~ David Benoit, Composer, Pianist, Conductor, USA

I think that was very sentimental. It felt like very personal, I liked that. I still remember the opening line “Since I’ve Loved You.”

"The Two Phoenixes", it was very challenging because her poetry wasn’t the typical song form like AB, AB.  It was very expressive and very spiritual and so I had to find a way to make the music express what was in the poems. So I just sort of let myself go. I didn’t follow any convention, any rules, just, “Okay, I am just going to let it go where it goes” and so that’s kind of how I approached it. And it took a while to get the concept but then once I got it, you know, it felt pretty good. 

I’m looking forward to learning more about the teachings and Supreme Master Ching Hai. Supreme Master Ching Hai, thank you for giving me an amazing opportunity to write music to your beautiful poems.

I would love to write more music to more poems by Supreme Master Ching Hai because she has so much passion and love and beauty. It was very easy for me to write music, it just came out. And so this is a really, really unexpected pleasure for me to be able to do this very unique performance for Supreme Master Ching Hai, and thank you for allowing me to have this opportunity.

~ David Benoit, Composer, Pianist, Conductor, USA