India’s cultural festivals blend art and music, creating immersive experiences across the country
3 months ago

India’s cultural festivals blend art and music, creating immersive experiences across the country

New Indian Express  

CHENNAI: The month of Margazhi has always been about rains, storms and lots of classical music in Chennai. Chennai’s very own Margazhi Sabha Season is a month-long festival, featuring hundreds of classical dance and music performances all over the city, with melophiles thronging from all over the world, to witness them. Art Festivals may seem far removed from such classical music performances but the truth speaks differently. Contemporary art and traditional music may seem like two ends of a spectrum but their seamless blending has enriched many recent art events across the length and breadth of the country. With art complementing music and vice versa, bringing the two together can only heighten one’s listening and viewing experience and create a whole new meaning.

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History of this topic

Shriram Shankarlal Music Festival: a celebration on music
1 day, 5 hours ago

Shriram Shankarlal Music Festival: a celebration on music

The Hindu  

Classical music was formally introduced to the capital nearly eight decades ago through the Shriram Shankarlal Music Festival. Over the years, it has hosted every major figure in North Indian classical music, barring rare exceptions — Pandit Kumar Gandharva was never invited in the early years, and when he finally was, he declined. The show must go on Shobha Deepak …

Chennai's new symphony
1 month ago

Chennai's new symphony

New Indian Express  

A slow, steady resurgence Rooted in Carnatic tradition, Chennai’s concert culture has witnessed a gradual metamorphosis. “Independent acts now carve inroads, particularly among youth craving sounds beyond films and ragams.” Yet large-scale global concerts remain rare — unlike Mumbai, which hosted icons from Michael Jackson to Coldplay. “UNESCO recognition was earned through our heritage, but today’s three-hour kutcheris prioritise technical …

When Chennai parks turn into open air art galleries
1 month, 2 weeks ago

When Chennai parks turn into open air art galleries

The Hindu  

More than 500 artists across age groups will turn Senmozhi Poonga into a dazzling kaleidoscope of colours on February 2. “That was the condition laid down to me to use this venue and we agreed as we wanted to give many struggling artists a platform and to some extent the open air exhibition served its purpose,” says the organiser Jaffer …

IIT Madras Saarang 2025: Amit Trivedi, Ritviz and global music bands to perform in Chennai
2 months, 1 week ago

IIT Madras Saarang 2025: Amit Trivedi, Ritviz and global music bands to perform in Chennai

The Hindu  

The quintessential Chennai college experience is incomplete without days spent frolicking at Saarang, IIT Madras’s long-hailed cultural festival. Fifty years since, the festival, replete with music concerts, lecture series, workshops, carnival rides, and active game corners, is synonymous with Chennai’s ever-evolving cultural ecosystem. Possibly the biggest night of the festival is the Pop Night -- “the night that Chennai waits …

Chennai | This Margazhi, unconventional venues click with music fans
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Chennai | This Margazhi, unconventional venues click with music fans

The Hindu  

Food and music Veena artiste Nirmala Rajasekar has performed in many unusual places – such as a classroom, an open air theatre, college campuses and a state fair in the US. Only then, Carnatic music will, not only survive, but also thrive.” The ‘Kutty Kuchery’ experience Laasya Narasimhachari went shopping. While the last edition of ‘Kutty Kutchery Festival’ featured a …

A quick guide to December 27 Margazhi concerts
2 months, 3 weeks ago

A quick guide to December 27 Margazhi concerts

The Hindu  

THE MUSIC ACADEMY @ The T.T.K. December 27, 9 a.m.: Sri Sai Sisters; 10.15 a.m.: Trichy Saravanan ; 4 p.m.: Chinmaya Sisters; 6.30 p.m.: Trichur Brothers. December 27, 10 a.m.: T. Loganatha Sharma; 3 p.m.: B. Lalitha; 4.45 p.m.: Sasirekha’s musical discourse ‘Andal Varalaru’; 6.30 p.m.: T.K.S. December 27, 9.30 a.m.: Sukanya Ramgopla’s ‘Stree Taal Taragan’; 1.15 p.m.: Aditi Sudarshan; …

