Music forges strong bonds of camaraderie among it's creators, performers, and listeners. Maithree: The Music of Friendship does exactly that in proposing a harmonious coexistence between players from different cultures who share a common global dream of enthusiastic diversity. As the album's coproducer Gary Hines says: "These are more than just songs. They are a rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic convergence of many diverse souls and spirits into one expressive creation. What comes from the heart reaches the heart. The Maithree experience makes our hearts beat together as one." Maithree, the ensemble, was formed when Nirmala Rajasekar, Indian veena virtuoso, invited some friends to play music together. With visiting South Indian drum guru Boopathi, cellist Michelle Kinney, and brothers Pat and Tim O'Keefe, this is Minnesota-grown idealism at it's finest, where no barriers to musical or social Concord get in the way. Maithree, the similarly-named album, features original music, along with new arrangements of Indian, Irish, and Turkish tunes. Maithree, the composition, was originally written for a 1966 concert at the United Nationa, bringing a message of world peace and friendship across borders. What could be more timely?