By MICHAEL MOLITORIS
It’s not easy to define a group of Tibetan monks who will visit Oil City this week.
The famed multiphonic singers of Drepung Loseling Monastery in India will bring a program of their renowned dance, music and visual arts to Oil City at 8 p.m. Tuesday in the Oil City High School auditorium.
The monks boast a worldwide following and their native music has gained a global audience through recordings – one of which was the Golden Globe-nominated soundtrack for “Seven Years In Tibet,” a film starring Brad Pitt.
But the program isn’t really a concert, nor is it a play.
Billed as the “Mystical Arts of Tibet” tour, the monks will present their sacred music and dance for world healing. The Dalai Lama has endorsed this tour and calls it a “means of promoting world peace and healing through the sacred performing arts.”
The program has three purposes: to make a contribution to world healing and the peace movement through sacred art; to generate a greater awareness of the endangered Tibetan civilization; and to raise support for the refugee community in India.
The Dalai Lama and hundreds of Tibetan monks sought refuge in India after their native land fell under Communist rule. The Drepung monastery closed in 1959 and most of its monks were either killed or put in concentration camps. About 250 of the monks escaped to India where they re-established a replica of their institution in refugee camps. Today, that facility houses 2,500 monks.
In times of social stress such as epidemics and conflicts – notably the events of Sept. 11, 2001 – the monks have been called upon to present healing ceremonies. Dr. Lobsang Tenzin, director of “The Mystical Arts of Tibet,” said “the performance could serve as a healing influence in any community where personal and community issues are causing strife.”
In addition to the show fulfilling the Oil City Arts Council’s mission of bringing culturally diverse entertainment to the city, council member Libby Williams said the healing aspect of the evening may be appropriate for local residents.
“We’ve had some strife in our own community,” Williams said. “Beginning with the hospital merger, this summer’s storm, political problems and personal issues like unexpected family strife. I think everybody experiences stress and could benefit from being in an atmosphere that’s conducive to renewal.”
The performances by the singers are based on long-standing traditions, Williams said. Ancient societies throughout the world believed that ritual performance of sacred music and dance at favorable times established communication with the higher powers of good, bringing about healing on environmental, social and personal levels.
Whenever Tibetan monasteries celebrated spiritual festivals, people from the surrounding villages and nomadic tribes would assemble in the monastery’s courtyard for three or four days of sacred music and dance. This tour is designed as a development of this tradition, Williams said. The monk’s sacred arts have been streamlined in such a way as to maintain the essential integrity and purpose of each of the individual pieces of the celebration.
Before this tour, made possible through support of screen actor and longtime Tibetan monastery supporter Richard Gere, Tenzin said the Western world had never been able to witness the traditional songs and dances of the Drepung Loseling Monastery.
“The program is rooted in spirituality and the performance is an extension of the daily lives of the monks,” he said.
The monks are not professionals but they are sharing, on stage, their way of life with traditional instruments and elaborate, colorful costumes.
“They seek to share excerpts from several ceremonies for healing, remedying obstacles and achieving peace,” he said. “(Audiences) are awed by the sound and color and feel a sense of inspiration for peace, love and compassion.”
Some people, he said, witness the performance with their eyes closed because the pool of sound is so intense; others watch it with eyes wide open.
The monks continue to reach out to broader audiences, having performed in venues such as Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York, the Ravina Festival in Chicago, the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and the Hollywood Bowl.
They have shared the stage with entertainers including Paul Simon, Natalie Merchant and the Beastie Boys.
While in Oil City, the monks will stay at a bed and breakfast owned and operated by President residents Ray and Jan Beichner. A parishioner from the Oil City First Presbyterian Church on Bissell Avenue will provide their meals.
Williams said the monks also will visit area museums Tuesday. Their itinerary may include stops at the Venango Museum of Art, Science and Industry, the Transit Fine Arts Gallery or the DeBence Antique Music World.
Pre-sale tickets for the program cost $10 for Oil City Arts Council members and $12 for non-members. Advance tickets may be purchased at the Transit Fine Arts Gallery, the community development office in city hall and some area businesses.
Tickets will cost $14 at the door. Student tickets also will be available for $5.
