This year is the 25th Birthday of The National Lottery.

We’re excited to be a part of the celebrations by joining in the #ThanksToYou campaign.

This celebrates the contribution of National Lottery players in supporting good causes over the past 25 years!

Since The National Lottery’s first draw took place on 19 November 1994, more than £40 billion has been raised for good causes in the areas of arts, sport, heritage and community. That’s £30 million a week making a difference to lives of people and communities throughout the whole of the UK.

OUR #THANKSTOYOU OFFER

To thank National Lottery players for their support, we will running a special 2-for-1 ticket offer. Purchase tickets to see Kuljit Bhamra in collaboration with Davide Giovannini at St George’s Bristol on Saturday 22nd February.

The special 2-for-1 ticket offer will be available for National Lottery ticket holders to purchase tickets from Saturday 23rd November to Sunday 1st December.

Please check our full terms and conditions below.

As a recipient of National Lottery funding, Asian Arts Agency has been able to promote and develop South Asian music in the UK, support artists and continue to produce extraordinary live experiences for audiences and venues, whilst championing the creative case for diversity.

We are one of the hundreds of participating National Lottery-funded projects across the UK who are taking part in the #ThanksToYou campaign in this special Birthday year.

Terms and conditions:

1) One National Lottery Ticket enables the holder to make one booking at the 2-for-1 offer rate, i.e. purchasing 2 tickets for the price of 1.

2) All National Lottery games qualify for the offer, including tickets from any National Lottery draw based game or National Lottery Scratchcard. Proof of purchase of a National Lottery game can be either hard copy ticket or digital.

3) If booking online or via phone, bookers must show proof of National Lottery ticket when collecting their tickets from the box office.

3) The offer is valid from Saturday 23rd November to Sunday 1st December – the duration of the #ThanksToYou campaign.

4) The concert takes place on Saturday 22nd February 2020. Refer to the St George’s Bristol website for further details about the concert.

5) We reserve the right to cap the amount of tickets available as part of this offer. The offer is available on a first come first served basis.

BOOK TICKETS NOW

Follow this link – 241 offer only available from 23 Nov – 1 Dec.

In October we produced 3 concerts with Debashish Bhattacharya and his trio at Arnolfini Bristol, Turner Sims Southampton and Royal Welsh College Cardiff.

This completed an extensive 20-date tour around the UK and Europe in 2019, following 17 concerts over the summer.

We were delighted that the concert at Arnolfini Bristol sold out in advance and we received some wonderful feedback from the event:

“Amazing and inspiring performance”

“Beautiful concert. Appropriate set and setting. Thank you”

“Wonderful evening – bought the CD”

“An absorbing, magical, warm, intimate and beguiling evening”

Debashish Bhattacharya Trio performing at Arnolfini Bristol.

Extended 20-date UK & European Tour

The tour began with a sold out performance at Norwich Playhouse on 25th May as part of the Norfolk and Norwich Festival.

We then toured the trio around the UK from May – August, with concerts at Subscription Rooms Stroud, Kings Place London and Lakeside Arts Nottingham, to name a few.

We also presented the trio in Europe at Bimhuis Amsterdam, International Music Meeting Holland, Respect Festival Prague and Forde Festival, Norway.

The trio then returned to the UK for a number of prestigious festivals, with a headline performance at Into the Wild and performances at WOMAD and Shambala festivals.

Taste the World Stage at WOMAD – Rupert Russell Photography

Amazing audience feedback

The response from audiences throughout the tour has been excellent with a run of sold out shows and amazing feedback. Here’s a selection of audience feedback from the concerts:

From audiences at Lakeside Arts Nottingham:

“Very satisfied that the artists were just brilliant masters of their craft. Beautiful.”

“Brilliant musicians and a nice venue”

“LOVED the fusion aspect. Absolutely mesmerising. Such mastery. Just wonderful.”

From audiences at Middlesborough Town Hall:

“The whole thing was wonderful. So pleased we tried something new and fantastic it came to Middlesbrough. Thank you for that! The playing and singing were mesmerising. Please come again.”

“The Trio were excellent.  Gifted performers.  Masterful performance which gave an insight to a genre of music that I have not really been exposed to.”

Debashish & Anandi performing on BBC Radio 3 – Music Planet.

New venues

We worked with a number of new venues and festivals for the first time on this tour, extending our reach and bringing world-class Indian music to new communities in the UK and Europe. New partnerships were developed in Middlesborough, Peterborough, Abergavenny, Amsterdam, Prague and Norway.

