BHAKTIMARGA SWAMI, born in Chatham, Ontario, Canada, is also known as THE WALKING MONK for having trekked FOUR TIMES across Canada. Keeping with the spirit of pilgrimage, he also crossed the USA, Israel, Ireland, Guyana, Trinidad, Mauritius, and the Fiji Islands. Documentation of his Canadian walks is found in two films: The Longest Road, by the National Film Board of Canada, and Walking: The Lessons of the Road, by Michael Oesch.
As a youth, Swami was a student of fine arts, but took to the life of a Hare Krishna monk at age 20 in 1973. Although pursuing monastic ways, he maintains artistic expression through several mediums.
As a playwright he produces and directs avant-garde productions based on themes from the Vedic epics of India. Wherever he travels, he engages talented local youth as the productions' actors, dancers, choreographers, and technical crews.
During the pandemic, live theatre wasn't an option, so Bhaktimarga Swami took to creating two short films – Grandsire and The Embassy. The Embassy garnered the Crown Wood and Chambal International Film Festival Awards, and was a quarter finalist in the Canada Shorts Canadian International Short Film Festival.
In 2022 Swami released his highly-anticipated first publication, The Saffron Path: Trekking the Globe with The Walking Monk, detailing his adventures and insights as an international marathon walker. Future publications are set in motion, including a collection of original poems.
The Walking Monk is also an instructor of bhakti yoga, a leader of musical mantra meditation called kirtan, and a speaker on the science of the self based on the ancient teachings of the Gita.
Jaya Sangha invites you to a celebration of life, joy, and co-creation through ancient sacred chants adapted to our modern era, an uplifting musical journey with a good dose of Yin and Yang. Following its initial training 12 years ago, Jaya Sangha was inspired to create original compositions to the sound of guitars, bass, and a variety of percussion. They delved into the divine world of mantras during their yoga teacher training, which inspired them to share and spread the benefits of these chants, as much for their powerful energetic effect as for their profound meaning and intention that invites us to awaken our consciousness and connect with our “Higher Self”. A kirtan both meditative and explosive that opens the heart, relaxes the mind, and allows the body to untie. Jaya Sangha means “Victory to the community”. When our hearts unite in a common intention, the realization of our benevolent, peaceful, and joy-filled nature unfolds like a flower in the sun!
Lea Longo, artist, musician, producer and expert in the field of meditation music, mantras, vocal chanting and Mindfulness Meditation. Her voice has appeared in many Hollywood Tv shows & movies and has been described as “Spiritually Rewarding”. Lea leads workshops, private meditation, life coaching online sessions with meditation and group "Chanting" sessions with live music.
Abhay has been practicing kirtan since birth and grew up surrounded by mantra meditation. For him, kirtan has always been a meaningful part of everyday life, and he enjoys sharing it with others in a simple, welcoming way. His Kirtans are about bringing people together to chant, connect, and experience the power of sacred sound.
Śraddhā discovered kirtan during a trip in Australia in 2007. Fascinated by the inner calm that these chanted mantras bring, and by the energizing effect on the entire group that participates in them, she decides to continue her spiritual quest by organizing kirtan evenings. Her unique voice and energy allows all those who participate in her kirtans to leave feeling peaceful and transformed.
Krishna Rose is a devotional Kirtan leader dedicated to the sacred path of mantra chanting.
In the spirit of the Vaishnava Bhakti tradition and the Sankirtan movement of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, he creates spaces where people come together to chant, listen, open the heart and surrender.
With Kirtan, Krishna guides people toward wholeness — beyond separation and stories, beyond the mind, into our essence, our nature.
These gatherings are not performances — they are invitations to breathe, to sing, and to feel the joy of being together, alive in the Divine.
Music becomes prayer. Community becomes the temple.
One Breath. One Heart. One Voice.
Luna Sundari is a duo comprised of multi-instrumentalist Marie-Josée Veilleux (aka Sundari) and guitarist-stylist Richard Lupien. Initially a guitarist and flautist, Sundari embarked on an 18-month spiritual pilgrimage to India to study the sitar and Vedic astrology, another of her passions. A fixture in the Quebec kirtan scene for nearly twenty years, she has cultivated a genuine ability to share the energy emanating from mantras through numerous performances with groups like Satya and Mandala Kirtan, as an accompanist for Léa Longo, and now with her duo, Luna Sundari. Her delicate and captivating voice draws us into a state of contemplation, introspection, and receptivity, leading us to encounter the Divine within. Richard, for his part, is a composer, guitarist, and stylist who has been using open tunings on the guitar for over forty years. He follows his muse wherever she leads him, and it was following a significant awakening of consciousness in 2011-12 that transformed his life that he met Marie-Josée, who guided him on a spiritual path, leading him to discover the musical universe of sacred chants. After both spending a year performing seva (devotional service) at the Art of Living ashram in Mauricie, they have been traveling throughout Quebec for over ten years now, sharing the joy of singing mantras in groups during kirtans at yoga centers and at numerous spiritual festivals.
