December 2 release of highly-anticipated second album

“Ruth Broyde Sharone has been practicing religious diversity and inclusion for decades with words and music and organizational power. I have been and continue to be a huge fan of her work.  She touches hearts and impacts the world.” — Marianne Williamson

LOS ANGELES — With divisiveness and acts of hate speech at an all-time high in the U.S., there has never been a greater need for works of creative inspiration that can bring people of different faiths and backgrounds together. Along comes INTERFAITH: The Musical—an exuberant celebration of our cultural and religious diversity—with the highly-anticipated second album from the play to be released on December 2nd—just in time for the holidays. 

Ruth Broyde Sharone, the creator, composer and lyricist of the musical, has made sure that the spirit of inclusivity from the first CD continues to shine in Volume two, from gospel music (Jesus Is Here for You) . . . to Indigenous cosmology (Everything Is Sacred), from Jewish disputation (Ask the Rebbe) . . . to religious devotion (I Wanna Be Upright For You, God) and passionate atheism (I Don’t Believe In Your God). Volume two also includes an evocative love song between two young people from diverse backgrounds who want to marry (Heart to Heart) and a heart-wrenching ballad from the dissenting parents of the lovers, refusing to bless their union (Blessings). Think West-Side Story meets Fiddler—but with a modern twist.

Ruth released the first CD in 2015 and the songs became immediate hits when she and her casts performed them live—pre-Covid—at the Pico Union Project in LA, at universities, global interfaith conferences and in local communities. Since then those audiences have grown larger and increasingly enthusiastic. Both albums will be available to fans through the website, and on Spotify, Instagram/Facebook, iTunes, Apple Music, TikTok and Amazon.

“We are all impatient to see ourselves on the stage as we really are, in all of our magnificent diversity,” Ruth Broyde Sharone says. “At this time of growing divisiveness, audiences are responding to these songs more powerfully than ever.”

In November 2018, Broyde Sharone presented one of the songs (Let’s Make Room at the Table) for a multi-faith audience of 3,500 participants from 80 countries attending the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Toronto. “The response was electric,” Ruth recalled. “People sang along with the chorus and they came up to me afterward asking when they will be able to see the show on Broadway!” That question has been echoed by people from many countries including India, Germany, Switzerland, England, Canada and New Zealand—who have written to Ruth, eager for the musical to be performed in their communities.

An inspiring leader who expresses herself through many mediums, Ruth Broyde Sharone is a filmmaker, author and journalist as well as an interfaith activist and composer. She worked closely on both albums with Lithuanian-born arranger Kc Daugirdas. “One thing I have learned for sure, ” Ruth emphasizes, “is that music breaks down barriers—between people, cultures and even countries!”  

Universities or organizations interested in arranging for public performances or online presentations can contact Ruth at Interfaiththemusical.com.

###

Ruth Broyde Sharone is a multi-faceted filmmaker, journalist and creator of INTERFAITH: The Musical, and she has been honored internationally for her interfaith activism and leadership. Ruth pioneered ground-breaking interfaith pilgrimages to the Middle East in the 90s. She co-founded and then served as Co-Chair of the Southern Califonia Parliament of the World’s Religions (SCCPWR) for 10 years. Her documentary, God and Allah Need to Talk and her interfaith memoir “Minefields & Miracles,” have both received multiple awards. She is also a co-author for the 2018 Amazon best-seller “21st Century Voices: Women Who Influence, Inspire, and Make a Difference.” 

To learn more about Ruth Broyde Sharone and INTERFAITH: The Musical visit Interfaiththemusical.com.

For media inquiries, contact: Dea Shandera-Hunter, 310 733-8313 [email protected]

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Religion News Service or Religion News Foundation.