Poppy Villiers-Stuart and Kat Drake, long-time friends and musical collaborators, performed a stunning devotional musical programme at Clare Collage, Cambridge on the rainy afternoon of Saturday 11th February. We were treated to an hour-long concert, which included folk and jazz-inspired devotional duets showcasing the strength, diversity and emotion of Poppy and Kat’s voices. One could hear that the two had received excellent vocal training, in addition to years of practice and style development, resulting in an intimate knowledge of the other’s voice and vocal parts. It was not so surprising, then, to find out that the two first met while roommates at university and since then have combined friendship, music and devotion to the Bahá’í Faith to create a moving and memorable sound. The spacious room which we sat in, with large windows looking onto the grey sky and nearby College buildings, was gorgeous and definitely added to the overall effect.

The musical repertoire included a few spoken interludes, including an inspiring introductory quote read by Kat, from a postcard she once had the fortune to come across:

Some feelings occur accidentally and some have a foundation. For example: Some people are naturally kind, but they may be accidentally upset by a wave of anger. But if they hear music, the true nature will reassert itself. Music really awakens the real, natural nature, the individual essence.

-’Abdu’l-Bahá’s word to Mrs. Mary L. Lucas

The duo was effective at relating their music and inspiration to their own lives and personal experiences. There was an interesting and fairly intimate discussion of how each woman had, at some point in their young adulthood, felt a separation from their religion. Poppy and Kat both shared what they felt may have precipitated this realization, as well as which steps each had taken to try and rediscover their spirituality and a deeper understanding of the Bahá’í Faith. I myself, though new to the Bahá’í Faith, felt an instantly warm and friendly connection to the pair. Poppy and Kat’s musical talent was surely enhanced by the description of their challenges as well as their honest and sincere desire to relocate their spiritual paths, which had been for some time obscured in the midst of the responsibility, changes and challenges of adulthood.

Songs from their album, Lighted Candle, can be heard at http://thebirdandthebutterfly.bandcamp.com/album/lighted-candle

The uplifting afternoon started with a warm welcome to the approximately 80 guests in attendance and briefly explained the programme. The devotional portion included classical piano pieces from two very talented musicians in our community, readings describing Bahá’u’lláh as a personage, some of His prayers and writings and finally a Persian chant of a poem written by Bahá’u’lláh.

We then moved into the entertainment portion which truly displayed the talents and capacities of the friends in the community. A passage from Bahá’u’lláh’s hidden words:

O SON OF MAN! If thou lovest Me, turn away from thyself; and if thou seekest My pleasure, regard not thine own; that thou mayest die in Me and I may eternally live in thee.

was beautifully sung and set to guitar music.

This was followed by a powerfully sung rendition of Bridge over troubled water accompanied on piano following by a moving duet on the theme of always striving for excellence. The children in the audience were then delighted with a story illustrating Bahá’u’lláh’s loving kindness, while the junior youth and children contributed a charming skit which embodied and demonstrated the spirit of unity and diversity culminating in the song ‘We are drops’. With the official programme completed, the guests were invited to partake of the various delicious desserts brought by many of the friends. It was also at this point that attendees of all ages enthusiastically took part in some very lively and upbeat ceilidh (pronounced kay-lee) dancing, which was thoroughly enjoyed by all those who took part.

The event as a whole brought a diversity of people from different backgrounds, ages and cultures together in an uplifting atmosphere which catered to the mind, spirit and body of all those who attended. Thank you to all those who came and made this event so special.

Time and date: 4 pm, Saturday, 22 October 2011
Place: Latimer Room, Clare College, University of Cambridge, Trinity Lane, CB2 1TL

About Luke:
Luke Slott is a composer and songwriter from Dublin. He began playing music at the age of twelve, learning jazz trumpet from his father, and spent several years as lead-singer with Irish rock band Melaton. Over the years, Luke has drawn much inspiration from the history and writings of the Baha’i Faith and will be giving a special solo performance where he will be playing and sharing the stories behind his songs. For information visit www.lukeslott.com.

The Bahá’ís of Cambridge are part of a worldwide community of around five million Bahá’ís, representative of almost all of the races and cultures on earth; and the Bahá’í Faith holds NGO status at the United Nations.

