Peaceful
heart, quiet mind
Drawing on a comprehensive musical education and a diverse background in multiple musical styles, the members of Mandala join to bring forth a joyous noise that at once is deeply personal and transcendently universal.
Melodic and rhythmic influences from vastly different cultural and musical traditions are interwoven to form a whole cloth of pure ecstatic praise.
Scott Robinson, PhD,
TSSF, founded Mandala - an offshoot of his Balkan folk band Gypsophilia -
as a vehicle for his original Sufi-inspired Christian Devotional music.
He is a professed member of the Third Order of St. Francis, and teaches at Eastern University near Philadelphia.
Though classically trained as a composer, he has spent much of his life in and around folk music of various kinds.
Scott attends the Church of St. Martin in the Fields in Philadelphia.
Paul Butler, Clarinet,
Bass Clarinet, Alto and Tenor Saxophone, Native American Wood Flutes, Bawu,
Ocarinas, WX7 Wind Synthesizer is a spirited passionate musician and gifted
improviser whose music has been heard throughout the world both live and
on numerous recordings.
In 1999, Paul and the Hot House trio were honored by being selected Jazz Ambassadors to the Middle East by the United States State Department and the Department of Cultural Exchange. Their Ambassadorship consisted of performances and teaching residencies throughout Syria, Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, Morocco, and Tunisia.
He has performed concerts of improvised music with Grammy nominated Cellist David Darling that encompass this gift, most notably at the International Cello Festival in Montreal, Canada. Paul has collaborated with David on the Massage Music Balance and Massage Music - In Tune CDs, and on the soundtrack for the Knosis film, The Song of the Stars. Paul¹s improvisational work with David Darling and others has fostered a delicate intuitive ingenuity in his music.
Andi
McGraw Hunt's musical experience ranges from playing flute in her university
wind symphony to improvising with adults recovering from addictions to
busking with her guitar on the streets of London. She also deeply enjoys
singing sacred music, with many years of choral experience in church
choirs. Andi is also as a past member of Sine Nomine, a vocal ensemble
specializing in 16th and 17th- century English church music.
She holds a bachelor's in music therapy from Michigan State University and a master's in music therapy from Temple University. Andi has been a practicing music therapist since 1997 and is currently a Future Faculty Fellow at Temple University pursuing a Ph.D. in the music therapy program.
She and her husband Neil live in Media, PA where they host a house concert series..
