On May 12, over 60
people gathered at the Ottawa Baha’i Centre on 211 McArthur Rd. for a
special devotional concert by Toronto singer/songwriter MJ Cyr.
Ottawa was MJ’s first stop in her Eastern Canada tour promoting her
devotional album “Canopy”. The album is a collection of sacred texts
from the Baha’i writings put to music. It re-defines the traditional
notion of devotional music with genres such as folk, jazz, country and
even electronica. For a full review of “Canopy” see.Here
MJ was joined onstage by Marie Claire Saindon and Alden Penner from the
Montreal-based band “The Hidden Words”. They performed two of their own
songs as an opening act and then added to MJ’s performance by providing
backup vocals, violin, percussion and harmonica. Their contribution was
especially felt in the song “The Watchman”, a song with words taken
from The Seven Valleys – a highly poetic, mystical composition written
by Baha’u’llah, the founder of the Baha’i Faith. Other songs that
greatly impacted the audience included “Innocent in Heart”, “Tender
Plant” and “Fortress”.
It was an unforgettable night that not only enchanted the ear but
uplifted the soul.
“Canopy” is available on iTunes and through MJ’s website www.mjcyr.com.
