The Kochi Muziris Foundation is presenting a three-day music and dance festival — ‘Art...Time…Conflict’, from March 20 to March 22. Curated by Keli Ramachandran, the festival will bring musicians from diverse backgrounds and traditions to the city.
The festival opens on March 20 at 7 pm with a recital by renowned dilruba and taus artist Sandeep Singh, who is known for his nuanced style of playing the traditional stringed instrument.
The taus, which has roots in north Indian classical and Sikh musical traditions, is rarely heard on contemporary stages, making the performance a unique experience.
Sandeep, who started training under his father at the age of 12, is also involved in reviving the string instruments. He became the first artist to play the dilruba and taus at the Harmandar Sahib (Golden Temple) in Amritsar, with prominent Raagis (Sikh devotional singers). He will be accompanied on the tabla by Harmeed Singh.
On March 21, the festival will feature a classical dance performance by Bharatanatyam exponent and Padma Shri awardee Narthaki Natarajan. She is widely celebrated for her pioneering journey as a transgender artist and for breaking barriers in the classical arts space. Narthaki will be accompanied by a distinguished ensemble: Shakthi Bhaskar on natuvangam, Kaushik Champakesan on vocal, Nagai Narayanan on mridangam, and Anantharaman on violin.
The festival concludes on March 22 with a performance by Guru Rewben Mashangva, also a Padma Shri awardee, who will present ‘Blues, Ballads and the Music World of Nagas’.
Rewben is a pioneering figure in preserving and popularising the indigenous music traditions of the Tangkhul Naga community from Manipur.
His work is known for bringing oral folk traditions and contemporary musical styles together, providing invaluable insight into the diverse cultural and historical narratives of tribal music. Through his performance, he seeks to document and sustain his rich and underrepresented musical heritage.
Each evening’s programme will begin at 7pm and will be held at the Kochi Muziris Biennale Pavilion.
The festival is open to all.