About Mahasukha

Originally from Manchester UK, Mahasukha is based in Brighton. He is a Buddhist, a member of the Triratna Buddhist Order, and has a lifelong deep love for music and beauty. He has been a musician for 35 Years and has an Advanced Diploma in Music. A highly experienced group harmony singing leader and percussionist, he is in his element leading people in singing, bringing out the best in people with enthusiasm, sensitivity and encouragement. For the last 10 years he's been leading Soulful Singing workshops and events with hundreds of people in a variety of contexts, bringing them fun and joy, inspiring their own creativity to come alive, bringing them together in harmony.

Coming from a musical family, Mahasukha started playing the drums at age 11 and was earning money doing social club gigs at weekends by the time he was 15. Inspired by Afro-American Jazz, particularly the more avant-garde including John Coltrane and Sun Ra, he became a Jazz drummer and worked with many different Jazz ensembles for many years, his passion for Jazz expanding out to South Africa, particularly Abdullah Ibrahim. Years later, he followed an urge to sing and began singing lessons. Soon after, he went to group singing workshops where he was inspired to start leading workshops himself.

A taste for South African harmony singing emerged and become the main body of his repertoire. Not surprisingly, Mahasukha managed to sneak drumming in with the singing! He accompanies the singing on djembe which adds another uplifting dimension to the singing experience, inspiring movement and dance. More recently, the Soulful Singing repertoire and style has expanded and deepened to include Buddhist mantras (Mahasukha also leads Beauty of Mantra devotional rituals).

Within all societies and cultures throughout history, people have always sung, whether at work, in the fields, at school, in church, in the temple, round a camp fire, to celebrate a special occasion, on the battlefield, in the struggle for freedom from oppression, in the worship of the gods. Giving voice through song is a natural human activity that nurtures and unites a community. But this all-inclusive, aural singing tradition isn't so prevalent today in the modern world. Mahasukha leads Soulful Singing to help keep this tradition alive, to make it available to anyone who wants to be a part of it. He's inspired by and loves anything soulful - so the singing is soulful. It's not just about having fun and feeling good, it's about finding meaning, beauty, goodness and truth. It's whatever touches and uplifts one's heart and soul, whatever unites people and brings bliss and happiness to people's lives. And this motivation connects to the meaning of his name; Great Bliss.