Arthada & Friends

As the name suggests, this group was formed in 1992 by Viennese musician Arthada Platzgummer, who gathered some of his friends and fellow meditation students to arrange the music of Sri Chinmoy on a variety of western and eastern instruments - sitar, harmonium, sarangi, tanpura, Indian flute, wooden flute, ghatam, ehru, Jew's harp and clarinet among others. Since then they have gone on to release six CD's and embark on numerous successful tours.

The line-up of Arthada & Friends currently comprises 13 members living in Austria (Vienna, Linz, Innsbruck) and Germany (Heidelberg). They have toured 18 European countries, performed in various countries in Asia, South America, the Caribbean, the former Soviet Union and had 40 performances in the U.S alone.

As with the other artists in Songs of the Soul, Arthada & Friends perform spiritual songs or that were composed from a high meditative plane by meditation master Sri Chinmoy. In listening to these songs, it is their hope that the a receptive listener will be elevated towards a meditative state of consciousness and well-being.