Rising Stars: Meet Andrea Brook

Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea Brook/Sonic Butterfly.

Hi Andrea, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Sonic Butterfly was born in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. I was invited to perform for the Day of the Dead Festival in 2012. At that time, I was working with my previous performing arts company called MASS Ensemble, and I was asked to turn La Parroquia, the main cathedral in the center square of San Miguel, into an instrument.

San Miguel de Allende is an incredible city that lives outside of space and time. It is an artist community with extraordinary contemporary Mexican artists and artisans. In addition, many artists from the around the world and in particular the Burning Community have moved to San Miguel and are creating new age futuristic art. While just outside of San Miguel are hot springs, where ceremonies are taking place including ancient Aztec ceremonies. The past, present and future are all coming together in this magical place.

For La Calaca, the Day of the Dead Festival, all of the artists were asked to create altars, which were placed throughout the city. In addition to my stage, there were beautiful altars in the center square. Just next to my stage were Aztec fire dancers. Thousands of people came out for the shows each night dressed up in traditional Day of Dead costumes with their faces painted like skeletons, as well as other fabulous costumes. The strings of the Earth Harp, which I played for 12 years, went up to the bell tower of La Parroquia, and the bell tower would toll. Alongside my strings were beautiful, multi-colored flags, and the wind would whisper through them. And monarch butterflies in abundance were flying through, returning from their yearly migration, and symbolically recognized as the spirits of the community’s lost loved ones returning home to celebrate.

I was enamored of the whole scene and the monarch butterflies captured my interest. I learned all about their incredible journey. They begin as caterpillar in Mexico and go through chrysalis, a war of cells that results in the butterfly. The ancient Aztecs wore butterflies on their breastplates and helmets, as they were the ultimate warriors who went into the fire of war and came out transformed. Once butterflies, they follow their internal compass and fly north to fulfill their purpose in the natural world pollinating wildflowers and flowering fruits and vegetables. It takes 4 generations to reach Canada, where a super generation is born that flies all the way back to Mexico and arrives around the Day of the Dead.

While in one of the hot springs there in SMA, my friend shared with a poem by the ancient mystic Rumi. “Let go of your mind, become crazy, yes go mad. Jump into the fire and become the butterfly, become the butterfly.” I was blown away, felt my own internal compass directing me on my path of purpose, and decided that it was time to build a Sonic Butterfly. By summer of 2013, I had built my first version of Sonic Butterfly and started my own performing arts company, Sonic Butterfly Productions.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The path of the artist requires you to stay present and focus on what is next, taking one step at a time. In fact, the art seems to have a life of its own. When you get caught up in your own desires, the road can be very challenging. However, when you listen, it will direct you to the next step. Each step shows you a whole new opportunity, and step by step, you find your way.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Sonic Butterfly is my design of acoustic, chromatic, 2-octave long-string harp. It is an instrument of transformation, transforming architecture, theaters, and natural environments into a large-scale musical instrument, where the audience is literally inside the instrument. The strings are at minimum 60ft long and attach to a balcony in a theater, the top of building, a tree, a mountain peak, and more. An instrument of healing, Sonic Butterfly is played by running your fingers along the strings with cotton gloves creating a longitudinal vibration with an ascending overtone to lift your vibration from a lower state to a higher space of inspiration. The instrument is in the cello and viola range and penetrates deeply to evoke an emotional and sensational response that feels as if comes from within. The stunning LED and projection wings add to the visual beauty of the instrument.

I travel all over the world and perform at Performing Arts Centers, festivals, and private and corporate events. I also have a fabulous studio in Ojai, CA, called the Ojai Cocoon, where I do a myriad of shows including Guest Artist Series, Long-String Meditation, Sonic Butterfly Experiences booked through Airbnb and the hotels, Super Sonic Butterfly Dance Parties, school field trips, and more. I love my studio and the intimate opportunity to share Sonic Butterfly with my community and the tourists who visit Ojai.

I am most proud of the depth of meaning that Sonic Butterfly offers. As one audience member expressed, “Experiencing Andrea’s Sonic Butterfly will make you remember you have wings; that you don’t need to crawl through life.”

Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
Although Sonic Butterfly is my design, I did not invent long-string harps. Ellen Fullman first designed her long-string instrument in the late 1980s. William Close began working with long strings in the late 1990s and designed the Earth Harp in 2000. I worked with William from 2001 – 2013.

I have many friends and colleagues to thank for all of their support including my husband, Dastan Khalili, my agents at Siegel Artist Management, the musicians that I work with including Christine Law (Star Goes Nova), Brad Ranola, Chris Murphy, Chrystabell, Steve Gorn, Dub Sutra, Mikael Jorgensen, my friends including Heather Hollander, Javad Hashemi, Atma Cornelius, my mom, Leslie Solmes, who always believed in me, everyone who has booked Sonic Butterfly to perform, and all of the people who have come to see Sonic Butterfly and found inspiration. I truly could not have done it without you.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sonicbutterfly.com
• Instagram: @sonicbutterflyofficial
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sonicbutterflyproductions
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/andrealbrook/videos