Sat 5 Oct

10am What is tala and the tabla with Sukhdeep Dhanjal  

11.30am tea break

12.00pm Demystifying Ragas with Harmeet Virdee

1.00pm lunch break 

2.00pm Hindustani concert of sitar and tabla performance breakdown with Harmeet Virdee and Sukhdeep Dhanjal 

3.30pm tea break

4.00pm The Festival 2019 and Q&A with Harmeet Virdee and Sukhdeep Dhanjal

5pm approximate end time

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Sun 6 Oct

10am Origins and Legends including the nature of sound, two distinct classical music traditions, North & South and differences between Indian and European classical music

11.30am tea break

12.00pm Vocal Music, Khayal & Dhrupad

1.00pm lunch break

2.00pm Traditional ways of teaching Indian classical music; concept of Rasa, time-theory & the lighter classical genres

3.30pm tea break

4.00pm detailed exploration of Thumri

5pm approximate end time

This course aims to demystify the traditions and the practices that are central to this most ancient and evolved of classical musical traditions. Aimed at complete beginners, it is also useful for those with some knowledge of Indian or European classical music.

Saturday focuses on lecture demonstrations of the raga and tala system. Sukhdeep Dhanjal, a dynamic tabla teacher, and starts the course on Saturday morning with demystifying Indian rhythmic cycles known as talas. Harmeet Virdee, one of the UK’s finest sitar players, provides insights into raga music. On Sunday, the award-winning broadcaster, journalist, novelist and critic, Jameela Siddiqi, will cover both North Indian (Hindustani) and South Indian (Carnatic) traditions, as well as the origins and contemporary history of the genre.