A Weekend of Indian Contemporary & Classical Music

Two of London’s oldest and most successful presenters of the arts of South Asia, Tara Arts and Sama Arts, have come together to conceptualise and curate a three-day festival of music, both contemporary and traditional, at Tara Arts’ own mini-theatre in southwest London. Aptly titled the Easter Ragas Festival, this weekend features a mix of high quality UK and international acts.

The festival opens on Friday the 6th of April with a sitar performance by Roopa Panesar. followed by a Sufi qawwali performance by Abi Sampa, best known for her appearance on BBC’s The Voice. Saturday’s programmes feature khayal vocalist Deepa Karnad, Carnatic singer Vamshikrishna, ghazal poetry singer Mehtab Malhotra and the folk sounds of Amrit Kaur Lohia. Sunday the 8th of April opens with a percussion ensemble led by Shahbaz Hussain on the tabla, featuring several drums from across the subcontinent and the bowed tar-shehnai played by Kirpal Singh Panesar. The afternoon slot features khayal Singer Vijay Rajput in a solo performance. The festival closes with sarod (multi-stringed fretless lute) maestro Arnab Chakrabarty and the world-renowned Gundecha Brothers, singing the ancient vocal form, dhrupad.

Tickets are £15.50 - £30.

Day Passes are available on Saturday and Sunday, at £54. Book all three events to avail of the Day Pass rate.

356 Garratt Ln, London SW18 4ES

Nearest Tube Station - Wimbledon Park - District

In a special performance, one of the greatest classical music voices of India, legendary Carnatic vocalist Aruna Sairam collaborates with leading British Indian composer and sarod virtuoso Soumik Datta to explore the connections between Carnatic and Western musical traditions. Leading on his signature instrument, the sarod (19 stringed fretless lute), Soumik weaves an intriguing, global soundscape around Sairam’s majestic voice to evoke a haunting and sensory world.

Aruna and Soumik will be accompanied by a team of virtuoso improvisers: Pirashanna Thevarajah on kanjira, mridangam and morsing, Cormac Byrne on bodhrán and percussion, and Al MacSween on piano.

This unique concert is presented by the Bagri Foundation in association with Soumik Datta Arts.

For tickets: https://www.sjss.org.uk/events/back-blues

St John’s Smith Square, London, SW1P 3HA

Nearest Tube Station
Pimlico / Vauxhall- Victoria

Presented by SAMA in association with the Nehru Centre

An in-depth exploration of one of the foremost vocal genres of South Asia Concerts, Workshops & Seminars

KhayalFEST Music & Imgination - Prelude events.

KhayalFest Music & Imagination - Part 1

Additional Concerts, Workshops, Seminar and Film Screening to be announced shortly.

Free Entry: Registration via links above.
All concerts are at The Nehru Centre and start at 6.30pm

8 South Audley Street, Mayfair,
London W1K 1HF

Nearest Tube Station
Marble Arch - Central / Green Park - Jubilee, Picadilly, Victoria / Hyde Park Corner - Piccadily

Kaleem Sheikh is a London based singer and writer. Trained by the Late Ustad Sultan Khan in the tradition of vocal music, Kaleem also received extensive knowledge in musicology from Ustad Sultan Khan. He has worked as a music journalist for BBC radio and provided consultancy advice to arts organisations and lectured on Indian cinema at the home of The Guardian, Kings Place.

Kaleem performed for the Hollywood producer, Ismail Merchant and also for the foremost singer in Iran- Shajarian. In 2016, he sang in a highly successful tribute concert in memory of Ustad Sultan Khan at the Nehru centre. Kaleem has been described as a ' great artiste ' and ' sureela ' and able to create a ' good musical atmosphere' by historic musical Families.

Surjeet Singh - Sarangi
Krishan Mohan - tabla

8 South Audley Street, Mayfair,
London W1K 1HF

Nearest Tube Station
Marble Arch - Central / Green Park - Jubilee, Picadilly, Victoria / Hyde Park Corner - Piccadily

£35, £28, £20, £10 / Buy Online

5 Sloane Terrace, Belgravia,
London SW1X 9DQ

Nearest Tube Station
Sloane Square - Circle/District

Mrigya is one of India’s most premier and prodigious World-Fusion bands, hailing from New Delhi. Formed in 1999, the band has blossomed into a fascinating contemporary world music band venturing to stretch the boundaries of Indian classical music becoming the harbinger of a unique fusion band offering a rich blend of Blues, Funk, Folk, Latin, Indian Classical and Jazz. The band has toured extensively around the globe winning accolades and representing India at various international festivals. Mrigya shows range from international performances around the world for elite audiences, and the most exclusive shows ever performed. Their music shares and introduces an audience to the new, modern, contemporary sound fused with classical Indian music. The music of Mrigya carries the legacy of thousands of years, of not only music, but also the heritage of Indian culture.Mrigya aims to evolve, share the cultural nuances, and promote the Indian ethos through its music in a global way – drawing attention and inviting one to explore the Indian heritage. Inspire, get inspired, educate and most importantly, continue to pass on, the legacy of Indian and western fusion for further generations.

VIOLIN • SHARAT CHANDRA SRIVASTAVA / KEYS • SACHIN KAPOOR
BASS & VOCALS • INDRANEEL HARIHARAN / GUITARS • KARAN SHARMA
DRUMS • RAJAT KAKKAR / TABLA & PERCUSSION • GYAN
VOCALS • SUKRITI SEN & JAGTINDER SINGH

Festival supported by the Arts Council of England & the PRS Foundation