SwaRhythm Ensemble will be performing at the Esplanade this month.
Founded by Nawaz Mirajkar, the multicultural ensemble are set to launch the wonders of their latest album, Raga Rhapsodies, at the DBS Foundation Outdoor Theatre on 19 November, from 7 PM and 8.15 PM.
Made with support from the National Arts Council Presentation and Participation Grant, the album consists of four tracks, ‘Rhythm Earth’, ‘Bikaner to Barcelona’, ‘Charukeshi Tales’, and ‘Sufi Mystics’, that “capture the essence of diverse musical landscapes”.
The music of SwaRhythm Ensemble dives deep into the “rich and contemporary sounds of traditional and contemporary” soundscapes. With traces of Malay, Chinese, Persian, and Spanish influences in Indian classical tunes in their tracks, the music group is on a journey to create unique compositions for local and regional ears.
With the tagline “Exploring new frontiers”, Raga Rhapsodies peers into the Indian Raga and Tala concepts to broaden the musical dialogue beyond its limitations to introduce new genres and talents. Featured musicians include Anarva Wong (Morin Khuur, a Mongolian horse-head fiddle) and Marco Zhang (guitar) from the GIMA Band, dhol players from Dhol United Singapore, traditional drummers from the Maharashtra Mandal Singapore Dhol Tasha Pathak, and Chenda drummers of Jurong Beats Singapore.
Also part of the ensemble are award-winning Sitar player Kumar Karthigesu (Malaysian National Living Heritage), Bombay Anand (Carnatic violin), Lazar Sabastine (keyboards and piano), Niranajan Rao (Hindustani vocal), Aditi Gopinathan (Carnatic Vocal), Mahesh Parameswaran (Mridangam and percussion), and Nawaz Mirajkar (tabla, voice percussions).
Admission to the Raga Rhapsodies – An Album Launch concert is free. The performance is part of Esplanade’s Kalaa Utsavam – Indian Festival of Arts 2023, an annual festival celebrating Indian arts and culture that will be running till 26 November.
Raga Rhapsodies is now streaming on Spotify, Apple Music, and Anghami, and will be available on Amazon Music, YouTube Music, and Deezer soon.
