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EVOLVE! AMagazine of Evolutionary Products, People and Ideas An Interview with Melissa Vardey "Living in Divine Time" Weare here to administer to human hearts, to see the beauty in everyone andeverything/ Every task is a sacred one as we direct our power to spiritualpurpose/ This is the ceremony of the hunter, the hunt for peace andunderstanding, joining together with the force of love as one strong tribe....Amunya, Amunya, let's go forward together. Thesewords, culled from the album Living in Divine Time, reflect the visionand mission of Melissa Vardey, an English-born accomplished pianist who hasspent much of her life trying to mend the divided world through music and song.Melissa considers her latest project, featuring popular R&B artist Chaka Khanand African artist Gueria Gaston, a collaboration to bring music from theMotherland to all parts of the world. Melissa recently shared her passion forsocial and economic justice with EVOLVE! Managing Editor Jenise Morgan. JM: Where has music taken you? MV: Allover the world. My professional life has been one of pure adventure. Travelingfor 30 years as a solo pianist/entertainer, bringing people from all walks oflife together around the piano, witnessing the healing power of music and it'sability to unite people. I've always been a seeker and a bit of a rebel. Even atschool in England when most pupils had pictures of the Beatles or the RollingStones inside their desk lids, I had pictures of Zulu warriors. I wanted totravel. I would spin the globe and stick a pin in it and wherever the pin landedI would apply for a position as a performer. I was rather naive and veryspontaneous, hopping on planes, trail-blazing for justice. I went toBoputathswana, South Africa, with the idealist goal of trying to help endapartheid. I was appalled at the treatment I saw there. I watched from the pianoas tall native elegant men and women gradually lost their smiles, dignity andspirit through maltreatment. I was asked to leave Africa after a few monthsbecause I was "fraternizing with the natives" -- that is, I was caught showing awaiter how to tie his shoelaces. Everycountry I visited displayed the stark contrast of extreme poverty and blatantopulence. I always wanted to bridge the gap but it was like trying to save theworld; a daunting task. So now I do what I can with music and let it mend thedivide with song. Music isthe language of the heart. I don't actually speak another language but I couldalways make myself understood discovering that communication is one of thespirit first. I've always loved interacting with strangers. It's absolutelyfascinating: if your intention is to find a beautiful person behind anunfamiliar face or strange attire, you find a beautiful person! I was invited bythe American Embassy to be their resident pianist in London for five years,which led me to Los Angeles in 1989. JM: Why was this method of bringing in African performersused? MV: It was a process of integration toenhance our sense of universal connectedness.

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