Award-winning Composer Steven Chesne Debuts Powerful, Critically Acclaimed World Music Album "Sapient: A Cantata of Peace" to Help Unite and Heal the World

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 5, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Today, after more than a year-long spiritual and global journey studying the shared themes of peace and oneness of mankind taught by Buddha, Lao Tzu, Jesus, Mohammed, the Sikhs, the Hindu, the Jews, the Cheyenne, the Kikuyu and the Baha'i, award-winning television and film composer Steven Chesne releases his timely, global masterpiece, "Sapient: A Cantata of Peace." Each track on the world music album is a moving, musical interpretation of a tradition's words of peace and oneness accompanied by music and vocals influenced by its distinct culture, language and place in world history. The album culminates in a powerful finale, "Nyansapo: The Wisdom Knot," in which Chesne weaves each of the recorded interpretations one on top of the other, in a masterful achievement in music counterpoint. ("Chesne has to be one of the finest composers of his day to create a moment of genius like this…" – One World Music.) In honor of the United Nations' International Day of Peace, September 21, 2018, Chesne announced a portion of all sales from finale "Nyansapo: The Wisdom Knot" will benefit UNICEF's ongoing efforts to help protect the world's most vulnerable children. To hear "Sapient: A Cantata of Peace," visit http://www.chezworks.com/sapient.html.

"Humanity is broken right now, so it's crucial for us to rediscover what connects us," said Chesne. "I consciously focused on themes and teachings that were similar among these 10 unrelated traditions, instead of the differences. It took a year to hone the idea that became my inspiration – 'for the world to heal, we need to refocus on our common oneness.' Bringing these powerful teachings back into the spotlight during this challenging phase of our evolution, made this the most important project I've ever done. My goal with 'Sapient' was to make it very clear that vastly different types of spiritual leaders and teachers, at the peak of their cultural wisdom, have arrived at a surprisingly similar Apex when it comes to peace, oneness and healing the world. My hope for humanity is that this time we'll actually listen."

Making "Sapient" Authentic:
In preparation for recording, Chesne met with historians, translators, clergy, monks, gurus, rabbis, imams, international scholars, linguists, etc. to study the complexity and depth of the meanings of these sacred writings. He chose vocalists who had a deep understanding already of the traditions they were interpreting, so by the time they were ready to record, they felt comfortable enough to stretch out and be naturally expressive.

"I didn't tell anyone that I would eventually combine sections of the songs, as I needed their total focus on the power of their individual expression, as an earnest effort at a musical connection to 'the infinite,'" said Chesne. "I knew that each piece must stand on its own as a unique, important musical utterance in-and-of itself. This way, when I did combine them, there was a certain intensity in the resulting music. The result was greater than simply a sum of the parts."

Vocalists:
William 'Kymo' Kamore
Mariani Shuilan May
Uyanga Bold
Florence Kinyua
Thomas Segen
Sudakshina Alagia
Taraneh Sakurai
Ven. Agga Mahapandita Dr. Walpola Piyananda
Ven. Bambarawane Kalyanawansa
Ven. Attidiye Pugngnarathana
Natalie Shtangrud
Steven Rushingwind
Bhai Jaswant Singh Zira

For a behind-the-scenes look at the masterful achievement in counterpoint in "Nyansapo: The Wisdom Knot," check out Chesne's video "Untying the Wisdom Knot" at http://www.chezworks.com/untying.html.

Television & Film Scoring, Orchestra
Over the past 30 years, Chesne's prolific career has spanned symphonic, historical and world music, as well as music for film and television. Today his perspective on the world and his music are more global in scope and scale, more urgent in meaning and motivation and more dedicated in passion and purpose.

Chesne has composed the scores to more than 300 primetime television shows, including "Batman: The Animated Series," "Family Matters," and "Hanging with Mr. Cooper." He also has scored 17 theatrical art-house films, after which the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) honored Chesne at an event recognizing his creative contribution to the soundtrack of art-house cinema. His orchestral concert works include four symphonies, two concertos, two orchestral suites, and two tone-poems, as well as works for string quartet, woodwind ensemble, and music for theater and ballet. His works have been performed by The Ventura Symphony, The L.A. Modern String Orchestra, The Los Angeles Ars Symphonia Orchestra, The La Mirada Symphony, Mehli Mehta's American Youth Symphony, as well as by members of The Los Angeles Philharmonic, The L.A. Chamber Orchestra, The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and The Pacific Symphony.

Awards
Chesne's impressive work has been honored with numerous awards from organizations, including ASCAP, Billboard, the USC School of Music, ZMR, the USA Songwriting Competition, the International Songwriting Competition, the International Music and Entertainment Awards, and the Global Music Awards.

Chesne lives in Pacific Palisades, CA, with his wife Diane Chesne, a concert pianist, and they have two sons Dimitri and Dorian.

SOURCE Steven Chesne

Related Links

http://www.chezworks.com