and experimental. I basically had musicians come in - they heard the tracks maybe once – then we improvised through the entire thing. We cut pieces together that were really beautiful. The second album Ascension was more orchestral. We had orchestra’s, bands, gospel choirs… you name it. With Mirrors I thought “Let’s just make it really intimate.” It was very simple with just a few instruments. “Let’s see how that goes.” I really loved the process. Then I was yearning again for the orchestra. I wanted the big sound, because I come from the operatic background. I said “Let’s go back to the orchestra.” With Compassion, the big difference was that we incorporated two big choirs. I wanted each song to be filled with choir. Kind of like a classical version of an oratorio, but a New Age version of sound… using crystal singing bowls… using human voice as a healing quality. It was an experiment, creating rhythm with the choir instead of them singing everything sort of legato and lush. I was trying to create pulse… rhythm with the human voice. It was quite experimental for me and honestly, it’s one of my favorites. I really loved the outcome of the production of it.
R.V.B. – It is very nice. One of the songs that caught my attention is Transcendence. Can you tell me about the making of that track?
S.K. – If you listen to some classical music you’ll get some pieces using one line, like maybe a string section playing one melodic line. They keep on going and it builds up with maybe the woodwinds coming in with that same melody. It’s almost like a round. “Mary had a little lamb…” So I wanted to create this feeling of a round. I would start a round and then the choir would start… then the men would come in. It was really taken from this classical, traditional style and brought into this contemporary rhythmic feel. We didn’t really have a lot of instrumentation in it. It was mostly choir, holding ground, and some piano. So it was pretty bare. I wanted to create that sound with the choir. The choir can hold the hypnotic meditative pulse by growing and progressing into the piece. It opens up with this large, lush, classical type vocals, that kind of just explodes. The experience of Transcendence to me is our soul transcending into higher consciousness. It may mean something else to others. It’s this very subtle, gradual growth. It’s very meditative and it can grow into something very complex. It’s like an explosive awakening. Some people interpreted it as a death and re-birth… it’s also that. When you are awakening, you are having a total re-birth. You die and then go to this higher realm. It’s interesting to hear other people’s interpretation but it’s definitely about transformation and transcending to a higher place.
R.V.B. – It’s a very beautiful piece.
S.K. – Thank you
R.V.B. – How did the track Compassion wind up being the title track of the album? I know it sends a good message. Everyone should show some compassion at some point in their lives. Did you want to convey that idea?
S.K. – Yeah! Sometimes you get into that mode when you’re just tired of hearing the news. All the tragedy… left and right… war… sex trafficking… suicide… sometimes it’s a little overwhelming. For the album, I wanted to create something that, even if it’s one person who hears it… a teenager maybe in a point of turmoil - that might make a decision that’s not so great - it might just change their mind for a moment, and change their perspective. To plant that seed in sound current in the world with compassion. Really caring and loving each other, and see past the hatred that government, people and society create. Put into our heads that we’re so simple. If we can just learn to trust one another… just to plant that seed of compassion into the world. With Compassion, the first thing that came up was the Dali Lama’s main mantra - that he teaches in chants - “Oh mani padme hum.” I thought “If we chant this, we heal ourselves from lifetimes before and after.” It’s a mantra that can really awaken our souls. It can awaken our consciousness. I thought to use that and have the choir sing that over and over.
R.V.B. – How did you come about getting this choir?
S.K. – There are two choirs. One is from the Hungarian Studio Orchestra and Choir. We also worked with the Hungarian Studio Orchestra on the entire album. The studio choir is really amazing. I had them do the more traditional classical arrangements. We also had a local choir from LA that’s called Sterling Ensemble. Each singer is there for the love of music but they are all professionals… educators… professional singers… choral conductors. Many of them have Doctorates in music. They are some of the best teachers out there. Their musicianship skills, versatility and pitch are just incredible. I was so lucky to find them in LA. We used them for the more contemporary songs like May the Long Time Sun.
R.V.B. – How did you get started with music? Did you come from a musical family?
