Interview:

For me the concept of “spiritual” invokes a sense of connection with something larger than the idea of a separate self. As musicians, we have the opportunity to arrive at this connecting point through our performance and share this experience with our listeners.

From a multicultural perspective, language can be a barrier to our commonality. Music however is a universal language with advanced unifying qualities. A simple melody, rhythmic pattern, or chord voicing expressed through any of the numerous musical mediums can be understood and appreciated by people of all ages, cultures, and backgrounds.

A musical passage can have the capacity to elevate moods and inspire feelings of love and connection. It can summon awe as well as fear. Music is used to enhance a subject, to bring in a dimension that otherwise would not exist. This dimension is both ethereal and ancient. It can touch the heart and open the mind. It can bring laughter and tears. It is used in religious ceremony to elevate a congregation where words alone can fall short. For many traditions chanting is a centuries-old practice that offers a direct channel to the ethereal realm. Music can be expressed in infinite ways to offer inspiration, comfort, and introspection to accepting ears, hearts, and minds. Music transforms an idea into a lyric or poem. It converts movement into a dance, a gathering into a blissful celebration, or a ritual to express profound grief. Music can intoxicate, invigorate, and educate. It can deepen the awareness of our common humanity, our connection to nature, and to the tragedy of experience. The spiritual significance of music is almost too great to define, as the nature of music itself is significantly spiritual.

“Music can be expressed in infinite ways to offer inspiration, comfort, and introspection to accepting ears, hearts, and minds.”
– Matt Venuti, composer and multi-instrumentalist