Madhava Yoga is Music 2010 Australia Tour

Kirtan artist Madhava visits Australia for the first time in March - April, 2010.

He starts a four city tour with a 24 hour kirtan in Murwillumbah on March 27 - 28, and weaves his way up and down the country over the next three weeks.

Here are the dates for Madhava's tour (those that are tba will be updated as we get the information), followed by his bio.

MURWILLUMBAH, NSW
Saturday, March 27, 5:00 PM
24 hour kirtan featuring Madhava (until Sunday 5:00 PM)
Hare Krishna Community
525 Tyalgum Rd, Eungella
02 6672 6579

BYRON BAY, NSW
Tuesday, March 30, 7:30 PM
Kirtan concert
venue tba
Byron Bay, NSW

SURFERS PARADISE, QLD
Wednesday, March 31, 6:00 PM
Kirtan concert
The Bhakti Centre
Trust House, 3070 Surfers Paradise Blvd, Surfers Paradise. 1st floor

SYDNEY, NSW
Friday, April 2, 8:00 PM
Kirtan concert
Body Mind Life Yoga
55 Foveaux St, Surrey Hills

SYDNEY, NSW
Saturday, April 3 - Monday, April 5
Nightly Kirtan
ISKCON Temple
180 Falcon St, North Sydney

MELBOURNE, VIC
Thursday April 8 - Sunday April 11
Venues tba

BRISBANE, QLD
Thursday April 15, 8:00PM
Kirtan concert
Brisbane City Yoga
Level 2, 129 Margaret Street

Artist Information

Madhava

With a tuft of matted dread-locks erupting from his otherwise shaven head, a sculpted goatee, and a host of piercings and tattoos, you expect Madhava to be a punk rocker — that is until the moment he closes his eyes, opens his mouth, and begins to sing. Before he completes one line, the sweetness captures your mind. And by the time you are repeating the refrain, you are his—hook, line, and sinker. If you had any plans for the next few hours go ahead and cancel them, and instead make yourself an appointment with the ecstatic chanting of sacred mantras. Welcome to kirtan, Madhava-style.

About Kirtan:
Kirtan is a folk form that arose from the devotional Bhakti movement of 15th century India. The primary musical feature of kirtan is the use of call and response, a figure that also deeply informs Western bluegrass, gospel music and jazz. The form is simple: a lead group calls out the melodies and the mantras. The crowd responds, clapping and dancing and the rhythms build and accelerate.

The mantras that are used in kirtan are mainly Sanskrit names for the Divine. Sanskrit is the oldest language known, and its sounds and their meanings are primordial. Kirtan is a consciousness-transforming and raising activity, where music and song are used to bring everyone together in a beautiful experience of collective expression of the divine. The mantras quiet the mind, the music frees the heart.

About Madhava:
A native of Mauritius, Madhava – né Joy Naidoo – was given his first drum at the age of 5. At 18, he moved to Vrindavan, a place of pilgrimage in India where kirtan has been practised continuously for centuries. He spent the next seven years living in an ashram, doing kirtan daily with the Krishna Balarama 24 Hour Kirtan Mandali, under the direction of legendary 24-hour kirtan leader, Aindra Dasa. While there he played the mrdanga drum for hours on end, day after day, honing his rhythmic skill and sensitivity. Unbeknownst to him, through bootleg recordings he was also becoming an influential figure in the global kirtan scene, all while sitting on the dusty floor of a small temple in a village in India.

When Madhava left to return to the West, his mentor Aindra impressed on him that he had to take the kirtan back with him from Vrndavan — telling him: "Now it is you who must lead the kirtan".

Based in Switzerland, Madhava travels extensively through Europe and the US with his partner Radhika and his band Gaura Prema, enlivening audiences with the power of devotional kirtan. He fuses his Mauritian roots with the influences of India to produce a unique style of kirtan, but one in which the main ingredient is the heartfelt bhakti. This year Madhava visits the shores of Australia for the first time.

Others on Madhava:
"Madhava's kirtan is one of the most transcendent kirtan experiences I've ever had. He sings with so much heart and dedication that every one who is present is effortlessly transported to another universe on waves of his chanting. His melodies are rich and inviting, his voice is honest and true, and he always surrounds himself with beautiful musicians and artists - all part of his artful way of revealing a doorway to the divine world through sacred chant. Madhava is a treasure to hear and to join with in kirtan. I pray that I'll be chanting with him for many years to come, basking in the warm glow of the names of the divine."
— Gaura Vani
Bandleader - As Kindred Spirits
Creative Director - Mantralogy

"Madhava is a powerful and inspirational devotional singer and master of mantra singing. His music and melodies bring ecstacy to our singing and dancing, bathing us in happiness as we respond to his illuminating voice."
— Loren Russo
Yoga teacher, Miami FL, USA

"Madhava’s singing touches the heart.... his chanting is always sweet and full of energy. It is a wonderful experience being in his kirtans."
— Dr. Nisha Vastani
Research Scientist, Uni Hospital- Zurich, Switzerland

"The kirtana of Madhava has an almost magnetic influence. The mind and heart get totally attracted, then drawn into the inside world where one can meet the soul of the universe. Tune in and you will have a deeply rewarding, spiritual experience."
— Sacinandana Swami
Inspirational speaker and spiritualist