Rare art forms to regale all at Kerala Folk Festival
2 months, 3 weeks ago

Rare art forms to regale all at Kerala Folk Festival

New Indian Express  

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state capital is set to celebrate Kerala’s vibrant cultural heritage with a unique festival that promises to showcase some of the state’s rare folk art. The four-day Kerala Folk Festival from December 27 to 30 will bring together folk artists from various parts of Kerala and also offer audiences an opportunity to witness the cultural extravaganza unfolding at …

The OMR sabha: How Chennai’s OMR is celebrating Margazhi
3 months ago

The OMR sabha: How Chennai’s OMR is celebrating Margazhi

The Hindu  

Hymavathi Raghuraman’s first day of the Tamil month of Margazhi was quite eventful. Accompanying her were 20 other residents from her apartment – they headed to APL Global School, located around nine kms from their residence, for the first day of the ‘OhMaRgazhi festival’. Anyone familiar with Chennai’s OMR will have stories to tell about traffic towards the Tidel Park …

A look at the Margazhi concerts to take place on December 18
3 months ago

A look at the Margazhi concerts to take place on December 18

The Hindu  

THE MUSIC ACADEMY @ 168, TTK Road, Alwarpet. Today, 8.05 a.m.: Lecdem ‘Similar Phraseologies in non-allied ragas’ by R. Hemalatha; 9.05 a.m.: ‘Izhappin Valiyum Valiyin Izhappum’ lecdem by R. Ramanathan. Today, 9 a.m.: Bangalore Brothers; 11.45 a.m.: J. Yoga Kirtana; 1.30 p.m.: Ananya Ashok; 4 p.m.: Madurai T.N.S. Vittaldas Jayakrishna Dikshitar’s Maha Bhaktha Vijayam at 7 a.m.; Malladi Brothers’ vocal …

A guide to the Margazhi concerts on December 17, 2024
3 months ago

A guide to the Margazhi concerts on December 17, 2024

The Hindu  

THE MUSIC ACADEMY @TTK Road, Alwarpet. December 17, 8 a.m.,: Music performance by the students of Advanced School of Carnatic Music; followed by Academic sessions 8.20 a.m.: ‘Encapsulating a Raga: Varnamettu’ by Ritha Rajan; and 9.20 a.m.: ‘Raga descriptions in the Brhaddesi of Matanga’ by V. Premalatha. December 17, 9 a.m.: Manda Sudha Rani; 11.45 a.m.: Shruthi Shankar Kumar; 1.30 …

A fashion symphony
3 months, 3 weeks ago

A fashion symphony

New Indian Express  

CHENNAI: A part from being the holiday season, December is the month to celebrate family, friendship, and life. So we wanted to showcase this sartorial splendour on the ramp.” Taking this discussion and innovation onto a larger stage, Event Arts in association with Radisson Blu Hotel and Suites GRT Chennai held Marvellous Marghazhi last year. “Seeing her walk the ramp …

The Hindu Made of Chennai food and music festival attracts a footfall of over 30,000
6 months ago

The Hindu Made of Chennai food and music festival attracts a footfall of over 30,000

The Hindu  

Capturing a city and its effervescent energy in the span of a weekend is no mean feat. The Hindu’s Made of Chennai Food and Music Festival was a clear window into how Chennai celebrates its many facets with wild abandon. The Food and Music Festival held in Island Grounds was an ode to the city’s musical landscape and culinary diversity …

Enjoy music Made of Chennai at The Hindu festival on September 14 and 15
6 months, 2 weeks ago

Enjoy music Made of Chennai at The Hindu festival on September 14 and 15

The Hindu  

Festivals, almost by definition, ought to be egalitarian and collaborative. The Hindu’s upcoming 10-act musical event aspires to achieve exactly this by bringing musicians of diverse genres on a single platform The two-day celebration will explore Chennai’s music ecosystem, which is known for its proclivity to tradition, but is evolving to embrace new settings and sounds. Says Badhri Narayanan Seshadri …