S.K. – Not really. My parents are both Vietnamese, so I came from an immigrant family. Like you hear all the time, they were just trying to survive, make ends meet and put food on the table. Music wasn’t very prominent in the family. It was just my calling. I was very sensitive to sound and music, since I was young. I loved singing and I loved imitating vocals. I loved the way the voice works… the breath, and the body works… the muscles involved. To me it was an amazing and fascinating thing. So I was drawn to it as a child. I enrolled myself in music courses, children’s choirs and violin classes. When I needed a violin, my parents got me a really cheap old one. It was just like kind of “Okay… just let her do it as a hobby.” They didn’t realize that it would become a professional endeavor.
R.V.B. – It’s great that through hard work, from the humble beginnings, you got to where you are. How did you get involved with yoga?
S.K. – Years ago, a friend of mine had invited me to a Yoga class at a 24 hour fitness center. I think it was 1998. (Hahaha) At the time, we didn’t have the massive amount of Yoga centers that we see now on every corner. I tried it and I just remember passing out and blacking out… I wanted to vomit. I mean it was like the worst thing. (Hahaha) But when the energy settled, I felt amazing. I kept trying. I’m that kind of person, that if it doesn’t work, try… try… try. So I took a few classes and during the summer, I was doing an opera intensive course. It was a 10 day course away from home. There was an opera singer teacher who was Indian. Her name was Priti Ghandi.
She’s an amazing mezzo-soprano who also teaches yoga. So I had yoga classes every single day during my opera intensive. Now that I think about it, it makes perfect sense. To me, singing is yoga. It’s the same concept… your brain has to work the same way. In order to do these sounds and that you have to do these postures, that has to connect to the breath. The combination of yoga and singing came together at a very early stage for me. All is perfection. Today I’m still doing music and yoga together. I’m bringing some of the teachings and the sacred yoga philosophies into the music. I just never stopped and was completely hooked. It has really transformed my life… the way that I think and the way that I sing. As my yoga passion deepens, so does my singing. I can really relax more… I can open up. I’m connecting to thoughts, rather than my fear. “How do I sound??? What are people going to think???” It soon became clear to me that singing was service… my way of serving. I see it from a different perspective.
R.V.B. – I know you wrote your own opera… did you do any classic roles that you may have enjoyed in your learning years?
S.K. – Yes! I sang a lot of Mozart operas… Richard Strauss… Wagner. I sang for a Japanese opera company when I was in New York. I did a lot of professional work in the opera world. When I was in New York, I remember my deepening of Tibet Buddhism. My practice just skyrocketed. I went to a profound place in that practice, while I was singing and hustling. I wanted to start my own opera company. I went to the nonprofit office and small business bureau and filled out all the paperwork. Then something happened where I had to move back to LA quickly.
But I knew the opera that I wanted to do. It was always in my mind. It took about another seven or eight years before the idea and possibility actually came about. The opera company never happened but the Niguma opera did happen. That was it for me. The experience, outcome and the feedback was way beyond everything that I ever imagined. It was a miracle that it really happened in the way that it did. I truly feel that everything beyond that point has been a bonus in my life. I feel that I achieved something that my soul came here to do. It’s not done yet but it was such a big event that I was like ”Wow!!! Everything now is just a gift and a bonus.”
R.V.B. – I saw some of the videos and it looked like a very nice production. Speaking of video’s, I watched A Prayer to Answer all Prayers and I found it very touching. What’s behind the concept of this video?
S.K. – On this video, I worked with a really talented director from France - who now resides here in Los Angeles - named Fabien Martorell. When I gave him that song, he had some ideas and I had some ideas. We knew that we wanted it to be a short film… not just beautiful images, but a story as well. It actually had a touching, impactful story, and was very simple. For me, I love incorporating children in my work. I love bringing them on the stage… bringing them on the screen. They’re so pure. I think that most adults – when they are around kids – change. We come back to a very pure place ourselves. I thought that that was a really good formula… a formula to really reach people’s hearts. The little girl in the film is my niece. We were going to audition a bunch of little girls but one day my niece came to my birthday and without any fear – not timid at all – I asked her if she wanted to sing Happy Birthday? She was young and tiny, but she said “Okay.” She grabbed the mic, in front of about 300 people, and had no fear. So I said “She’s it. We don’t need an audition… we’re going to used Claire for this.” She did such a great job. When she was home, she didn’t memorize her lines, but the story was in her mind. When she got on the set, she just tuned in, because she finally saw the lady that she was imagining in her head. It became so real and she never missed her lines. I think she thought it was a real scene. It was so real for her. It’s one of my favorite music videos… for sure.