Eugene – 3 Years of Devotional Journey
For the past three years, Eugene has been deeply immersed in the sacred practice of Kirtan, joyfully offering his voice and heart in devotion to Sri Krishna. The guitar has been his main instrument of expression, allowing him to share the Holy Name with melody and soulfulness. Alongside guitar, he also plays harmonium and accordion, adding depth and variety to his Kirtan offerings.
Kirtan is not just music for Eugene — it is a spiritual calling. Whether in temples, homes, festivals, or spontaneous gatherings, he takes every opportunity to chant and help others experience the divine vibration of the Holy Name. With love and sincerity, he dedicates himself to spreading the mercy of Harinam wherever time and circumstance allow.
It is his deepest joy and honor to serve in this way—helping hearts awaken to Krishna through sound.
Ecstatic Kirtan Dance by Patrick Bernard! Saturday at 9 PM
We are thrilled to announce that the music of Patrick Bernard (Prahladji) will be featured at the festival! We will close our Saturday evening with an ecstatic kirtan mix of Patrick Bernard's music, created by 4lov2 and presented by DJ Tournesol.
In 2006, Marc began teaching yoga and meditation in Montreal. In 2012 he traveled to California to attend Bhakti Fest, a 4-day yoga/music festival. He came back with a new passion for sacred chant music and he was determined to record an album. In 2015 he released the Birth of Ganesh that showcases a classic rock sound with mantras. He has since released 2 more albums and continues to offer kirtans in the surrounding areas of the Laurentiens.
Bader Soma, also known as Bhāgavat Āshraya Dās, is a dedicated kirtan practitioner, organizer, and spiritual seeker whose life has been deeply shaped by the path of Bhakti Yoga. His journey began in 2016 after attending his first kirtan in Montreal—an experience that profoundly transformed him and sparked a lifelong devotion to chanting and spiritual practice. He then went on a six-month pilgrimage in India.
Over the past decade, Bader has immersed himself fully in kirtan culture, participating in over 100 festivals and organizing more than 100 events, including kirtan marathons, concerts, retreats, and festivals. He is also a kirtan musician and producer, having composed and released two albums, and toured in Toronto, New York, and at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.
Līlā-Mayī graduated from music school at the age of 14 in piano. When she was around 19, she started getting interested in listening to mantras. Later, she met devotees and joined a kirtan group when we started doing kirtans at yoga studios, festivals, shows etc. to spread the power of the Holy Name. She is currently engaged in different kirtan projects with “Kirtan Toronto,” an initiative which focuses on introducing kirtan to the western audience. She is also involved in similar project in London (U.K.) and Vancouver.
Hearts calling is a unique blend of Kirtan and Medicine Music music mixed with spiritually inspired heart hop and poetry. Whether singing deep soulful melodies or danceable chants, Rishi(Fraser) and Dana’s Kirtans are grounding and meditative, as well as energizing and uplifting.
Their inner journey started many years ago, but it really came to fruition after traveling to India in 2006 and discovering the power of Kirtan, which came powerfully alive through the teaching and transmission of Srila Prabhupad. Soon they met their spiritual teacher, Mooji Baba, from whom Fraser received the name Rishi.
In addition to regular Kirtans, they host retreats and have shared their art and hearts across Canada, as well as in Europe and India. Hearts calling is their call out to the world to connect and communicate with love and presence, to inspire, uplift and share the joy of chanting and soul expression.
Sukhino ( SukhaDev ) Pandavas is a Kriyaban multi-instrumentalist who has been studying and participating in different musical events and projects for many years. He played in different types of bands and artists: Nuzan Tara ( World Music) , Luna Sundari (Kirtan), Mandela Kirtan Band, Natarajah (Kirtan), and accompanied many others in their musical journeys. At this present moment, Sukhino will be leading us on the Kirtan journey with favorite mantras and Rainbow medicinal songs in a joyful, energic manner. Blessings & good vibrations guaranteed for All , Shanti / Shanti/ Shanti..
Martha Tremblay-Vilão, Reiki practitioner specializing in energy and somatic healing, is a yogi at heart. She offers guidance, group meditations, women's circles, workshops, and wellness retreats. She has always loved singing, and more recently discovered kirtan, devotional chanting, which she now practices regularly. Traveler at heart, she adores Latin America, India, poetry, and spending time in nature.
Nrsimha Chaitanya Das is passionate about the sacred texts of India, a lover of kirtan and devotional music. He learned music from a young age and has perfected his skills with the harmonium and the mridanga (Indian drum). He devoted his life to ISKON for many years and is the founder of Espace Bhakti.
Pradyumna Das has been sharing the joy of kirtan around the world since 2008, inspiring hearts through sacred sound in temples, festivals, yoga studios, and public spaces across continents. With deep devotion and a soulful presence, his music has uplifted countless souls on the path of bhakti.
Since 2014, he has returned to his Quebec roots, continuing his mission with even greater depth—bringing the timeless tradition of kirtan to new audiences throughout the province and beyond. Whether through meditative chants or energetic call-and-response, Pradyumna Das invites everyone to experience the transformative power of mantra.