The Hindu Lit Fest 2024, Day 1 | Chennai’s literary carnival off to a grand start
1 year, 1 month ago

The Hindu Lit Fest 2024, Day 1 | Chennai’s literary carnival off to a grand start

The Hindu  

The Hindu’s team of journalists brings the celebration to you in this form of a live update. Gandhi played in India’s freedom struggle and the daring life of freedom fighter Chidambaram Pillai, the conversation also pivoted to the expectations of India’s economic growth by 2047. For more details, This is the 12 th edition of The Hindu’s flagship event and …

Chennai Sangamam — A cultural confluence in Chennai where classical and folk art meet
1 year, 2 months ago

Chennai Sangamam — A cultural confluence in Chennai where classical and folk art meet

The Hindu  

December is the month of festivals, and music fills the air in Chennai, the actual and cultural capital of Tamil Nadu. Despite the clear divide between “classical” and “folk” which is also drawn on the lines of caste and location, the Chennai Sangamam created a platform for the coming together of classical and folk art performers, and offered a continuity …

India's infrastructure for live performances has grown post Covid-19: Parvaaz
1 year, 2 months ago

India's infrastructure for live performances has grown post Covid-19: Parvaaz

Hindustan Times  

“Excited” to play their first gig at Lollapalooza, rock band Parvaaz, comprising Khalid Ahamed, Bharath Kashyap, Sachin Banandur and Fidel Dsouza agree that it is pretty major for them to be sharing the stage along with international names like One Republic, Halsey, Jonas Brothers and more. Parvaaz The Bengaluru-based band was formed in 2010 and Ahamed shares that he is …

The making of the Chennai Margazhi Dance Season
1 year, 2 months ago

The making of the Chennai Margazhi Dance Season

The Hindu  

During the Season, halls big and small, reverberate to the sounds of anklebells, sollukattus, cymbals, mridangam strokes and music. Classical dance – Natyam, is an integral part of Chennai’s Margazhi Season, the scope of which has expanded from November to January, thereby providing more performance opportunities mainly to youngsters. Over the year, many dance programmes started being staged under the …

Delhi govt to host week-long cultural events across Capital
1 year, 2 months ago

Delhi govt to host week-long cultural events across Capital

Hindustan Times  

Delhi will host a variety of cultural programmes with artistes from states across India from December 24 to 30. The department of art, culture, and languages, in collaboration with several academies and the tourism department, issued a week-long cultural calendar of Delhi on Saturday. “Delhi, being a microcosm of India, is bringing together people from various states with performances by …

A stage for all — Music, accessibility and inclusion
1 year, 3 months ago

A stage for all — Music, accessibility and inclusion

The Hindu  

Picturise a village, not far from the sea, full of lush green fields with clusters of coconut palms swaying in the wind. uyyum vagai kaNdEn thuLangkA arakkar thuLangka mun thiNthOL nimirach silai vaLaiyach siRidhE munindha thirumArban vaNdAr kUndhal malarmangkai vadikkaN madandhai mAnOkkam kaNdAn kaNdu koNdu ugandha kaNNapuram nAm thozhudhumE This Tamil poem composed as a ‘Vazhinadai Chindu’ was authored by …

Made of Chennai | Celebrate Madras through rare photos, music, culture and food
1 year, 7 months ago

Made of Chennai | Celebrate Madras through rare photos, music, culture and food

The Hindu  

The Hindu Archival Exhibit The year is 1949. The Hindu Festival of Chennai is held in partnership with Greater Chennai Corporation Radio partner: Radio city. In this festival held in partnership with CMRL, On the Streets of Chennai and Radio City, bands like Mayavisai, Martin & Team, Gurupathi & Gang, The Unusuals, Kooda Senthu Kathu, raids, Consonance and Maple Diaries. …

‘Chennai is blessed with diverse music’
1 year, 7 months ago

‘Chennai is blessed with diverse music’

The Hindu  

Your fondest memory of Chennai? I think it was around 1977 and I used to take multiple buses from R.A. Puram to get to school inside IIT-Madras. In R.A. Puram where I lived or Mylapore, there’s Carnatic music, north Madras has gaana, Kodambakkam has a whole bunch of musicians from all over India coming down for film music, and old …