R.V.B. – You’ve performed in quite a few prestigious venues, in your young career. How was the experience of performing at the Sydney Opera House?
S.K – It was like a total dream. The first time that I was walking up to it with my crew, I was like “I can’t believe I’m doing this right now… this is crazy.” It’s a historical theatre and a historical landmark. Just to be in the space is truly an honor. I look at those moments as signs from the universe that I’m on the right track. Life is about magic… to really embrace those moments and not be intimidated or afraid. It’s given as a gift to you. I see that every time I’m in one of these massive amazing venues. I’m being told “This is your work… this is your job… just hang on to it. Enjoy it, embrace it and just love it.” It’s really magical.
R.V.B. – I’m sure it is. In the arts, you cannot rest of your laurels. What are you working on these days?
S.K. – You’re so right (Hahaha) I try so hard to do nothing. (Hahaha) For 2020, I wanted to try something different. I’m constantly looking for new ways to learn. I’m trying new ways of expression and collaboration. I can announce now that I’m working with the very well known producer Narada Michael Walden. He’s such a wonderful person. His production history is with Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and Aretha Franklin... what pop industry considers the top diva’s. It’s quite a different direction for me. What is really amazing is that Narada listens to what you are doing… he listens to what your mission is… what your vocal capability is, and then he tests you. He will keep you comfortable and push the envelope at the same time. He stretches your abilities and sends you in different directions, to see if you like it. We’re working on an EP. We’ve tracked a couple of songs now. His spiritual background is very strong and that’s what drew me to him… his career and his talent. It’s important to me to collaborate with other artists who have the same values and have similar paths. You don’t have to say as much or explain yourself. They just kind of get it.
R.V.B. – Is your husband involved with music also?
S.K. – He’s a retired engineer but has been a musician his whole life. He’s a classical guitarist and also sings. He’s used music to educate university students in business. He’s taken music to another level. We met when he had already retired but production and being in a studio was not new to him. He really has a great ear and eye. He acts as my behind the scenes manager. He has given me incredible support and tells me what I need to hear, which is really important.
R.V.B. – You need somebody like that. Do you teach at all?
S.K. – At the moment, I’m not teaching as much, but a couple of years ago I was taking a lot of students. I was teaching in Orange County and Los Angeles. I really love teaching. A very dear search teacher Yogi Bhajan says “If you really want to perfect something, teach it.” It’s very true. Once you teach, you see and hear things from another angle… you feel from another angle. You really become a master. In the last couple of years I’ve just been so busy with collaborations and projects, I had to put it aside. But I know that I will go back to it. I love sharing knowledge with people. I do teach yoga once a week to the Vietnamese community. I’ve been doing that for about 8 years. There’s a small community center where I hold my class.
R.V.B. – Very nice. Did you every have any problems with the fires in Southern California?
S.K. – No. I’m in Marina Del Rey. We can see the fires sometimes but we are very close to the sea. A year or two back we had very bad air quality from the fires. We had to evacuate until the air cleared.
R.V.B. – We keep an eye on the west coast and just can imagine how bad it is for some people in California. We’re kind of spoiled here on Long Island. We don’t have earthquakes or bad fire issues.
S.K. – I was in Sag Harbor, Long Island a few years ago during Super Storm Sandy.
R.V.B. – That was a very bad storm. We were without power for 10 days.
S.K. – The waves were massive at the shore. There was a lot of damage to the coastal homes. Some cliffs were entirely wiped out.
R.V.B. – Sag Harbor is a beautiful town.
S.K. – Sag Harbor is adorable.
R.V.B. – Thank you very much for taking this time with me. I’m 100% sold on your music and can’t wait to spread the word.
S.K. – Thank you very much.
Interview conducted by Robert von Bernewitz
This interview may not be reproduced in any part or form without permission from this site.
For more information on Sangeeta Kaur visit her website sangeetakaurmusic.com
Special thanks to Beth Ann Hilton of The B Company thebcompany.com
For more information on this site contact Robvonb247(at)gmail(dot)com