We also presented a sold out concert in Glastonbury at the Town Hall. Read more more about the sold out concert in Glastonbury and the glowing audience feedback here.

Watch highlights and audience feedback from Glastonbury Town Hall:

We are delighted to have produced two concerts in the South West as part of this tour, with both concerts selling out. This demonstrates the demand for world-class Indian music concerts in the South West region.

View all tour dates and more information on our tour page.

Short films – demonstrating Debashish’s unique instruments

While on tour this summer we also produced some short films with Debashish to introduce his unique instruments. You can watch a couple of them here. Visit our YouTube channel to see all the videos we released during this tour.

Introducing Anandi | Debashish Bhattacharya

Introducing Chaturangui | Debashish Bhattacharya

For more information about Debashish Bhattacharya and his instruments, visit his website.

We are looking forward to Rhythm Utsav 2019, Bristol’s Indian classical music and dance celebration. Let’s take a closer look at this years exciting headline performance Rhythm Yatra and the artiste line up!

The word Yatra means journey. The  vision Rhythm Yatra holds is to present a unique sound harnessing the power of percussion. An exciting journey indeed!

Rhythm Yatra has collaborated with music from different backgrounds and traditions. Artistes have included Tharun Bhatacharya (santoor player), Behanam Samani (Iranian multi-percussion player) and Shri, who is popularly known as Badmash & Shri (asian underground music).

Watch Rhythm Yatra in action!

https://youtu.be/U72_4OoXAtw

The ensemble of Rhythm Yatra this year will include Prathap Ramachandra, Kousic Sen and Mervin Mahendran. Read on to know more about the artistes.

Prathap Ramachandra

Rhythm Yatra is led by internationally acclaimed South Indian percussionist, Prathap Ramachandra. Prathap was born and raised in Bangalore, India. However, the artiste has resided in London for the past 12 years.

Deeply rooted in Carnatic music, Prathap has performed around the world at the biggest festivals and stages. He specialises in Mridangam, Ghatam, Khanjira and Konnakol.

Kousic Sen

Kousic Sen is one of the foremost tabla players of his generation. He was born into a musical family and represents the Banaras gharana tradition.

Kousic has accompanied many notable musicians and dancers around the world. He  has toured extensively participating in  major festivals globally. Kousic’s collaborations include musicians from Spain, Cuba, Indonesia and Persia.

Mervin Mahendran

Mervin Mahendran is a disciple of Shri Kandiah Anandanadesan. He was Initiated into playing the mridangam at age 9. However, Mervin also plays a range of Eastern and Western instruments including the morsing, an instrument similar to a jaw harp.

Mervin has played mridangam and morsing with renowned artists such as  Shri Neyveli  Santhanagopalan and Shri Sandeep Narayan.

Rhythm Utsav will also feature short performances from local community music and dance groups who support and teach Indian classical arts in Bristol.

Bristol’s Senior Artists and Art Schools will include:

Vasumathi Prasad: an accomplished Bharatanatyam dancer and Guru at ‘PraNartana School of Indian Classical Dance’.

Sowmya Vipin: a professional Kuchipudi dancer and Guru at` ‘Arda Kalaa Kendra’.

Gayatri Lele: a professional Hindustani musician and teacher.

Sitara Koushik: a professional Bharatanatyam dancer and Guru at ‘Laasya Dance’.

Organised by community organisation Rhythm India and supported by Asian Arts Agency, Rhythm Utsav is open to all.

Date & Venue: 9 November – Redmaids’ High School, Bristol.

Get Tickets Now!   

We recently presented two successful concerts with Anupama Bhagwat and Gurdain Rayatt. The concerts took place at St George’s Bristol and Glastonbury Town Hall. Read on to learn more about our Bristol & Glastonbury concert success.

Anupama Bhagwat, a leading sitar player from India performed emotive and top quality raagas.  Gurdain Rayatt provided outstanding tabla accompaniment.  The artistes performed to a sold-out audience at St George’s Bristol’s new addition, The Glass Studio;  and we presented our second concert at Glastonbury Town Hall.

Above: Anupama Bhagwat & Gurdain Rayatt – St George’s Bristol

At St George’s Bristol, Anupama and Gurdain led a Q & A session to an eager and fascinated audience who were delighted to learn more about the traditional art form. Besides this, audience members had the opportunity to talk with the artistes after the concert. CD’s were available and were personally signed by the artistes.

The concerts were a success. They were enjoyed by captivated audience members, both new to and well versed in Indian classical music.

