Sacred Sound Sanctuary
A Kirtan Concert with Shantala – Benjy + Heather Wertheimer
Saturday May 2 – 7:00pm-9:00pm
Experience the soul-stirring magic of Shantala—the acclaimed musical duo whose devotional performances have uplifted hearts and united communities around the world. With deep roots in the bhakti tradition, Benjy and Heather Wertheimer bring the highest caliber of musicianship to every note. Their concerts are a radiant offering of love in action—where the sacred is felt in everything, and the music becomes a bridge between spirit and sound. Featuring the enchanting strains of sitar, rich harmonium, and soaring vocals, this is an invitation to chant, sing, dance, and open to the presence of the Beloved.
More than a performance, this is a communal celebration of light, compassion, and connection. Through ancient mantras and original compositions, Shantala creates a powerful field of devotion where all are welcome to share in the heart-opening joy of kirtan. Their music calls us to remember our shared humanity, to sing for peace, and to embody love for the world and one another. Whether in stillness or in song, this evening promises to uplift the spirit, awaken the heart, and leave you filled with renewed inspiration and reverence for life.
About Shantala
Benjy and Heather Wertheimer have been leading kirtan (sacred chanting) worldwide since 2001 as the duo Shantala. They are known for their special gift of bringing the audience into a vast and loving experience through their unique blend of exquisite voices with instruments of India and the West. Together they create music with beauty, passion, and reverence. Heather and Benjy have released nine beautiful and well-loved albums of sacred chant music since 2003, including Living Waters, Jaya, LIVE in love, Sri, The Love Window, LIVE2love and FIVE. They also have a passionate international online following, with hundreds of thousands of YouTube video views, millions of iTunes/Apple Music downloads, and millions of streams on Spotify.
Heather Wertheimer
Heather Wertheimer is a kirtan artist, singer, songwriter, and guitarist who combines her special love of both music and yoga to lead devotional chanting internationally. With a rare ability to sing directly from the heart, she infuses sacred chanting with a powerful sense of peace and depth. Heather has toured in the U.S. and abroad with her husband Benjy, Steve Gorn, Manose, and Deva Premal & Miten. Heather’s debut CD with Shantala, Church of Sky, was named by New Age Retailer as one of the top ten albums of the year. It has been aired on radio stations internationally. Heather brings the richness of her healing background as a therapist and teacher of meditation and yoga into the practice of kirtan.
Benjy Wertheimer
Master musician Benjy Wertheimer is an award-winning songwriter, vocalist, composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist (playing tabla, congas, percussion, esraj, guitar and keyboards). His extraordinary and unique musical gifts from East and West create a sense of wonder and awe in the listener. In addition to touring with Shantala, Benjy is a founding member of the sacred music ensemble The Hanumen (including Gaura Vani, John De Kadt, and Visvambhar Sheth of the Mayapuris) and has toured and produced two CDs with them since 2009. Benjy joined David Michael and Grammy winner Nancy Rumbel to form the Confluence Trio in 2019. They released their first CD, Confluence, in May 2019. Benjy has toured and recorded with such artists as Krishna Das, Deva Premal & Miten, Jai Uttal, Walter Becker (Steely Dan), and virtuoso guitarist Michael Mandrell. He has opened for such artists as Carlos Santana, Paul Winter, and Narada Michael Walden. A founding member of the internationally acclaimed Ancient Future world fusion music ensemble, Benjy also toured the U.S., Canada, and Japan with renowned bamboo flute master G.S. Sachdev. He has studied Indian classical music for over 40 years with some of the greatest masters of that tradition (including Alla Rakha, Zakir Hussain, Ali Akbar Khan, and Z. M. Dagar). Benjy has produced 18 CDs since 2000, which receive extensive airplay around the world, and his CD Circle of Fire went to #1 on the New Age radio charts.