Thiruvananthapuram to host a crowd-funded dance and theatre festival from March 10
2 years ago

Thiruvananthapuram to host a crowd-funded dance and theatre festival from March 10

The Hindu  

Theatre, dance, music, poetry, puppetry… There is a lot in store at a crowd-funded dance and theatre festival, which begins on March 10 at The Art Infinite, a space for art at Akkulam. The three-day festival, FOK!T, has been conceptualised by six independent artistes — classical dancer and actor Devaki Rajendran, actor and musician Anoop Mohandas, classical dancer and teacher …

Ode to Indian arts: Bringing alive the legacy of classical music and dance
2 years, 4 months ago

Ode to Indian arts: Bringing alive the legacy of classical music and dance

Hindustan Times  

When maestros of performing arts gather to collaborate with young and upcoming artistes, it’s ought to be a feast for lovers of classical arts. The 26th edition of Natya Tarangini’s Parampara Series, which kick-starts today, is set to mesmerise the audience with enthralling performances by sarod exponent Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Kuchipudi maestros Raja Radha Reddy and their troupe, Carnatic …

Manifest International Dance-Film Festival comes to Puducherry
2 years, 8 months ago

Manifest International Dance-Film Festival comes to Puducherry

The Hindu  

In the past two years we realised the potential of dance films more than ever. Talking about how the festival deliberately stays away from the documentary genre, Ashavari says, “we are looking at independent artistes experimenting with dance and film to come up with a new form, and not documentation.” Collaborative platform Films from more than 20 countries, with a …

Art Attack: The India Art Festival returns to Delhi after two years
2 years, 11 months ago

Art Attack: The India Art Festival returns to Delhi after two years

Firstpost  

The year’s most awaited contemporary art fair, India Art Festival, is back after almost a two-year-long hiatus due to the pandemic. India Art Festival will once again deliver a mesmerising glimpse into the evolution of Indian art throughout history, as well as the cultural styles and influences of the country’s many states. India Art Festival particularly works to support and …

Chennai misses its beloved Mylapore street festival
3 years, 1 month ago

Chennai misses its beloved Mylapore street festival

Live Mint  

“The last time I visited the Mylapore Festival,” says Latha Nathan, “there were lovely paper lanterns that were strung up along the streets. For me, the festival is about being a child again—the street-side shops selling kitschy stuff, the food, the kolams, the cotton candy, and getting lost in the crowd under those festive lights.” In January, when Vincent D’Souza …

Margazhi music without modern trappings
3 years, 2 months ago

Margazhi music without modern trappings

The Hindu  

It is a pleasant Margazhi morning. “I wanted something more intimate, where artistes and audiences alike could enjoy music and feel the divine vibrations,” he says. What better time to perform and listen to music?” Everyday during the month-long Ekantha Sangeetha Sevai festival, Murari arrives at the temple by 5.30 a.m. with his family and students. It’s an ambience that …

Chennai joins music festivals around the world at Culturas 360
3 years, 3 months ago

Chennai joins music festivals around the world at Culturas 360

The Hindu  

When Namgar Lhasaranova sings the song of her people, her voice carries. The festival is a collaboration between 14 music festivals located in different parts of the world, in an attempt to give musicians an online platform in the wake of the pandemic. Participating festivals include India’s IndiEarth Xchange, Mozambique Music Meeting, Cuba’s Havana International Jazz Festival and USA’s Concert …

Chennai to host a live arts festival with a focus on homegrown indie music, this weekend
3 years, 5 months ago

Chennai to host a live arts festival with a focus on homegrown indie music, this weekend

The Hindu  

Chennai is opening up, no doubt. “The whole point was to make an eclectic mix of music and put Chennai on the map,” says Sameer Sethi, who conceptualised the limited-capacity event with a larger theme that points to ‘togetherness’. DJ and curator Manny, explains, “The whole idea of the community platform Circle of Love is to break barriers among genres, …

