Euphonic Studio ™

Amen Choir

The Amen Choir’s second CD is now available by contacting the group.  They are selling the CD at their live performances.

It’s name in Kerundi, “Dufise Ivyizigiro“, means “We Have Hope” in English.

The Amen Choir consists of refugees from Burundi, a tiny African nation between Rwanda and Tanzania.  There has been a long history of ethnic tensions in that region between the Hutu and Tutsi tribes.  During the Rwandan genocide, over 300,000 Burundians died because of the violence.  However, many Burundians fled for their lives through Tanzania and eventually to the United States.

Their dedication to each other, their Christian faith, and their music has been an inspiration to us as they have worked through 2 CD projects over the last 4 years.  Their first project, Long Story, is available at CD Baby at the following link:

https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/amenchoir3

The seven song CD took 2 years to complete, and it’s finally here!  The music is wonderful! Here’s one of my favorite cuts from Dufise Ivyizigiro.  Enjoy!

Atcha Kulia

Oh Babylon

Euphonic Studio announces the release of our new video, Oh Babylon, written and sung by Joe Baumhover.

The lyrics reflect Joe’s view of the current state of world affairs, in which he sees a lot of parallels with ancient Babylon.   The release of this song and video was timed to just precede our national election, which left our country in a hot mess.  Joe is not a political person, he is commenting much more from a religious viewpoint.  My thoughts are that the pig-headedness that brought down Babylon is alive and well in our own nation, right now.

YouTube

Please enjoy and share.  Euphonic Studio does not monetize our videos on YouTube.  You can watch Oh Babylon and all our videos without commercials.

Amen Choir – Long Story

The Amen Choir indeed has a long story.  They are happy to share this story with you.  Please take a moment to read the album notes below, and purchase your own copy of this beautiful work by the Amen Choir for your own collection.

We are proud to announce the release of the 13 track CD “Long Story”, performed by the Amen Choir and produced here at Euphonic Studio.  It is available as a CD or download through all the usual digital sources.  We would prefer that you use CD Baby at this link:

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/amenchoir3

Probably the best way to describe this project is to just let you read the CD notes.  We are very happy to have the project finished and in our hands, but at the same time a bit of sadness that the joy of creating it is through.  Here are the CD notes.

LONG STORY – The Amen Choir

An upbeat, inspiring, beautifully performed collection of praise music in contemporary African styles

The Amen Choir’s own Long Story began in the Burundi civil war of 1993. Many outside of Africa aren’t familiar with the geography or the history, so here’s a bit of background.

Burundi is a tiny African nation located between Rwanda and Tanzania.  During the 1993 genocide, Western journalists mostly reported about Rwanda, and we heard stories of some of the worst brutality imaginable between the Hutu and the Tutsi peoples.  The fighting crossed national borders. In Burundi,  more than 300,000 people were killed and many tens of thousands were forced to flee for their lives.

Many of those refugees made their way to Tanzania, and then on to various parts of the US.  Families were split and then reunited. Members of the two opposing groups often lived in the same housing.

Eventually, order began to return from chaos and the Burundi refugees began to reassemble in the upper Midwest in the unlikely city of Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  During the gathering process, ancient tribal barriers began to fall away and the new Americans united to a common purpose… to serve God and love one another.

A work of devotion

This CD exists due to a series of improbabilities. It’s improbable that anyone could have escaped the bloodbath in Burundi, and improbable that survivors could have relocated to the US. Further, it’s improbable that those refugees would regroup as a community in the upper Midwest. It’s also improbable that young people with no written tradition of music could write and perform music like professionals. And it’s very improbable that an African praise choir would have created this beautiful work in my little studio in Mount Vernon, Iowa.
Yet, despite the odds, the Amen Choir worked through their legacy of struggle and many daily challenges to make this improbable CD. That leads me to believe that although it was improbable, it was also inevitable.

When the human spirit is bursting with song, music will be sung. If your people’s history is written in the blood of genocide victims, everyday adversity is small potatoes. When a songwriting talent of the magnitude of Eddie Niyonzigiye meets 20 young people who are moved to praise God and rejoice in his name… well, the CD is before you. It is a testament to the gifts of these musicians and the devotion they have to their faith, families, their church, and to each other.

The heart of this music was hammered in the foundry of human suffering, burned by the searing heat of irrational violence, tempered by wisdom one can only learn by experience, and given life by its creators in their love for our Creator.

This project has changed our lives forever.

Bill
Euphonic Studio, August 2016

Salamu and Ifi celebrate the impending CD, Long Story

This is the artwork for the Amen Choir single “Ifi”, released April 1, 2015.

We are happy and proud to announce that the second single from the Amen Choir’s CD is now available at the following links:

 

 

 

Thanks for listening!!!

 

We are happy and proud to announce the release of the single recording “Salamu” by the Amen Choir from their 12 song CD which will be released later this spring.

This is the artwork for the Amen Choir single “Salamu”, which means “Greetings!”

You can buy your own copy of this uplifting song at this link:

 

Here is a lyrics translation for those who don’t speak Kirundi or Swahili:

Salamu

(Greetings)

Kirundi

Chorus:

Greetings our Burundi!

We greet you in the name of Jesus Christ

Leader hello…

Brothers and Sisters we greet you…

Vs 1

Many among us did not see you

But because of our parents we know you

Our Burundi we greet you

Our Burundi we send you these greetings

Chorus

Greetings our Burundi!

We greet you in the name of Jesus Christ

Leader hello…

Brothers and Sisters we greet you…

Swahili

Greetings Tanzania!

We greet you in the name of Jesus Christ

Leader hello…

Our friends we greet you…

Vs 2

We were refugees from Burundi

We fled to you

And you welcomed us

You also opened up the way for us to come to America

May our God Bless You

Greetings Tanzania!

We greet you in the name of Jesus Christ

Leader hello

Our friends we greet you.

Salamu

To our home we send a song of love and our greetings. And although many of us didn’t get the chance to see the land that our parents, grandparents, and so on were born and raised or where and how our traditions were developed we still love you Burundi and we still call you home. The stories that our parents tell paint beautiful and colorful picture of who and what you are. We say hello to the leaders and the ones we left behind.

Tanzania our second home, the place that most of us were born, we greet you as well. When we were refugees fleeing the horrible face of death, you took us in and you open the doors for us to come to America, our new home. To the leaders and to our friends in Tanzania we say we greet you say hello, thank you and may God bless you. We are who we are today because of you.