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Articles
The
Montreal Gazette
by Kathryn
Greenaway
(May 30, 1996)
Barbara Lewis is a classically trained
singer on a quest. She is forever searching for
a deeper understanding of her past and of her destiny.
Over the years she has expanded her operatic vocals
to embrace the texture of world music, the meditative
quality of new-age music and the highly creative improvisational
quality of jazz.
And now after two years of work with husband Nicholas
Regush, she presents the latest chapter in her
journey of discovery. Hara's Quest,
a Cutting Edge Productions, is at the Geordie Space
this weekend.
Lewis wrote the music and lyrics and Regush wrote
the narrative Lewis uses to tie the story together.
She is accompanied onstage by five musicians, backup
singers Beverley McGuire and Beth Katz and dancer
Marija Scekic.
"In this madcap world we have lost the ability to
wonder and remain curious," Lewis said recently.
"This show is about a willingness to pursue a dream
to understand more about life."
Hara, the story's heroine, is searching for the meaning
of a reoccurring dream. In the dream, Hara visits
a mysterious island, which she believes to be her
true home. And so Hara embarks on a search and
discover adventure during which she encounters friendly
spirits, demons and dolphins.
The story is inspired by an actual incident.
During a Florida vacation, Lewis and Regush were searching
for shells along a beach one evening when they spotted
a great blue heron staring intently out to sea.
Joining in the stare, they focused on a pod of dolphins
floating quietly close to shore and realized the animals
were staring right back at them. Time froze.
"It seemed they (the dolphins) were as curious about
us as us about them," Lewis said. "It was a
meeting of the ancient past and future."
Lewis's songs have a decided new age feel to them.
She is particularly drawn to the soothing qualities
of the musical style. One of the healing songs
included in the show's repertoire is Lullaby,
written by Lewis following the suicide of her brother
two years ago.
"I wrote it for him and for myself to help the healing
process after his death," she said. "It's a
song that seems to speak to everybody who wants to
let go of the things that hurt and move on."
She believes there is an audience out there for her
brand of musical journey and denouement.
"In the end, Hara understands the meaning of her dream
- it's a surprise ending." Lewis said.
Lewis teaches voice part-time at Concordia
University and gives voice workshops and seminars
through her company, Cutting Edge Productions.
In 1993 Lewis performed her one-woman experimental
show Book of Dreams off-Broadway in
New York City. The following year the show's
music was released on compact disc.
A CD of Hara's Quest is in the works and a Canadian
tour of the show is also in the planning stages.
New
Life Magazine, NYC
Hara’s
Quest, Barbara
Lewis
Cutting Edge Productions CD, 11 Songs
(Sept/Oct
1997)
The
songs on this imaginative CD are all like threads
that weave together to form a story of fantasy and
spiritual discovery. To tell the story, Barbara Lewis
sings these songs in the persona of an imaginary character
named Hara, who lives 26 years into the future.
In
the opening song, entitled Journey Home, Hara
tells of a recurring dream she has of an enchanted
island she believes to be her true spiritual home.
She acts upon this belief and searches for the island.
The ensuing songs chart her journey. She sails on
a ship past ruins of cities all over the world into
the unknown. Along the way, she comes upon an extra-terrestrial
who expands her visionary powers, demons who try to
seduce her into relinquishing her freedom in exchange
for the fulfillment of her desires, and magical dolphins
who guide her through enchanted waters to ancient
times. Eventually, Hara attains her goal of
the quest, and in doing so gains insight, joy and
fulfillment.
Lewis’s
songs are well-crafted, blending elements of new age,
folk, classical, jazz and World music. She uses
her classically-trained soprano voice artfully to
give them depth and nuance. The musical arrangements
are superb, and the musicians and backup singers perform
them with gusto and skill. Hara’s Quest is a beautifully
conceived, ambitious work that stretches the boundaries
of the New Age tradition with its originality and
maturity.
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Lyrics
from Hara's Quest 