At Cusp's interdisciplinary festival, performances and discussions about art that engage audiences, go beyond convention
5 years, 1 month ago

At Cusp's interdisciplinary festival, performances and discussions about art that engage audiences, go beyond convention

Firstpost  

In keeping with the idea of doing away with the glitz and glamour of a large-scale music fest, Cusp will be held in intimate settings housing smaller audiences in the terrace, patio and garden of Luz House at Mylapore in Chennai. Cusp, an immersive three-day interdisciplinary arts festival curated by First Edition arts and a group of musician-curators, is set …

performing arts festival in Chennai
5 years, 1 month ago

performing arts festival in Chennai

The Hindu  

Picture this: an intimate concert entertaining a small group of rasika s in the pristine patio of a 250-year-old Dutch heritage structure: Luz House in Mylapore. Organised by Mumbai-based First Edition Arts, it will feature over 50 musicians, speakers and performers from all over India, led by a strong curatorial team of artistes. Devina Dutt of First Edition Arts, also …

Where are the millennials in Chennai’s Margazhi music season?
5 years, 3 months ago

Where are the millennials in Chennai’s Margazhi music season?

The Hindu  

It’s December, and a cool and breezy Chennai looks forward to the glittering Margazhi season. Compared to the 8-10% public interest that’s reported for Western Classical music, Carnatic music may not have a patronage of even 1% of the population. Since its inception in 2016, MadRasana chose to break away from the sabha culture and concert etiquette and to seek …

Japanese film fest comes to Chennai
5 years, 4 months ago

Japanese film fest comes to Chennai

Deccan Chronicle  

“It was the huge success of Rajinkanth's Muthu, which was released as Muthu -Oduru Maharaja and the recent 2.O in Japan, which inspired us to bring the first edition of 'Japanese Film Festival India ' to Chennai," remarked Kaoru Miyamoto, Director General, Japan Foundation. Especially, Chennai with its annual film festivals, clubs and theatre-going culture is a very attractive city …

When it rained music in Chennai
5 years, 8 months ago

When it rained music in Chennai

Deccan Chronicle  

Chennai: A musical prayer for rains, Mega Raga Varshini, was held in Chennai from 9 am to 9 pm on Tuesday. Nearly 150 musicians, including veterans, eminent musicians and upcoming artistes, performed at the special event organised by Global Carnatic Musicians Association at Sringeri Sharada Peetam in T Nagar. Talking to DC, GCMA president musician Sudha Ragunathan said Mega Raga …

India now has a legit music festival scene, but events' programming must be as innovative as packaging
6 years, 1 month ago

India now has a legit music festival scene, but events' programming must be as innovative as packaging

Firstpost  

According to industry estimates, almost 25 music festivals are held in India, which is not bad for a country which has witnessed festivals for only a decade It’s possible to attend a different Indian music festival every weekend in February. SulaFest was held at Sula Vineyards in Nashik last week, the Mahindra Blues Festival is being staged in Mumbai this …

Margazhi for the children: On T.M. Krishna’s only concert this Season
6 years, 2 months ago

Margazhi for the children: On T.M. Krishna’s only concert this Season

The Hindu  

It’s been a while since T.M. Then again, where the Chennai Children’s Choir is concerned, he says the opportunity to present an exclusive concert in an effort to raise funds for the choir was one “he simply couldn’t turn down.” “I’ve seen this choir from its early days; they’ve performed at the Urur Olcott Festival. Dedicated effort Joining hands with …

Ancients with a contemporary twist
6 years, 5 months ago

Ancients with a contemporary twist

Deccan Chronicle  

Midway through attending a concert, Dr Suma Sudhindra evidently isn’t too thrilled with the interruption. A devotion to the arts occupies an unshakeable position at the top of the priority list; perhaps it is this very drive that underlies the Bangalore International Arts Festival, which she co-founded with renowned Kathakali dancer Veena Murthy Vijay. Eleven years ago, the two doyens …

VH1 Supersonic: Flash sales, and what they tell us of how music festivals are perceived in India
6 years, 6 months ago

