Music Transcends Dogma at the Interfaith Coffee Concert

The lilting sounds of a jazz singer wafted through the doors of a Detroit mosque on Sunday afternoon, Jan. 21.  It was the voice of Amy Saari, local vocalist, pianist and choir conductor offering an afternoon of light jazz to the interfaith crowd assembled at the Muslim Center of Detroit.  Dozens of people from various faith groups  sat attentively while sipping hot coffee or tea and nibbling on apple cake, cookies, or home-baked brownies. During the intermission, people mingled and  made new friends as well as greeting longtime friends from all over the city.  In a time of divisiveness, this afternoon coffee concert seemed like an oasis of peace where people could enjoy the beautiful music, converse peacefully, and relax.  Ms. Saari and her group of singers, the Pagan Pathways Temple Choir, offered some original compositions such as " I Want To Feel At Home In Every Sacred Space", as well as works inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Duke Ellington, and even the Jewish neo-Hasidic musician Shlomo Carlebach. This was the first of a three part series of coffee concerts co-sponsored by the Detroit Interfaith Outreach Network and the Interfaith Leadership Council of Metro Detroit.  Bob Bruttell, head of the IFLC, emphasized to the audience that this was a way for us to enjoy each other's company and get to know about the interfaith efforts being made to bring people together in various ways in metro Detroit.  The next coffee concert which will feature guitarist Tom Allen will be held on Sunday afternoon, March 18. The exact time and location will soon be announced.  For further information please go to the websites of the Interfaith Leadership Council of Metro Detroit or the Detroit Interfaith Outreach Network.