Celebrating community and nature through sacred song, chant, poetry and other soulful practices is what continues to motivate Lucas Julian Tensen as a musician, songwriter, instrument maker and facilitator. He currently lives in London, Canada and travels in Southern Ontario and internationally for performances and retreats.
Recent collaborations include playing a 5 string cello for the track 'You're a Guru' on an album by East Forest & Ram Dass. He also accompanied devotional chant artist Brenda McMorrow at the Yoga Mela Festival in Sweden which included artists like Deva Premal & Miten and Mirabai Ceiba. Luc has recorded on award winning albums including the Grammy nominated album Asia Beauty by Ron Korb.
A skilled facilitator, Luc lead an devotional chanting workshop at the Ignatius Retreat Centre with singer/harpist Shannon Kingsbury and instrumental workshops at Hillside Music Festival, The Groove Yoga Festival and Soulshine. Equally at ease in academic circles, he presented at an International Community Music Conference in Waterloo.Luc has extensive experience accompanying yoga classes for various teachers including: Tommy Rosen, JP Tamblyn-Sabo, Tracey Soghrati, Lana Sugarman and Jaimee Horn. He has also been a musical advisor for mindfulness programs and participated in several Buddhist Vipassana retreats.
In 2008, he travelled to Saint-Louis, Senegal to learn the 21 string kora, (a West African harp) with Dialy Kouyate. Dialy encouraged Luc to integrate the Kora into his creative work and play it for audiences in North America. Luc also plays cello, shakuhachi flute, didgeridoo and a RAV vast drum. He has played music in both hospital and hospice settings and facilitates community gatherings, concerts and workshops where participants explore a variety of mantras, sacred songs and sound rituals interspersed with powerful meditations, invocations and blessings.
A few years after returning to Canada, Luc began making African style harps. In addition to making several full size 21 string Koras with traditional gourds (calabash), he also makes smaller user-friendly string koras with vintage salad bowls.As a classically trained cellist, Luc co-hosted a monthly chamber concert series for seven years with flautist Jamie Thompson in Toronto that included inter-arts collaborations with over fifty local musicians and artists.
He earned a BA in Music Performance, an MA in Community Music (Wilfrid Laurier University) and is also a certified Yin Yoga teacher (Tracey Soghrati). Luc is available for workshops and concerts at yoga studios, churches, community centres, retirement homes, festivals and retreats.
