With the support of The Society for Arts and Culture of South Asia (Palo Alto) and The 4J Family Foundation, Pioneer Works and NYC Radio Live have officially announced the lineup for their annual Ragas Live Festival, a twenty-four hour celebration of the classic Indian musical tradition. The event will take place at Pioneer Works in the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn, October 17-18.
For those unfamiliar with this music style, a raga is a classical music tradition that originated in South Asia. Each mode intends to complement a mood from a particular part of the day, and those who are masters of the tradition are highly regarded. In India, the two primary styles of raga are Hindustani and Carnatic, deriving from the country’s north and south respectively.
Both of these styles will be represented at Ragas Live Fest. Hindustani performances will include vocalists Sanhita Nandi and Mitali Banerjee Bhawmik, sitarist Indrajit Banerjee, and santoor maestro Vinay Desai. Carnatic performances will include flautist Flute Raman, vocalists Aditya Prakas and Lalgudi GJR Krishnan, and renowned violinist Lalgudi Jayaraman.
In addition to the transcendent raga performances, Saha Gnawa will also perform a traditional North African Sufi dance at midnight that features some of New York City’s greatest jazz improvisers. The event will conclude with a performance from Fareed Ayaz and Abu Muhammad Qawwal, a highly celebrated Qawwali group from Pakistan.
Ragas Festival Schedule
October 17th
7:00 PM — Lalgudi GJR Krishnan & B. Guru Raghavendra (Carnatic violin, mridangam)
8:40 PM — Sanhita Nandi, Nitin Mitta & Ravi Mishra (Hindustani vocal, tabla, harmonium)
10:20 PM — A Tribute to Umm Kulthum – Gholobt Asaleh fi Ruhi: Zahra AlZubaidi, Zafer Tawil, Mohamed Salah, Sami Abu Shumays & The Umm Kulthum Workshop (pan-Arabic vocals; large ensemble)
Midnight — Saha Gnawa [Maâlem Hassan Ben Jaafar, Daniel Freedman, Amino Belyamani, David Lizmi, Jason Lindner, Guilherme Monteiro, Gilad Hekselman (vocals and guembri; drums and percussion; qraqebs and backing vocals; keys and synths; guitars)]
October 18th
1:40 AM — Qurashi & Mir Naqibul Islam (Afghan rubab, tabla)
3:15 AM — Vinay Desai & Anubrata Chatterjee (santoor, tabla)
4:55 AM — Anubrata Chatterjee, Samyuktha Sreeram & Rohan Misra (tabla, ghatam, sarangi)
6:10 AM — Gabriel Akhmad Marin (dutar, fretless guitar)
7:55 AM — Soumya Chakraverty & Dibyarka Chatterjee (sarod, tabla)
9:30 AM — Flute Raman, B. Guru Raghavendra & Kamalakiran Vinjamuri (Carnatic flute, mridangam, violin)
11:05 AM — Mitali Banerjee Bhawmik, Pratyush Goberdhan & Mir Naqibul Islam (vocal, sarangi, tabla)
12:40 PM — Aditya Prakash, Kamalakiran Vinjamuri, Abhinav Seetharaman & Samyuktha Sreeram (vocal, violin, mridangam, ghatam)
2:15 PM — Derek Gripper Celebrates Toumani Diabaté (guitar)
3:45 PM — Indrajit Banerjee & Nitin Mitta (sitar, tabla)
5:35 PM — Fareed Ayaz & Abu Muhammad Qawwal (Qawwali Party)
This year’s festival will include two special tributes. In the first, a large vocal ensemble will pay respect to Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum, known in the Arab world as “Kawkab al-Sharq” (the Star of the East). The second will honor Mali’s kora master Toumani Diabté and will be performed by Derek Gripper, a classical guitarist and his closest collaborator.
From its inception as an in-studio broadcast at Columbia University’s radio station WKCR in 2012, Ragas Live Festival has grown substantially. In addition to the wonderful music, there will also be delicious food from Karachi Kabab Boiz and many chances to engage with the community. This powerful group of musicians is sure to draw in a sizable audience, so be sure to grab your tickets soon.
Doors open at 6, performances begin at 7. Click here to buy tickets.
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