Ruth as Worship Leader
As a worship leader and
singer/songwriter with over twenty CDs, Ruth has travelled extensively
across North America, Europe, and Israel. Her deepest desire is to see
the body of Christ enter into a truly intimate relationship with Jesus.
Ruth honours and loves the prophetic, and feels an urgency in this hour,
for us to be awakened to the purposes of God. Ruth says: “Listening for His voice is the most important
thing for us to be doing. I believe that there is a realm that the Lord
wants to bring us into, in which we will begin to see with a 'Kingdom of
God' perspective. I feel sure that it is on God's heart to bring
us there, and in that place, for us to come to a greater understanding
of who He is, and of who we are in Him. It is time for the Church to be
functioning as real citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. This is
what I am giving my heart to! I want to learn how to live that
way"
Ruth as Violinist
Born in England, Ruth Fazal began her musical
studies on the piano and the violin, attending Dartington College for
the Arts, before going on to graduate from the Guildhall School of Music
in London. Further studies on the violin took Ruth to Paris, France.
Since emigrating to Canada, Ruth has performed with all of the major
orchestras in the city, as well as being actively involved in many
chamber music ensembles. Ruth is currently concertmaster of four
different orchestras in the Toronto area, and thoroughly enjoys her
musical life in the city.
Ruth also uses her skills on the violin
to create a place for people to enter in to the presence of God.
The ‘Songs from the River’ series are ever popular, finding their way
not only into people’s homes, but also into prayer rooms, healing
rooms, doctors offices and therapeutic massage clinics and spas.
This soothing instrumental music touches the hearts of all those who
listen.
Ruth as
Composer
In recent years, Ruth has begun to express what she feels is on God’s
heart through various compositions for orchestra and choirs.
The Seven Last Words of Christ
(2001) for orchestra, spoken voice, and violin solo was the first of
these new compositions,– a meditation through music, using the final
statements that Jesus spoke from the Cross. This was followed by the
much acclaimed Oratorio
Terezin
(2003) This is a composition for choirs, soloists and symphony
orchestra. Using the poetry of children from the Holocaust, woven
together with the Hebrew scriptures,
Oratorio Terezin has brought much
hope and comfort to audiences in Canada, Europe, Israel and USA.
It was chosen to be the main cultural event in Tel Aviv on Holocaust
Memorial Day in 2005. The US debut of
Oratorio Terezin was at Carnegie
Hall, in New York City in February, 2007.
Ruth’s most recent
composition –Awakening,
is a work for symphony orchestra and choirs which invites us to
engage our imaginations as we hear the sound of a distant trumpet,
awakening us to the urgency of the hour in which we live. The
Trumpeter calls us to come away with Him, and through the music we
are then ushered into an entirely new realm until finally, in the place
of worship, we become aware of the sound of all creation groaning.
In the midst of this groaning, God’s voice sings out: “Comfort
My people! Speak tenderly to Jerusalem”
Awakening
is available on CD, and there are plans for a visual presentation of the
piece, as well as the potential for a modern ballet.