The virtuoso sitarist plays Bristol with her ATMA project, featuring leading Indian classical and jazz musicians
ATMA is a rich musical meeting ground; an enticing mix of traditional Indian and western instruments; sitar & tabla beautifully weave and interchange with Double Bass, Guitar, Tanpura & Indian Mouth Harp (Morsing), with electronic textures by Camilo Tirado, plus Kanjira, Jori and Double-Headed Barrel Drum (mridangam).
“One of the most important musicians to have emerged in the British Asian diaspora over the past few years. She expresses a profound sense of calmness laced with an inexplicable exhilaration.” (⭐⭐⭐⭐ Songlines)
Panesar’s ATMA is a journey that beautifully portrays all aspects of life – love, loss, grief, separation and ultimately the bliss of union (in Hinduism ‘atma‘ encapsulates the concept of the eternal self – or soul). After a period of deep personal loss, Roopa wrote this music to echo her feelings associated with challenges of life, with the intention to uplift.
Performers
- Roopa Panesar – sitar
- RN Prakash – mridangam, ghatam, morsing (Indian jews harp)
- Giuliano Modarelli – guitar
- Camilo Tirado – live electronics, textural percussion
- Ben Hazleton – double bass
- Surdarshan Singh – tabla
ATMA was recorded at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios and was made possible as part of Asian Arts Agency’s ‘Breaking Barriers’ music commissioning programme, Innovate.
Presented by Asian Arts Agency as part of New Sounds Festival; a celebration of contemporary South Asian music at Bristol’s leading arts venues this November. This will be a dynamic music festival showcasing the vibrancy of contemporary South Asian music via live performances, workshops, screenings and interactive spaces.