Audience Feedback | Bristol & Glastonbury Concert Success

Feedback from St George’s Bristol included – 

“Great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. In actuality all three of us really enjoyed it. More world CLASSICAL music please!…”

“We both really enjoyed the event. It was really high-quality performance and I learnt something new about the instruments and style of music…”

“Wonderful, thrilling, worth the journey from Cardiff.”

Emma Champion wrote in her blog:

I was utterly transported and moved to another plain and place by what I heard, it was magnificent. Time utterly melted and I felt a deep sense of calm and peacefulness 

Jeffrey Johns stated on Instagram:

“…they played hypnotic Raga’s that acted as conversation between the two instruments, building in speed and different textures building in melodies. “

Glastonbury audience members feedback included-

” How the two musicians blend together into the most beautiful harmonies – absolutely incredible.”

See photographs from the concerts

Check out our upcoming artistes and dates here!

We are soon to present an evening of live music in Glastonbury, the historic Somerset town.

Anupama Bhagwat and Gurdain Rayatt will perform Indian classical music at Glastonbury Town Hall on Monday 9th September.

In last week’s blog we discovered interesting musical facts about the artists. This week we explore the special bond Glastonbury town shares with live music. We are proud to bring more world class live music to audiences in Glastonbury.

Making history in 1914 | Live Classical Music at the Assembly Rooms

During 1914-1926 a series of concerts, recitals and lectures took place at the Assembly Rooms, which is off Glastonbury High Street.

This series was named the Glastonbury Festivals.

Founded by composer Rutland Boughton, the Glastonbury Festivals was England’s first national annual summer school of music. The series became an enormous national success.

Boughton produced over 350 staged works, 100 chamber concerts, a number of exhibitions and a series of lectures and recitals. Consequently, this made history as it had never been done before by anyone in England!

His composition, Symphony No 1, drew attention to his talent and gained him recognition. His most notable works include The Immortal Hour, based on Celtic mythology and The Queen of Cornwall, based on a play by Thomas Hardy.

Listen below to Symphony No 1, by Rutland Boughton.

https://youtu.be/yFI8GtquhmE

Broughton believed in bringing local people and professional musicians together to create productions.

A non-conformist and enduring trail blazer, Boughton believed music could encourage new thinking and enlighten society. Sir Edward Elgar, the prolific English composer remarked:

“We believe that Glastonbury has in it the possible development of a movement of the greatest importance, both for British music and the regeneration of the life of the countryside.”

Glastonbury Festival | Live Music at Worthy Farm, Pilton

As you can see in the video below, Glastonbury is pretty out of the ordinary! Non-conforming attitudes and history of hippie ethics makes the Glastonbury connection evident to the now renowned Glastonbury Festival. In the words of founder, Michael Eavis:

“It’s the only place because it’s full of non-conformists you see and very anti-establishment. No where else in the country would I have got away with it….”

Watch: BBC Music produced a short documentary on the magic of Glastonbury Town. Featuring Glastonbury Festival founder, Michael Eavis.

Based 7 miles from Glastonbury in Pilton, the name initially given to the festival was Pilton Pop, Blues and Rock Festival. 

Hippie values, counter culture and the free festival movement heavily inspired the festival. The Green fields area and the healing field at the festival are a connection to the roots of the festival.

Today over 200,000 live music lovers attend Glastonbury Festival. Performers over time have included Tyrannosaurus Rex, The Who, David bowie, Quintessence,  The Smiths, Fat Boy Slim, Beyonce, Stormzy… to name a few!

We bring live Indian classical music to Glastonbury Town

Our upcoming concert is our second at Glastonbury Town Hall. Our first concert featured slide guitar maestro, Debashish Bhattacharya, and sold out.

We were moved by the audience feedback, some of which was recorded in the video above.

Live music in Glastonbury – book now

We are pleased to bring world class Indian classical musicians to Glastonbury for audiences in the South West to experience live in concert.

Don’t miss Anupama Bhagwat, one of the finest sitar players from India, with accompaniment by the excellent UK-based tabla player Gurdain Rayatt, on 9th September.

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In September we present two special concerts with Anupama Bhagwat and Gurdain Rayatt. Ahead of the concerts we have collated some interesting musical facts about the artists for you to get to know them a little better.

See Anupama and Gurdain perform together in concert at St George’s Bristol (8 Sep) and Glastonbury Town Hall (9 Sep). 

Anupama Bhagwat – Musical Facts

Anupama was given a violin to learn when she was five. However, Anupama’s uncle  gave her his old sitar when she was nine.

