Roya Bauman  

singer, musician, U.S.A.

Letter
Recently at the Downtown United Presbyterian Church in Rochester, New York, (where my husband George and I have singing jobs), several Bahá´í songs were featured as part of the sermon. The sermon was about how religious faiths use poetic language in expressing religious/spiritual thoughts and teachings, and how such language can be uplifting and transformative. The speaker addressed not only Christianity but also Judaism, Islam and the Bahá´í Faith; she also quoted Rumi, the Persian poet. She had heard my CD at a friend's house and decided to interweave 3 of the songs into her sermon. George and I, with help from choir director John Bodinger, performed the following songs, all composed by Anne Biswell of Kansas City: O God Guide Me!, The Healing Prayer, Home of Peace. In the church bulletin, each song was listed along with its author (Bahá'u'lláh or ‘Abdu'l-Bahá or "text unauthenticated") and the composer.

Excerpt from Arts Dialogue, February 2000, page 4

Oneness of Humanity Arts Concert, Rochester, New York, U.S.A.
By Roya Bauman, Alloysia Haynes, Carl Appleton and Jaci Ayorinde, U.S.A.

In March the Rochester, NY, Bahá´í community organized A Celebration Of The Oneness Of Humanity concert held at the School of the Arts. Nearly 500 people attended, more than half of whom were not Bahá´ís, and the event was an unparalleled success for the local Bahá´í community. Performances included: a dancer who glided across the stage, lifted in a graceful pose by a man in a wheelchair; black and white youth performing the Martyr's Step Dance, a dance about the sacrifices of the early Bahá´ís in Persia; Native American youth who shared their culture in song and dance; African drumming and dancing; a dance performed by a group with Down's Syndrome; a young Indian college student performing an energetic dance entitled Sivastakam, a dance praising Lord Shiva; and a local performance artist, founder of PeaceArt International, who sang and danced original, moving works, dedicated to greater human understanding. Interspersed among the performances were readings from six of the world's major religions, read by representative of each faith.

The event was interpreted for the hearing impaired and the performance was accompanied by a show of students´ artwork from around the Rochester area on the event´s theme. Prizes were awarded to the three pieces judged to be the best. The colorful and inspiring works were on display in the lobby of the School of the Arts before, during and after the performance. A full cafe of food from different countries and cultures was provided by local Bahá´ís and offered free to attendees. Dishes represented the countries of Iran, Greece, Jamaica, China, Italy, Vietnam, Trinidad, Guyana, and many others. While everyone ate and interacted, the Trinidad and Tobago Steelband entertained the crowd in the foyer. Four people worked for eight months to produce the program, with the hope that it would help bring together and galvanize the entire community. Care was taken to invite participation from as many cultural and religious groups within the community as possible. Many audience members commented afterwards about how moving and transformative the evening was, and the Bahá´í community has a renewed spirit permeating its efforts.

Excerpt from Arts Dialogue, June 1998, page 5