A great man is one who collects knowledge the way a bee collects honey and uses it to help people overcome the difficulties they endure - hunger, ignorance and disease!
- Nikola Tesla

Remember, remember always, that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists.
- Franklin Roosevelt

While their territory has been devastated and their homes despoiled, the spirit of the Serbian people has not been broken.
- Woodrow Wilson

LeitmotivArts presents Aleksandra Denda EP release show

LeitmotivArts is thrilled to announce the release of the debut EP DREAMER from Aleksandra Denda available worldwide on March 17th 2016.

Two years after having her single "In the Dark" selected as The Song Of The Day on Jon Oliver's The Main Ingredient Radio, Aleksandra releases her debut EP. DREAMER - wonderful patchwork of acoustic and electronic elements, intertwining Neo Soul, Jazz, World Music and Electronica into Aleksandra's own ethereal sonic canvas.

Dreamer is a luscious six-track introduction to the distinctive artistry of this Serbian native, as her sultry voice daydreams about the perfect lover, forgiveness, inner bliss and artists’ place under the sun. Aleksandra’s enchanting blend of celestial harmonies, captivating melodies and insightful lyrics will undoubtedly speak to all those seeking for truth and authenticity in music.

Recorded in Boston, all songs on the were written by Aleksandra and produced by the innovative, LA-based producer Giosue Greco; apart from the collaboration with Indian singer-songwriter Vasuda Sharma on the single "Already Here", that immediately picked up support from India's MTV and Rolling Stone Magazine after its video release on February 29th.

After performing across NYC at the variety of humanitarian events organized by Leitmotiv Arts, the established arts organization and Aleksandra deepen their collaboration through other musical occasions, including the release show of her debut EP Dreamer, scheduled for March 16th at 9PM at DROM in New York's East Village.

Joining Aleksandra’s regular rhythm section as a special treat for this unique performance, are a 4-part horn section, a duo of captivating back vocalists, and some surprise guests.

Besides the music from the EP, Aleksandra and her international 10-piece band will also perform some unrecorded material.

For more information about the album release performance on March 16th at Drom visit the venue’s website here - http://www.dromnyc.com/events/4637/leitmotivarts-presents-aleksandra-denda-ep-release-show#.Vt-LQMczMlI

Aleksandra Denda is an internationally recognized, New York-based vocalist, bandleader and songwriter. Besides performing, recording and touring throughout USA, Europe and Asia, she performs steadily on the East Coast as a leader and as featured artist in the wide array of musical genres, spanning from Soul to World Music, Brazilian, R&B, and Jazz. Some of these projects include performances with American Idol's Michael Lynche (aka Big Mike) as his background vocalist, recording with the flamenco star Jose Merce on the Latin Grammy nominated album Mi Unica Llave, and co-founding ROSA -the only traditional Serbian all-female a cappella group on this side of the Atlantic.

www.aleksandradenda.com
www.facebook.com/LeitmotivArtsNYC


SA

 

People Directory

Ana Popovic

2013
Ana is invited to play the prestigious New Orleans Jazz Fest where she introduces her new project; a nine-piece power blues and funk machine under the name Ana Popovic & Mo' Better Love. With AP & Mo' Better Love, Ana fronts a musical collaboration with Tony Coleman (drummer BB King) and John Williams on bass (Al Green), adding rhythm guitar, keys, a horn section and background singers. On April 16th follows the world wide release of 'Can You Stand The Heat', Ana's ninth full-length album. The daring release features guest performances of Grammy Award winner Tommy Sims and Grammy Award nominee Lucky Peterson.

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Publishing

Sailors of the Sky

A conversation with Fr. Stamatis Skliris and Fr. Marko Rupnik on contemporary Christian art

In these timely conversations led by Fr. Radovan Bigovic, many issues are introduced that enable the contemporary reader to deepen and expand his or her understanding of the role of art in the life of the Church. Here we find answers to questions on the crisis of contemporary ecclesiastical art in West and East; the impact of Impressionism, Expressionism, Cubism, Surrealism and Abstract painting on contemporary ecclesiastical painting; and a consideration of the main distrinction between iconography and secular painting. The dialogue, while resolving some doubts about the difference between iconography, religious painting, and painting in general, reconciles the requirement to obey inconographic canons with the freedom essential to artistic creativity, demonstrating that obedience to the canons is not a threat to the vitatlity of iconography. Both artists illumine the role of prayer and ascetisicm in the art of iconography. They also mention curcial differences between iconography in the Orthodox Church and in Roman Catholicism. How important thse distinctions are when exploring the relationship between contemporary theology and art! In a time when postmodern "metaphysics' revitalizes every concept, these masters still believe that, to some extent, Post-Modernism adds to the revitatiztion of Christian art, stimulating questions about "artistic inspiration" and the essential asethetic categories of Christian painting. Their exceptionally wide, yet nonetheless deep, expertise assists their not-so-everday connections between theology, ar, and modern issues concerning society: "society" taken in its broader meaning as "civilization." Finally, the entire artistic project of Stamatis and Rupnik has important ecumenical implications that aswer a genuine longing for unity in the Christian word.

The text of this 94-page soft-bound book has been translated from the Serbian by Ivana Jakovljevic, Fr. Gregory Edwards, and Andrijana Krstic. Published by Sebastian Press, Western American Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Contemporary Christian Thought Series, number 7, First Edition, ISBN: 978-0-9719505-8-0