Ragas Live Festival

Ragas Live Festival - October 14-15, 2023 - Pioneer Works, Brooklyn NY

Back for its 12th iteration, the Ragas Live Festival will once again feature a live music presentation that'll span 24 hours. Taking place at Pioneer Works in Brooklyn, New York, the event will also be live streamed for those who can't make it to the venue. In all there'll be 19 performances from masters of the raga tradition as well as luminaries from the worlds of ambient music, minimalism and new music.

Among those set to appear are Ramakrishnan Murthy and the Akkarai Sisters, Vicky Chow, David Cossin and Mark Stewart of The Bang on a Can All-Stars and Mind Maintenance from the duo of Joshua Abrams and Chad Taylor. Georgian Polyphonic choir Supruli will play as will traditional classic raga performers Sougata Roy Chowdhury (sarod) and Gaurav Mazumdar (sitar). Also contributing to the overnight festival will be Quadrature and a new group consisting of Amirtha Kidambi, Qasim Nakvi and Rafiq Bhatia. A special presentation called Celebrating John McLaughlin and Mahavishnu will feature original Mahavishnu Orchestra woodwinds player Premik Russell Tubbs. Another unique show will feature Kunal Gunjal and Suhail Yusuf Khan Kunal. The duo will perform on santoor and sarangi, two traditional classical raga instruments that have never before performed together in the United States.

The Ragas Live Festival will end with a performance of "In E half-flat," a Terry Riley-inspired piece composed by Amir ElSaffar; twelve musicians will take part in the finale. The festival will be broadcast live on WKCR-FM and the livestream will be broadcast on the Pioneer Works platform. Tickets to see it all in person are available for purchase here.

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