runbei

  Krishna directs the training choir at Ananda Village. Q: How did your interest in music begin? Krishna: I was about ten when they showed us the instruments we could choose to play at school, and I thought, “Oh, there’s one with just three buttons.” [Laughs] It was the trumpet, and I said, “I’ll take … Read more

When we spoke, Cindy served as the choir director for Ananda Sangha in Seattle, Washington. Since that time she has moved to Portland where she remains active in the music ministry. Q: Tell us about your early background in music, and how you became interested in Ananda’s music. Cindy: I came from a family that … Read more

Q: How did you become involved with Swami Kriyananda’s music, perhaps going back to before you came to Ananda? Raghu: I started listening to music on an AM transistor radio in the 1960s. I was nine or ten and I would come home for lunch and listen to the AM station in Buffalo, New York. … Read more

Ramesha and his wife Bhagavati are the co‑directors, with Jeannie Tschantz, of the Ananda music ministry. They live at Ananda Village. A professional singer and violinist, Ramesha offers singing lessons and coaching through his website, www.vocalbliss.net. (Photo: 2012) Q: How did you get started in music? Ramesha: When I was four or five years old … Read more

Photo: Mari Baughman leads chanting at the Ananda Portland Center, with David Eby, a cellist whose story is included in this series. Mari served for many years as Music Director for Ananda in Portland, Oregon.  Q: Tell us about your background in music. Mari: My Mom said that I started singing before I started talking, … Read more

Anaya serves as music director of Ananda Sangha in Palo Alto, California. Q: Tell us about your life in music, starting with your earliest years. Anaya: My parents were professional musicians. My father was a violinist and my mother was a pianist and violist, and I was introduced to violin at about age four. My … Read more

David served for many years as Ananda’s music director. He now lives and teaches in Portland. Q: You’ve had a long career as a cellist and music teacher. Did your involvement with music start at an early age? David: My dad is a Presbyterian pastor, and when I was growing up he was in charge … Read more

Q: You talk with many people who come fresh to Ananda. What’s your impression of how the music affects them? Asha: To answer your question I’ll go back a bit in time. In the late 1970s Swami Kriyananda asked me to go on the road and give talks about our teachings. So I began driving … Read more

From a talk to the Ananda singers and musicians in Assisi, Italy. An emperor in ancient China would tour his provinces once a year to see how they were faring. He never inquired about the honesty of the officials, nor did he try to find out how things were being run. He didn’t even ask … Read more

In talks that Swami Kriyananda gave in the last years of his life, he often warned us of severe economic hardships to come. How will we live, if the material foundations of our lives should be shaken or destroyed? I don’t have a single, comprehensive answer, but I pray that the following stories will inspire … Read more