VH1 Supersonic: Flash sales, and what they tell us of how music festivals are perceived in India

Firstpost  

Flash sales for tickets to music festivals such as VH1 Supersonic, months before the line-up is even announced, is a little like buying a ticket to a holiday without knowing the specifics of the itinerary VH1 Supersonic Festival is traditionally held in February every year. Perhaps in a few years they’ll hold the flash sale for the following year, during …

Bringing Margazhi home
8 years, 2 months ago

Bringing Margazhi home

The Hindu  

T he Metrozone, Anna Nagar, looms thuggishly over its low-rise neighbours, and is hard to miss. It’s the first day of ‘Margazhi — A Festival of Performing Arts’, at the plush housing complex, and the 300-strong audience, a mix of residents and non-residents, is visibly stoked. Once I moved in here in June 2015, I was upset that Anna Nagar, …

Getting dressed for Margazhi
8 years, 3 months ago

Getting dressed for Margazhi

The Hindu  

Be it Glastonbury, the world’s largest greenfield festival of contemporary performing arts, or the sought-after Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in the summer, these are where musicians, lakhs of attendees and even style trackers find their rhythm. Balasubramaniam was known as much for his crystal-clear rendition as his kadukkan, while Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar’s angavastrams with a thick zari border …

Sounds from India’s heart
8 years, 3 months ago

Sounds from India’s heart

The Hindu  

While the USP at most music festivals are the headliners, international bands and artistes, what sets this weekend’s ‘Echoes of Earth’ apart is that it is India’s first ecologically-crafted music festival. The festival has tied up with the Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre, Ministry of Culture’s Vadya Vithika – a museum of folk and tribal musical instruments. We are happy to …

Sunburn Festival aims to unite youth in entertainment-starved India
8 years, 3 months ago

Sunburn Festival aims to unite youth in entertainment-starved India

Live Mint  

Inaugurated in 2007, the Sunburn Festival remains one of Asia’s most popular amalgamation of music, entertainment, food, shopping and lifestyle organized in Goa each year. He talks about the growing sponsor interest in the brand, breaking even and the challenges of hosting the electronic dance music festival without government support, in a country that has never known club culture. Edited …

Chennai’s Marghazi Fest to Go on, Although Some Artists Pull Out
9 years, 3 months ago

Chennai’s Marghazi Fest to Go on, Although Some Artists Pull Out

The Quint  

“The Music Academy would also like to contribute to the relief and rehabilitation once the season is over. According to media reports, Mylapore Fine Arts Club and Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha started their annual festivals on Wednesday. The Sri Krishna Gana Sabha will also inaugurate the festival on December 20 instead of December 11. Even the tsunami of December …

IIT Chennai comes up with largest student festival of South India, Saarang 2014
11 years, 2 months ago

IIT Chennai comes up with largest student festival of South India, Saarang 2014

India TV News  

Chennai: IIT-Madras's cultural festival Saarang has begun here on January 8 and will continue till January 12. Saarang is considered the largest student festival of South India.It is organized every year by IIT Madras.The fest has become an integral part of Chennai's city culture. This is one event the city's youth looks forward to.The five-day festival will have special shows …

November Fest begins today in Chennai
11 years, 4 months ago

November Fest begins today in Chennai

The Hindu  

“It was just pointed out to me that this year, November Fest, coincidentally, begins on Rabindranath Tagore’s Nobel centenary,” said N. Ravi, editor-in-chief, The Hindu, in his address to a packed hall at Vivanta by Taj–Connemara. “He not only gave us Gitanjali, but also thousands of songs on love, devotion and patriotism, with Rabindra Sangeet.” Mr. Ravi was speaking >at …

More than just song and dance
11 years, 7 months ago

More than just song and dance

The Hindu  

When a little boy stood up and asked Nedunuri Krishnamurthy what that tall brown thing behind him was, the celebrated Carnatic vocalist indulged his curiosity and explained that it was a tanpura. Another youngster quizzed Ghatam V. Suresh: “Won’t that pot break if you hit it hard?” The amused vidwan explained how they were made, and demonstrated how strong they …

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