Falling into Serenity Sessions: An Evening of Music, Healing & Restoration

Step into the candlelit warmth of Phoenix Auditorium on a mid-November evening: a gathering where sound, movement, and stillness come together to fill your spirit and remind you of what's already whole within you.

This is an invitation to drop in, to feel, to be moved, and to leave with gratitude warming your bones and hope rekindled in your heart.

The evening unfolds gently, each artist offering their gift in turn, weaving a tapestry of sound and presence.

Gabriel Nieto & Daina Ashbee open the gathering with gentle movement: an invitation to connect with your body and the space around you. You will be guided into presence through a sound journey, welcoming everyone to participate as they feel called, in whatever way feels accessible and right.

Sharanjeet Singh Mand follows, his sitar accompanied by the resonant pulse of tabla. Together they create an atmospheric interlude that settles over the room like twilight: rich, contemplative, and utterly transporting.

Mark Fenster then shares the heart of the evening: pieces from his extensive body of work, including selections from his Serenity Sessions recordings. With Sharanjeet layering sitar into the soundscape, this will be a deeply immersive journey through sound, weaving together voice, guitar, tambura, and percussion into a tapestry of peace and presence. Mark will also guide us through a meditation, a moment to pause, breathe, and simply be.

The evening crescendos with all the artists returning to the stage for a collaborative finale. You'll be invited to add your voice in call-and-response: a joyful, collective closing that reminds us we're all part of this together.

Phoenix Auditorium is a rounded, intimate space where the audience sits in a gentle semi-circle around the performers. Candlelight softens the edges. The atmosphere is ceremonial but welcoming, a place where you can settle in deeply, whether in a chair or on the floor with your cushion or mat.

This is an evening for the senses: the flicker of candlelight, the resonance of strings and voice, the quiet invitation to move or be still, the warmth of community gathered with intention.

Note: Candlelight will be battery-powered for the safety of all 🙏🏼

Date: Tuesday, November 18, 2025
Doors: 6:30 PM (giving you time to settle in)
Performance: 7:00-9:30 PM
Location: Phoenix Auditorium at the Haven, Gabriola Island
(Signs on-site will guide you)

Tickets:

• $35 per person
• 2 for $60

Where to Purchase:

• In person: Nature Spirit Market on Gabriola
• E-transfer: Email [email protected] for info
• Online: Via Eventbrite
• At the door: Subject to availability - cash or e-transfer only

What to Bring:
If you'd like to sit on the floor for a more intimate experience, bring a cushion, yoga mat, or sheepskin. Chairs are also available.

Mark Fenster has devoted his life to music as a path to peace. From Autumn Studios on Gabriola Island, he composes, produces, and performs soundscapes designed to heal, ground, and reconnect us with our inner stillness. His work spans meditative journeys, vocal prayers, and instrumental pieces, all rooted in Nada Yoga, the gentle musical journey to bliss. Mark's extensive catalogue includes the Cantoria series, works featured by Dr. Joe Dispenza, and collaborations with artists across genres, all sharing a commitment to music as medicine for the modern heart.

Gabriel Nieto is the Venezuelan Artistic Movement Director of Nomads Of The South, blending dance, chanting, and ancestral sounds to create living rituals. His interactive performances draw from Indigenous, Afro-Caribbean, European, Middle Eastern, and Asian roots, inviting audiences into deep connection through movement and voice.

Daina Ashbee is a 2019 Bessie Award-winning choreographer based on Gabriola Island. Her radical works investigate the body to address the subconscious, employing extreme energetic capacities to expand our ability to communicate through movement. Her choreography has been presented over 100 times across 19 countries.

Sharanjeet Singh Mand is a devotee of sitar who believes the instrument is the terminus of humanity's search for truth and beauty. Blessed by his guru Pandit Harvinder Sharma, he spends much of his time in the mountains practicing and meditating on his art. His journey is unique, playing for the sake of playing itself rather than for galleries or expectations. Featured on CBC Music, his channeled sound is described as simple, gentle, true, and transcendental. When Sharanjeet performs, the room breathes with him, and life reveals itself as song.

The pieces that make up Serenity Sessions are designed to remind you of the beauty and stillness that lives within each moment. The hope is that this evening offers you comfort, peace, and a renewed sense of the miracles already present in your life.

With gratitude to: Creative BC, Province of British Columbia
Serenity Sessions Album artwork by: Zoe Fenster

We respectfully acknowledge that this gathering takes place on the unceded, traditional, and ancestral territories of the Coast Salish People, specifically the Snuneymuxw Nation.

For questions, please contact [email protected]

Mark's latest single Heavenly Bliss accompanied by a visualizer for "calming and exhilarating" multisensory experience.

Sharanjeet in CBC Music's Studio 1 in Vancouver for a special performance of Marwa on the surbahar.

Mark sharing a call and response song (begins at 2:31) at High on Love Festival at the Gabriola Commons July 2025 ❤️

A deeply meditative journey (Raag Gujri Todi) performed by Sharanjeet accompanied by Rishi Rajeev on tabla.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Phoenix Auditorium @ the Haven, 240 Davis Road, Gabriola, Canada

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