For composer and musician Silvia Nakkach, the voice is a gateway to spiritual growth.

By Judy Silber

AUG. 8, 2014–The human voice is a demanding instrument. Handling it requires precision and skill. But for composer and musician Silvia Nakkach, it’s more than a tool to make pretty sounds. She sees it as a gateway to spiritual growth.

Nakkach’s musical philosophies are influenced by both Western and Eastern traditions. She was born in Argentina and attended Mills College before meeting the person who would become her teacher for more than 30 years: Ali Akbar Khan, a great maestro of Indian classical music.Her own music has an ethereal, haunting quality that can transport listeners beyond everyday reality. She teaches students what she calls “Yoga of the Voice” in classes at the California Institute of Integral Studies, and at the Vox Mundi Project, an international school that Nakkach founded.Nakkach speaks about how it's possible to spiritually awaken through the voice.

NAKKACH: When I hear someone on the phone and I even don't know that person, I can figure out how is the state of mind of that person because I hear the voice through the phone.

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The Spiritual Edge is a project of KALW Public Radio. Funding comes from the Templeton Religion Trust.