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Ya Elah: Bio

Bon Singer - Artistic Director

Bon Singer is best known for her work with the internationally acclaimed vocal ensemble, Kitka. She served as Artistic Director, composer, arranger, and a singer for 14 years, and is recognized as one of the foremost directors of Bulgarian choral music in America.

Bon's musical experience ranges from performance and extensive research in remote eastern European villages to performing with Olympia Dukakis in ACT's production of Hecuba. She has taught workshops in eastern European music for symphony choruses and folk ensembles, and has led chant workshops at National Jewish Meditation conferences, as well as for the local community in the San Francisco Bay Area. She serves as cantorial soloist for Kol Hadash, a Humanistic Jewish community in Albany, California.

Bon combines her knowledge of music from various parts of the world, her rich experiences with a number of spiritual paths, and her desire to promote harmony among all faiths, to create the music of her new spiritual vocal ensemble, Ya Elah.

Diana Rowan - Harpist

Harpist Diana Rowan’s playing has been described as having "unusual power and beauty." Born in Ireland, she lived on the East Coast, in Europe and the Middle East before settling in Berkeley, California. Diana’s classical training (MM Piano Performance, under Tchaikovsky Piano Competition prize-winner Roy Bogas, intensive ongoing studies with Alice Giles, 1st prize-winner of the Israel International Harp Contest) intersects with her love for Balkan, Eastern European, Sephardic and Middle Eastern music to create compelling solo and ensemble performances. Currently collaborating with her mentor Bon Singer's vocal ensemble Ya Elah, vocal virtuosa Lily Storm, and rising early music stars San Francisco Renaissance Voices, Diana can also be heard on several CDs including her debut solo album Panta Rhei. Diana’s second album, The Bright Knowledge, will be released 2008.
www.sirenharp.com
www.pantarheicd.com