Sacred Music Concert & Kīrtan with Sheela Bringi, Brent Kuecker & Sacred Sound Lab

This kirtan concert brings an evening of Indian devotional music to Drala Mountain Center in Red Feather Lakes, Colorado. Sheela Bringi, Brent Kuecker and the ensemble Sacred Sound Lab perform kīrtan, the call-and-response singing of the Bhakti traditions of South Asia, in Sacred Studies Hall. It suits anyone who loves devotional singing, Indian classical music or live sacred music in a mountain setting, whether they come for the evening or stay overnight.

What to Expect

The music weaves kīrtan with bhajans (devotional songs) and Hindustani rāga in lush, modern arrangements. It moves between propulsive, ecstatic rhythm and still, ethereal passages, carrying voice and heart toward the Divine. The instruments include voice, harp, bansuri, harmonium, tabla and guitar, played by five performers.

The evening runs on a simple schedule. Dinner is served from 6:00 to 7:00 pm, and the concert follows from 7:30 to 9:00 pm. Guests staying overnight check in between 2:00 and 5:00 pm at the Guest Services Cabin. The program ends the next day, and further schedule details are given on arrival.

The Musicians

Sheela Bringi sings, plays rāga harp and bansuri (bamboo flute). She is an Indian vocalist and adjunct faculty in Indian devotional and rāga singing at Naropa University. Trained in North Indian classical music, she blends that foundation with contemporary sounds. Her voice, bansuri and rāga harp have appeared on over 50 new age and world music records, and her work includes the Grammy-nominated album "Bhakti Without Borders." Light of Consciousness Magazine called the group "a captivating synthesis of East and West, with Sheela's exceptional voice soaring above all else."

Brent Kuecker is a devotional vocalist and harmonium player, and a fellow adjunct faculty member at Naropa University. He co-founded Sacred Sound Lab with Sheela Bringi.

Mx Puja Singh sings and teaches voice, harmonium and kīrtan with Sacred Sound Lab, drawing on their Punjabi Sikh heritage and India's devotional traditions. Puja is a queer, nonbinary, Indian Canadian singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist based in Los Angeles. Their own music is indie alt pop, shaped by influences from house and trip hop to Indian classical and folk.

Nabin Shrestha is a master tabla player and music educator from Nepal, based in Colorado.

Elden Kelly is a guitar virtuoso who moves across Indian, jazz, classical and folk traditions on fretted and fretless guitar.

The Setting

Drala Mountain Center sits in the mountains near Red Feather Lakes. The concert takes place in Sacred Studies Hall. Overnight guests can choose from several kinds of lodging:

- Single and double tents: platform tents of 12 by 14 feet in campgrounds across the property, each with two twin beds, two bookcases and a hanging clothes rack. Campgrounds share a bathhouse. A tent can be rented alone or with a roommate. Some campgrounds were affected by a recent wildfire, and the effects may still be visible, though they are safe to use.
- Dormitories: gender-segregated rooms with beds for seven to eight people, a shared bathroom down the hall and shower stalls.
- Monk rooms: indoor solitary rooms with a bed, bedding, a closet, a large window, and a desk and chair. The bathroom is shared.
- Single and double rooms: more space, a dresser, a closet and an attached three-quarter bathroom with toilet, sink and shower.
- Junior suite: a lodge suite with a queen bed, desk, dresser, closet, sitting area and private bath with a tub.

Before You Go

Admission to the concert and dinner is included for everyone. Overnight guests also receive meals and drinks during their stay, and lodging at checkout includes the concert. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options are available. Guests coming only for dinner and the concert should choose the option without overnight stay at checkout.

Tent guests need to bring their own twin sheets, a blanket or sleeping bag, a pillow and towels. Transportation to Drala Mountain Center is not provided.