The purpose of the Bahá’í Faith is to bring together in unity people of diverse nations, races, cultures, religions, and schools of thought. The spiritual teachings which can bring about this unity-of-hearts were brought by the Founders of all the major world religions, but the need for world unity was particularly emphasised by Bahá’u’llah, the Prophet-Founder of the Baha’i Faith. At his short address to the participants at the Open Day, the Mayor commended the work that the Baha’i community was doing in help bringing this about.

Bahá’u’lláh was born in 1817 in Persia, or modern-day Iran. As He started to teach His message He was imprisoned, and exiled from country to country, eventually arriving as a prisoner in the city of Akká – now in Israel – where He remained until His death in 1892. Bahá’u’lláh suffered for most of his life. Yet from his prison-cell he sought to eliminate religious and racial prejudice and to uplift the banner of the oneness of humanity.

Bahá’u’lláh’s son, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, who had been imprisoned with his father from the age of nine, was finally released in old age and allowed to travel and visited the UK in 1911. His first ever public address was on Sunday September 10th 1911, exactly one hundred years to the day before the event in Cambridge. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá delivered an address at the City Temple Church in London. These were some of his words:
‘This is a new cycle of human power… It is the hour of unity of the sons of men and of the drawing together of all races and all classes. You are loosed from ancient superstitions which have kept men ignorant, destroying the foundation of true humanity…. The gift of God to this enlightened age is the knowledge of the oneness of mankind and of the fundamental oneness of religion.’

Of interest to Cambridge residents, a screening of the film ‘An encounter with Bahá’u’lláh’, relating the meeting in 1890 between Cambridge Professor and Orientalist E.G. Browne and Bahá’u’lláh was also screened at the Open Day.

View Sub-regional Fesitval Locations in a larger map

Please bring your printed copies of the 28 December 2010 message and 1 January 2011 message.
You can also download copies here:

2011-01-01 UHJ to Baha’is of World
2010-12-28 Five Year Plan Counsellors

A concert and reception will be held on 5th December 2010 at Kings College, Cambridge to commemorate and raise awareness about the seven Bahá’í leaders who have been held in prison for 2 years now in Iran, solely for their religious beliefs. The seven incarcerated men and women – Fariba Kamalabadi, Jamaloddin Khanjani, Afif Naeimi, Saeid Rezaie, Mahvash Sabet, Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Vahid Tizfahm – were all members of a national-level group that, with the Iranian government’s knowledge, helped attend to the minimum spiritual needs of Iran’s 300,000-strong Bahá’í community. The defendants were accused of propaganda activities against the Islamic order and the establishment of an illegal administration, among other allegations. All the charges were completely and categorically denied. They were sentenced to 20 years imprisonment, which has recently been reduced to 10 years.

The event has been specially created both to commemorate the seven incarcerated ‘Yaran” (meaning Friends), and to raise awareness of this abuse of human rights. The concert will be attended by Councillor Sheila Stuart, Mayor of Cambridge and Dr Julian Huppert, MP for Cambridge. Our MC for the evening will be Mr Dan Wheatley from the Office of External Affairs of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahai’s of the UK.

For further details please contact us.

Perhaps the most significant event at the conference was a letter to the delegates directly from the Universal House of Justice, calling those who wanted to engage in the spiritual enterprise advanced by the Bahá’í faith to focus their efforts. In particular they encouraged us to contribute to the teaching of children’s classes and the animation of junior youth groups, and this message was followed by presentations from people who wanted to relate similar work they had done previously. Hearing their experiences really brought to light what is valuable in such classes, and just how valuable they are. I was impressed by the emphasis on moral education, which it seems has been a success in teaching children to be kind, thoughtful and honest. I suspect this is what young minds need most in a country where often religious principles are an object of study rather than a way of life, and morality is a matter for debate rather than a skill to be cultivated.

Feeling grateful for the opportunity to offer such service I agreed to help out with either of the projects as they arise in Cambridge. From the amount of people at the conference who also agreed to assist in this spiritual enterprise, it is clear that many others have seen the need for service and seized the opportunity while it is ripe. I can only hope that as a result of the gathering many will go on to realise their potential to cultivate good qualities, learn about what is most valuable in life, and contribute to the advancement of our civilisation.

It is hoped that the website will offer an easy way for the public to find information on the Bahá’í Faith in Cambridge, including the ongoing Activities, articles on its History, and regular updates on Bahá’í news, local, national and international.