Anupama Bhagwat met her teacher and Guru, the acclaimed sitar player Acharya Bimalendu Mukherjee, in her hometown Bhilai, India.

Acharya Bimalendu Mukherjee is doyen of the Imdadkhani Gharana (the North Indian school of sitar and surbahar music).

Anupama was advised to meet the Acharya when she was thirteen. And the rest was history!

As a young sitarist, when Anupama revealed her unsureness of succeeding to her teacher, the Acharya replied: “If nothing, you will at least know your self.” 

An Italian astronomer named an asteroid after Anupama in 2006.

Anupama gave inspirational advice during a TEDx talk:

“If you just keep on focusing on what you really love to do; and if you just work on it to get better and better, some day the rewards will start pouring in. And even if they don’t , the efforts will make you strong; will make you a better person.” 

She added:

“If I was not playing sitar, if I was not doing what I am doing now then I don’t think I would have evolved as the personality that I am today.”

Gurdain Rayatt – Musical Facts

Gurdain Rayatt was born in the UK and is one of the most exciting tabla players in the country.

His audience has included HRH The Prince of Wales at the Royal Albert Hall and the V&A Museum.

Gurdain hails from three major tabla gharanas (lineages) – Benares, Punjab and Farukhabad.

His teachers include the icons Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Pandit Kumar Bose and Pandit Anindo Chatterjee.

Gurdain has recorded at the famous Abbey Road Studios in London!

Artists he has collaborated with include prolific Anoushka Shankar, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and Kala Ramnath.

He is the lead tabla player of three bands: Kefaya; Michael Messer’s Mitra; and Attuned.  The bands regularly tour UK and Europe.

We hope you enjoyed finding out more about these excellent musicians.

Experience Anupama and Gurdain perform at St George’s Bristol on Sunday 8th September and Glastonbury Town Hall on Monday 9th September.

BOOK TICKETS!

Indian classical raag is at the heart of Indian classical music. The Indian classical raag can portray a mood, a season or time of day. Traditionally it was believed that an Indian classical raag could invite the rain… or even fire!

Clearly, the Indian classical raag exudes much power.

We have selected a few Indian Classical Raag performances by our upcoming artists, Anupama Bhagwat and Gurdain Rayatt.

We are delighted to be presenting Anupama and Gurdain together in concert at St George’s Bristol (8 Sep) and Glastonbury Town Hall (9 Sep). 

Known as Surmani, ANUPAMA BHAGWAT is a musical jewel in the world of Indian Classical music. One of the leading female sitar players from India, Anupama hails from the Imdadkhani Gharana lineage (the North Indian school of sitar and surbahar music). The sitarist received her tutelage from the Doyen of the lineage itself, Acharya Bimalendu Mukherjee.

GURDAIN RAYATT is a tremendously gifted tabla player hailing from three different major tabla lineages. Trained both in India and the UK his teachers include iconic Ustad Zakir Hussain.

Anupama Bhagwat – Indian Classical Raag Selection

Morning Raag: Raag Bhairav

A poignant and picturesque performance! Filmed at 7am, watch Anupama’s performance of Raag Bhairav, the morning raag. This Indian classical raag is one of the few that can be played during any season. The mood of this raag encompasses meditation, devotion and emotional depth.

A Dedication: Raag Latangi

Anupama plays Raag Latangi, a Carnatic raag brimming with beautiful intensity. On Guru Purnima, Anupama performed this raag  in dedication to her guru, Acharya Bimalendu Mukherjee. Guru Purnima is the annual sacred day dedicated to a persons guru.  Anupama states at the beginning of the video that she chose this raag as it carries fond memories of her guru.

Gurdain Rayatt – Indian Classical Raag Selection

Raag Rageshree with Debasmita Bhattacharya

Raag Rageshree is a night time raag and performed between 9pm and midnight. Also known as the Queen of Raags, the mood of this raag is romantic. In this performance, Gurdain accompanies Debasmita Bhattacharya, the rising star of sarod.

Manj Khamaj with Anoushka Shankar

https://youtu.be/DZVDp2xyrno

Filmed at the home of Anoushka Shankar, Gurdain Rayatt provides tabla accompaniment whilst Anoushka Shankar performs on sitar.  The appropriate time to perform raag Manj Khamaj is late evening. The legendary sarod maestro Baba Allaudin Khan who was a teacher of Ravi Shankar is the composer of Raag Manj Khamaj.

Anupama and Gurdain Duo – Indian Classical Raag Selection

Part 1: Fabulous Raag Jhinjhoti  

Traditionally played at night, 9pm until midnight, Raag Jhinjhoti is light and playful. This raag is popular during wedding rituals and classical instrumentalist music.

