Through the Darkness Songs for the Winter Solstice and beyond . . .
A reflective musical journey embracing the wisdom found in the long dark nights of winter and invoking the assurance of the light’s return

Guest artist Margot Chamberlain , Celtic Harp "Winter Road at Dusk" woodcut cover art: Jeanne Amato

LISTENERS ARE WRITING:

"I love, love, love Libana's new album, Through the Darkness. It speaks to each of us with gentleness and urgency, telling us our strength and beauty. The voices of Libana achieve that rare thing--perfect blend and unison--while the instrumentals weave around the voices. Truly an album for these times."

"This new gorgeous recording continues to lift my heart up through the dark of winter, and these times of global political and ecological darkness."

"Wow! I felt like I was in a beautiful sanctuary anywhere on the planet. . . like a beautiful cave with a light of lanterns or candles or stars radiant in their illumination and accompaniment of such deep-felt and radiant and necessary music."

“A really beautiful album both haunting and loving."

“The notes fall like velvet. A perfect companion for long, dark winter months of solitude and inner reflection. “

“Very comforting to listen to - the music holds and nurtures and reminds us."

"Thanks Libana for giving this light to the world."

The singing of rounds and chant is mantra meditation in musical form. Ancient and global in practice, it has been an integral aspect of Libana’s communal creative life throughout the last four decades. Through the Darkness, Libana’s tenth recording, honors the cycles of our beloved planet Earth by embracing the deep wisdom of the dark. In the Northern hemisphere, the winter solstice is a powerful point of turning, when the longest night comes and the light slowly begins to return. Across the ages, cultures have created ritual, song, dance and story to honor the deepest dark and to invoke the return of the light.

At this unprecedented and precipitous time in our world-- and for the Earth Herself-- there is so much to be learned by attuning to Her cycles and seasons. The stillness of winter is a vision time, during which we can rest, listen to our inner guidance, and dream the world we want to live in. May these songs bring solace and comfort, healing and hope, peace and inspiration-- and gentle encouragement to remember to walk with light through all the times ahead.

Rounds, Chants, and Songs for Celebration and Ritual

This album has an accompanying songbook. Please visit the songbook page under Store in the menu!

AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD on the download page of this site.

18 rounds, chants and songs united by a strength and quiet depth of heart, a reverence and respect for our Earth's sensual beauty and elemental power, and an inner conviction and determined vision toward individual and planetary peace.

This album has an accompanying songbook. Please visit the songbook page under Store in the menu!

AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD on the download page of this site.

Night Passage ~ Invocations for the Journey

A lyrical gathering of rounds, chants, and songs, Night Passage gives soulful illumination to the infinite mystery of life’s seasons. From a mystical ode invoking the new moon to an undulating chant honoring the Yoruba Goddess Yemaya, from a South African ancestral incantation to lush settings of the poet Rumi, the women of Libana sing with a reflective reverence, infusing this collection with harmonic power and musical grace.

Guest Artists: Margot Chamberlain (Celtic harp), Cindy Kallet (guitar), Lisle Kulbach (viola da gamba), Abby Rabinovitz (alto flute), Chris Rua (viola da gamba), Rosalind Brooks Stowe (viola da gamba)

Cover art: Mada Leach (CA), "Moondrift #1", monotype with inlaid papers

This album has an accompanying songbook. Please visit the songbook page under Store in the menu!

A meditative offering of chants and rounds. inspired by diverse spiritual paths, reflecting the universal desire for openhearted peace

(Cover art: Photo by Libana's Marytha Paffrath, taken in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh, India)

Songs of Earth Reverence and Peace

Cover art: Mandala by Joan Hill (MA)

Hailed as “troubadours of peace,” Libana sweeps listeners into a compelling global journey. Lyrical renderings of love, lamentation, vision and celebration imbue Out of This World with the exuberance, depth and grace for which Libana is internationally renowned.

Timeless rhythms, lyrics and melodies reach across history and the planet, conjuring a powerful musical alchemy that gives passionate expression to the interconnectedness of spirit, nature and humanity.

This is the world’s story—a story told through the artistry of women, vividly conveyed by the women of Libana.

Join the journey, the criss-crossing of cultures, as Libana deftly traverses borders, continents, and hemispheres with a dazzling repertoire of contemporary and traditional World Folk music. From the rich resonance of Balkan harmonies to a lyrical Finnish song of home longing, from the stark poignance of an Argentinian lament to the riveting Arabic beat of the Zar (an Egyptian ritual healing dance), BORDERLAND evokes the musical soul of the global village. Compelling rhythms, incomparable vocal versatility, tenderness and strength join to create a musical mosaic depicting the unboundaried essence of human experience.

Cover art: Hand-painted silk accents by Iren Rothenberger (Switzerland)

AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD on the download page of this site.

AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD on the download page of this site.

Women's vocal and instrumental dance music from the Middle East and Eastern Europe

Kaleidoscopic colors and textures, innovative arrangements, and an improvisational approach combine in an evocative style that transcends genre. Performing impressionistic renditions of world folk melodies and original compositions, Susan Robbins (Libana's founder and Artistic Director) and Michael Cicone create uncommon music with shimmer and soul.

Longtime friends and collaborators, Susan Robbins and Michael Cicone have shared the stage in a wide array of musical contexts, including a shape-note chorus, medieval and Renaissance ensembles, an instrumental trio and a touring contradance band. Their twenty years of collective experience, combined with individual explorations of classical, world, traditional and contemporary folk music, have created a rich and eclectic pool from which they draw inspiration as an innovative and improvisatory duo. In live performance, in the studio, and as a basis for arrangement, improvisation integrates the sounds, rhythms and melodies they love into a unique musical expression.

In other artistic ventures, Michael Cicone brings his warm tenor voice to the lauded folk trio Kallet, Epstein and Cicone. An accomplished dancer and skilled instructor, he teaches English Country Dance across the United States. Susan Robbins coaches singers in the Boston area and leads song workshops throughout North America. She brings her instrumental expertise to a world fusion band, has composed and performed for several film scores, and is the artistic director of the acclaimed world music ensemble, Libana.

AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD on the download page of this site.

A newly remastered version of this uncategorizable and treasured collaboration between Libana's Artistic Director and longtime musical friends Michael Cicone and David Gay (with guest artists Marytha Paffrath of Libana and John Fleagle). Featuring 2 hammered dulcimers, piano, synth, accordion, percussion, bombarde and Celtic harp. All arrangements are the result of a collective improvisational process, and weave together their individual musical experiences in traditional and world music, early music, classical, and rock.