News Notes
Pioneer Works will present the Ragas Live Festival, 24 hours of transcendent music performed by musicians from around the globe from October 19, 2024 (7pm) – October 20, 2024 (7pm), 2024. In collaboration with NYC Radio Live, Brooklyn Raga Massive and the Society for Arts and Culture of South Asia.
The event is inspired by raga, the classical music tradition from South Asia, where specific modes harmonize with the moods and energy of particular times of day, such as sunrise, sunset, or the darkest hours of the night. Master musicians from the raga tradition are presented alongside legends in ambient music, minimalism, jazz and global traditions.
For the passionate, deep-listening audience the festival has attracted since 2012, Pioneer Works provides an ideal setting. The natural light in the main hall shifts with the ragas during the day, and the outdoor garden allows participants to listen to music under the stars at night.
Among the performers include, Debashish Bhattacharya, who brought the slide guitar to a new level of virtuosity, will perform a unique set inspired by the earliest recordings of raga. He’ll be joined by vocalist Anandi Bhattacharya and tabla maestro Subashish Bhattacharya.
The violin pyrotechnics of Ganesh Rajagopalan will be featured in a traditional set of Carnatic music. Rajagopalan first performed at the age of 7 and quickly rose to fame, by the time he was 10 years old he had toured the world and completed his 100th stage appearance.
The trailblazing modular synthesist and vocalist, Arushi Jain will create her signature lush analog and electronic textures inspired by the raga idiom. Jain, also known as ‘the modular princess,’ has been making waves. An influential Forbes 30 under 30 honoree, her album Under the Lilac Sky was featured as Best Jazz & Experimental Album by Pitchfork.
Homayoun Sakhi, the greatest living exponent of the 18-stringed rubâb, the national instrument of Afghanistan, will be joined by tabla phenom Salar Nader. Born in Kabul into one of Afghanistan’s leading musical families, Sakhi is the heir to a musical lineage that began in the 1860s, when the ruler of Kabul, Amir Sher Ali Khan, brought a number of classically trained musicians from India to perform at his court.
Salar Nader, who will be accompanying Sakhi, is one of the most outstanding disciples of Zakir Hussain and began his studies with the maestro at the age of 7.
For more info, visit ragaslive.com.