Part 2: Fabulous Raag Jhinjhoti  

Raag Jhinjhoti sparked inspiration in the heart of Indian vocalist Bhimsen Joshi. It was after hearing this raag that Bhimsen Joshi felt inspired to become a musician. An icon known for singing in the style of Khayal Gayaki, and also for his popular renditions of devotional songs, he received the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour, in 2009.

Sangeet Piyasi Performance, Kolkata

A short clip, yet the beauty of the Sitar and Tabla clearly shines. This event was India’s Sangeet Piyasi that took place in Kolkata, 2014. Sangeet Piyasi was formed in 1992 and is dedicated to the cause of Hindustani Classical music. This organisation arranges musical concerts, seminars, workshops and regular training programmes to promote and propagate the rich cultural heritage of Indian classical music.

Listen live in concert!

See Anupama and Gurdain perform at St George’s Bristol on Sunday 8th September and Glastonbury Town Hall on Monday 9th September.

BOOK TICKETS!

Our artiste introduction presents Anupama Bhagwat, one of the finest sitar players from India, and the excellent UK-based tabla player Gurdain Rayatt who will provide accompaniment during our two upcoming concerts in Bristol and Glastonbury.

Anupama Bhagwat

Born in Bhilai city in India, Anupama was five years old when she first began her musical exploration.  Her instrument initially was the violin coupled with Hindustani vocal training. However, at the age of nine Anupama was gifted her uncle’s sitar and she began to learn under Shri R. N. Verma.

Aged thirteen, Anupama and her father approached the  iconic sitar player and music teacher Acharya Bimalendu Mukherjee, Doyen of the Imdadkhani Gharana (the North Indian school of sitar and surbahar music).

Acharya is an honorific title meaning the enlightened teacher.

Anupama was asked by the Acharya –“Life will happen to you… but this is your commitment for life, until your last breath. Are you prepared for it?”

Anupama began her tutelage with Bimalendu Mukherjee.  

The 1994 All India Radio Music Competition saw her win first place, as well as a HRD Scholarship from the Government of India (1993-1996).  The prestigious title of Surmani (a musical jewel/sitar maestro) was bestowed upon her in 1995 by Sur Sringar Samsad, Mumbai’s leading cultural organisation.

And an asteroid discovered in 2006 was named in her honour! Anupama humbly shared in her TEDx Talk that she hadn’t been aware of this until a student had let her know. She expressed her gratitude to the Italian astronomer who felt inspired to name his asteroid discovery after her.

Watch Anupama’s TEDx Talk:

Anupama’s style of playing imbibes the essence of the Imdadkhani Gharana – the fast taans, the meditative alap and the brilliant fluency of melody (Raag Bhava). Her style of playing is in Gayaki style, a lyrical and subtly nuanced style modelled upon the human voice. 

Anupama also reflects the importance of developing individuality in playing and her varied approach is a reflection of her eclectic guru. She had stated in an interview to The Tribune, Chandigarh:

“Gayaki ang is quintessential to Imdadkhani Gharana, so, it is naturally secured in our presentations. All ‘gharanas’ have their nuances that enrich the repertory of Indian classical music. I have been taught not to be rigid when it comes to music. The discipline of any gharana only shows the way and does not prevent the artiste from adopting an individual style.”

Anupama has performed at prestigious venues all over the world, including London’s Southbank Centre, Ali Akbar Khan School of Music (Basel, Switzerland), Musée Guimet (Paris), and Musée Des Beaux Arts (Angers, France).

Gurdain Rayatt

Gurdain Rayatt is one of the UK’s most exciting tabla players. Hailing from three different major tabla lineages including Benares, Punjab and Farukhabad, Gurdain has been trained both in the UK and India, and has been taught by iconic teachers including Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Pandit Kumar Bose and Pandit Anindo Chatterjee.

Gurdain has collaborated with top calibre artistes including  Anoushka Shankar, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and Niladri Kumar.

The leading tabla player has frequently performed on BBC Radio, Sky Arts and at venues including London’s Southbank Centre, Leeds International Music Festival, Songlines Encounters Festival, Latitude Festival, WOMAD Festival and Westminster Abbey. Gurdain has also had the honour to perform for HRH Prince of Wales at the Royal Albert Hall and the V&A Museum.

Experience Anupama and Gurdain perform at St George’s Bristol on Sunday 8th September and Glastonbury Town Hall on Monday 9th September.

Book tickets!