Monthly Reflection: Nur (Light) – On Celebrating 500 Studio Sessions!

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This week we published our 500th Studio Session!! It’s a milestone we’re really proud of–especially as we have more songs in the works yet to be shared! These 500 songs are from over 50 countries and are sung in over 40 languages. They range in style from pop to a cappella, rock to choral, and were performed by seasoned musicians and many who never recorded a song before in their lives. Husbands and wives, grandparents, parents and children, groups of youth and so many combinations of friends have contributed their time, talents and voices to this project and we are so very deeply grateful to everyone who has helped make these recordings possible!

For this month’s newsletter, I thought I would share some thoughts about this musical initiative with the lens of exploring the light that these songs bring.

Many friends have shared with us how they use the songs in their morning and/or evening devotions or as part of family life. When the world seemed to stop during the pandemic, someone remarked to me that it was providential that Studio Sessions was already a well established and familiar project. Another friend said, “The quotes and prayers put to music stir the spirit and allow for a greater connection with the soul despite being together virtually.”

Because we had scores of songs already queued up for publishing, we were particularly proud that we could keep regularly releasing songs–from a variety of locations–as the days and weeks locked down at home persisted.

In many ways, because of the Sacred Words sung, Studio Sessions emit a light out into the virtual vista. But I think the Studio Sessions also spread light in terms of the impacts they have on the participants, their families and their communities. One participant shared:

Over the years, we’ve been overjoyed to hear how recording Studio Sessions has led to the creation of albums and EPs–our recent interview with Jonathon Bryan is one such example! And on a smaller scale, we love how in the lead-up to studio time and as musicians in a community gather together, new songs have been created on the spot!

Sometimes we are asked why the Studio Sessions don’t seem to bring more proverbial light and lightness: Why don’t its participants smile more? Why aren’t there more upbeat songs?

The main parameter of Studio Sessions is that all songs are based on the Writings of Baha’u’llah, the Bab, or Abdu’l-Baha, or letters from Shoghi Effendi or the Universal House of Justice. Because the songs are based on the Writings or guidance of the Baha’i Faith, we never have to make decisions about whether the lyrics of the songs are dignified or appropriate and, as producers of the project, we are therefore freed from our personal biases or musical preferences. What passages are sung and the styles in which they are sung is entirely up to the participants. We don’t coach participants to perform in a certain way, nor do we have an auditions process where some people are chosen to perform and others are rejected.

We do, however, strive to set a devotional tone by encouraging participants to pause for a moment before and after their songs are performed. At the same time, we also attempt to “run a tight ship” and record as many songs as possible in a single sitting to make the most of our studio time. This means that participants get two takes to perform their pieces and even for experienced musicians, this can require a great deal of concentration to perform the song in the way the participant intended. For this reason and/or out of a personal sense of devotion, many participants choose to close their eyes, do not smile or attempt to engage viewers by looking at the cameras.

Furthermore, since there are so many Studio Sessions out now, participants may assume that in order for their song to be perceived as reverent, they should perform in a similar manner to the majority of the songs they’ve already watched or listened to. One area of learning for us as a team is whether Studio Sessions are exerting an influence on newer contributions. And what does reverence look like and mean to the diverse peoples who are being recorded?

I think it’s also worth noting that because these devotional pieces are being shared and distributed via media and platforms that encourage and reward fast and absorbing content, the posture of reverence many participants demonstrate is all the more contrasting. It makes us ask: how can we share devotional music on these platforms without being affected by the modes of expression they perpetuate?

All this to say, I truly believe that if you take the time to explore all of the Studio Sessions, you will find a stunning array of voices, styles, languages and postures and expressions of love and devotion. Did you know that you can sort through all our Studio Sessions in our music section? You can filter by language or even by the Author of the passage sung–if you are, say, looking for songs based on the Writings of the Bab or an upcoming commemoration.

As with previous newsletters, I’d love to draw to your attention to Cherie’s continuous work to create templates that can be modified and customized. This month she has created invitation and program templates for upcoming commemorations for the Martyrdom of the Bab.

There are also program templates associated with both of these designs:

• A program template with the grove of cyrpus trees design

• A program template with the Shrine of the Bab design

As always, all templates can be found on our special Downloadable Content page.

Sending you love and light! Happy Month of Nur!

Posted by

Sonjel Vreeland

In her innermost heart, Sonjel is a stay-at-home parent and a bookworm with a maxed out library card but professionally she is a museologist with a background in English Literature. She currently lives on Prince Edward Island, an isle in the shape of a smile on the eastern Canadian coast. Sonjel is a writer who loves to listen to jazz when she's driving at night.