Kirtan Fest Milwaukee

Kirtan Fest Milwaukee is a weekend kirtan festival in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, running over three days from Friday to Sunday. It gathers devotional chant artists and kirtan lovers for call-and-response singing, concerts and shared practice. Brenda McMorrow, the Canadian kirtan and mantra artist, is among those associated with the festival. It suits anyone drawn to Bhakti yoga, the yoga of devotion, whether you have sung Sanskrit mantra for years or are curious to try a kirtan for the first time.

What to Expect

Kirtan is a form of call-and-response singing: a leader sings a line of mantra, and everyone answers. No training is needed to take part. The voice, the rhythm and the repetition do the work, and many people find the chanting settles the mind and opens the heart.

Brenda McMorrow's kirtans, concerts and chanting workshops are described as true experiences of Bhakti yoga. The festival is a multi-artist gathering, and an earlier edition in Milwaukee brought together David Newman, Brenda McMorrow, Ragani, Kaita, Fred Bliffert, Sacred Waters and others. Expect a similar spirit of many voices and traditions sharing one weekend of devotional music. The material gives no hour-by-hour schedule for this year's edition.

About Brenda McMorrow

Brenda McMorrow is a Canadian devotional chant and kirtan artist known for a warmly embracing style of mantra medicine music. She blends acoustic folk, world rhythms and ancient Indian chants with the sensibility of a sweetly introspective singer-songwriter. Sanskrit mantra and kirtan form the foundation, and she weaves in Latin American medicine songs and her own English lyrics, creating what she describes as a healing and uplifting tapestry with the audience.

She began as a folk and pop singer-songwriter, including with the 1990s London band Julia Propeller. In 2004, at a yoga workshop, she took part in her first Sanskrit chant, Om Namah Shivaya. "All I knew was that every cell in my body started vibrating, and I felt absolute joy," she remembers. While in India soon afterward, she began combining her own songwriting with ancient Sanskrit chants. She now travels widely to bring devotional practice to as many people as possible, leading kirtans, concerts, workshops and retreats, and she also offers private mentoring by phone or Zoom around kirtan leading, personal mantra practice and creative expression.

The Setting

The festival takes place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A previous edition was held at Blue Lotus Retreat in the Milwaukee area. The material does not name this year's venue, lodging or meal arrangements.

Before You Go

Kirtan welcomes all levels. You do not need to read Sanskrit or have any musical background, and you can simply listen if you prefer. Wear comfortable clothing you can sit in on the floor or a cushion, and bring an open voice and a willingness to sing along.