The Max Ormea & Om Ensemble : Soul Stirring Fusion Music

Gauteng, South Africa

A Musical Celebration of the One World Family

'Om Shanthi Tour' launched in South Africa

Selling over 700 tickets in its first show in Lenasia, South Africa, the Max Ormea & Om Ensemble launched its ‘Om Shantih Tour.’ On the weekend of 27th August, 2011, a combination of devotional songs, or bhajans, and the spiritual wisdom of Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar were presented at the concert. Max Ormea & Om Ensemble plan to tour in India and Europe this coming October. Proceeds from the concert tours will go to Art of Living projects in different countries (in South Africa has been donated toward building the Art of Living International Center to be based in Cape Town).

Max Ormea is a professional guitarist who has performed across Europe and India and alongside international artists like Gloria Gaynor and Augusto Martelli. Om Ensemble is made up of a string quartet, percussionists, and vocalists. The whole show is a fusion of musical heritages from around the world, with musicians playing cellos and Indian tabla drums. With a message that “music is one, expressions can be many," the Om Shantih Tour celebrates harmony in diversity and the One World Family.

The song, ‘Om Shantih,’ has its own special story. After participants meditated together during one of Max’s chanting workshops, the group began to sing. The tune that the group naturally found themselves harmonizing to became the title of the tour and the new live CD.

Growing up in Milano, Italy, young Max began playing music at a young age. ‘Max,’ short for Massimo, had developed a professional career as a singer, guitarist and composer, and was featured on television. After a busy era working with international-level musicians, Max decided he wanted to be a little more quiet, and let a new inspiration guide his work.

A meeting with Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in Milano in 1997 began a new path in Max’s life, both personally and musically. After joining Art of Living workshops, Max became a teacher of The Art of Living, and deepened his interests in Sanskrit, Ayurveda, and Indian classical music. Soon his interest in a deeper spiritual meaning began to merge with his long interest in jazz, folk, and world music, and a new fusion of both worlds was formed.

To learn more about the music of Max Ormea, visit www.myspace.com/maxormea. Skype: maxormea. To see pictures and a video from the ‘Om Shantih Tour,’ visit youtu.be/LKHbDWf1FIg