A Catalan group whose very beautiful deep music shows a new musical conception which blends the incredible sound given out by the quartz crystal bowls and didgeridoos with human voices, violins, percussion, keyboards, native flutes and other vibrational instruments, such as Tibetan bowls and gongs. The result for those who listen is a special journey inside themselves, which produces a great wellbeing, relaxation and a connection with their essence through sound, full of colour, beauty, rhythm and joy.

The extempore voices of the singers, travelling on the vibrational wave of the quartz instruments call forth flashes packed with a spiritual atmosphere, the violin flows swept by that same vibration and creates resonating landscapes which carry us inside, while the quartz didgeridoos fit in perfectly with the quartz bowls, and create sounds full of harmonics which produce deep relaxation states. The Shirai concerts become then a wonderful experience of intimacy and celebration.

2. QUARTZ CRYSTAL INSTRUMENTS

QUARTZ CRYSTAL BOWLS
Quartz crystal bowls represent a new dimension within the world of vibration and sound. They are based on the tradition of using sound with metal bowls as used in Tibet, India, China, Japan and other eastern countries for meditation and healing during hundreds of years. At the end of the eighties some people started to use them in this way because of their great resonance and healing power.

Crystal quartz vibrates or oscillates with a regular pattern and has a spiral-like inner molecular structure, very similar to that of DNA. This confers to the quartz bowls unique sound qualities. They produce a pure sinusoidal wave and create a multidirectional sound which travels up to a kilometre and which may last several minutes before dying away. Sound seems to go first to one ear, then to the other, then behind, later it is as if it came from the ground. It is an embracing sound which encompasses the hearer and bestows an experience like a subtle massage or a profound and quiet meditation. Those who have experienced the effects of Quartz Bowls describe their experience like a great physical and mental relaxation.

QUARTZ CRYSTAL DIDGERIDOOS
The quartz crystal didgeridoos blend the wisdom of ancient traditions with the features of crystal, thereby producing an exceptional quality and purity of sound. They vibrate easily and produce harmonics of an unequalled brightness.

3. MEMBERS
Shirai is made up by ten musicians; some of them use their knowledge of the quartz crystal instruments not only for making music socially, but also for healing purposes. The present group has been together since 2002, but already since 1998 several of the members had effected “sound travels” with the quartz crystal instruments. At present Shirai is made up of the following musicians:

Javier Bellón: quartz crystal bowls, Tibetan singing bowls
Sandra Orús: quartz crystal bowls, gongs
The two members have been working with the quartz crystal bowls since 1998. At that time they started taking the first “Sound travels” (meditation concerts) and researching the healing power of the quartz instruments and other vibrational instruments such as the Australian didgeridoo, Tibetan singing bowls, and voice harmonics.

Jordi Vallespí: voice, keyboards
Abel García: voice
Carol Brunet: voice
All of them are professional musicians with a great ability to improvise. They work together with several gospel groups, vocal music, classical music, etc… and together they are able to create rich vocal textures, where they combine the deep, Tibetan and Mongolian style harmonics of Abel García, the Christian and Sufi spiritual chants of Jordi Vallespí, with the gentle voice of Carol Brunet which reminds us of eastern chants.

Mohamed Souliman: violin, percussion
Mohamed Soulimane is an excellent violin player who plays regularly with well-known music groups.
Räi de Horna: quartz crystal and eucalyptus didgeridoos
The brilliant effects which Räi de Horna obtains from his didgeridoo make him a frequent guest as Spanish representative in several international festivals of this instrument in Europe.

Chandra Naraine: Oriental percussion.
Chandra is an excellent percussionist who introduces in Shirai the wonderful sound of Hindues tablas and Oriental rhythmic instruments.

4. CDs

Universe: First of Shirai’s CDs, recorded in the Capilla de la Esperanza in Barcelona. It contains the first compositions by the group.

Live recording from the Auditorium Enric Granados in Lleida: Second of Shirai’s CD recorded in January 2004 in the Auditorium Enric Granados, in Lleida, during the concert given by the group, which had been invited by the UNESCO’S Centre of Catalonia to promote the Parliament of the World Religions. This event took place in July of the same year within the framework of the Forum of Cultures of Barcelona, where Shirai gave also a concert.

New CD: Arcadia: Released under the prestigious record label World Release Harmonia Mundi (www.harmoniamundi.com).

CONCERTS
A music to listen to in silence, filling space, and creating beauty and vitality. Shirai’s music is especially suitable for churches and concert halls. The following performances stand out among others:
• Since July 2002 regular concerts in the Santa Maria del Pi Church in Barcelona, where since that year they have been offering concerts regularly for audiences of over 500 people.
• In December 2002, in the Auditorium Winterthur in Barcelona, “Visual Concert, an experience in sound and image”, combining live music with pictures from Nature and colour fractals projected on a screen of over 60 square meters in front of an audience of over 400 people.
• In March and November of 2004 two concerts in the Santísima Trinidad Church in Madrid.
• In January 2004 a concert in the Auditorium Enric Granados in Lleida, invited by the UNESCO within the preparatory performances of the Parliament of the World Religions in front of 450 people.
• In July 2004 a concert for the Parliament of the World Religions which was enacted within the framework of the Forum of Cultures of Barcelona in front of over 600 people.
• Between 2002 and 2005 there have been other minor concerts in Catalonia and the Madrid province.
• Spring – Summer 2005: very successful tour of Shirai around Catalonia, Spain, with concerts in Gerona (inside the arts program “Girona Temps de Flors” with a sold out concert at the Auditorium de la Mercè), Barcelona (another sold out concert at Santa Mª del Pi church) and Lleida (inside at the Auditorium Enric Granados during the festival “Senglar Rock”, one of the biggest and most important music festival in Spain).
• December 2005: very successful concerts in Madrid and Barcelona.

PDF downloads:
4-page flier (just the main picture) • 5-page flier (with pictures all through)

Contact in Spain: Ricardo Galarza +34 615 341 918
shirai@shirai.es • www.shirai.es