Kiran Ahluwalia Ensemble

Thursday, October 26, 2017 at 7:30PM
Bowker Auditorium

 

Kiran Ahluwalia’s seductive singing draws on her Indian-Punjabi heritage, fusing its hypnotic grooves with passionate Saharan blues and innovative western jazz. Her compositions and arrangements embody the essence of ghazal, ancient poetry influenced by Sufi mysticism, about illicit, unattainable love. Accompanied by her band that includes 2015 Downbeat Critics Poll Top Ten jazz guitarist Rez Abbasi, master tabla player Nitin Mitta, Will Holshouser on accordion and Cedric Easton on drums,  Ahluwalia invites us to explore the human condition and lose ourselves in love.

On Wednesday, October 25 at 7pm at Hampshire Dining Commons. Grab your meal and come join the stimulating conversations with this cool and jazzy vocal artist from South Asia and maybe she will recite a verse of her poetry or sing a bar or two of music. It promises to a fun-filled Meet and Greet with Kiran and her Band. 
(General Public UMass Dining Common Dinner cost: $15.50)

Ticket Prices
$25, $15; Five College Students & Youth 17 and Under $10
Please call the Box Office to see if you or someone in your party is eligible for a discount.






Click here to view the playbill.
 
Artist's Webpage
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At the center of Kiran Ahluwalia’s music is love in all its shades, from the yearning romantic to the divine love of Sufi mysticism.

She is a modern exponent of the great vocal traditions of India and Pakistan, which she honors intensely yet departs from in masterful, personal ways. Her original compositions embody the essence of Indian music, while embracing influences from both the West and Africa — specifically the Sahara. With her five-piece group of electric and acoustic guitar, harmonium, tabla and electric bass, Ahluwalia creates boundary-breaking songs that invite us to explore the human condition, transcending the self by losing ourselves in love.



Listen to the album Santana Stillness

 

QYRQ QYZ
QYRQ QYZ: Music & Film From Central Asia

Sunday, March 4 at 4 p.m.
Fine Arts Center Concert Hall, Chamber Seating


In the Central Asian epic Qyrq Qyz (40 Girls, pronounced Kirk Kiz), a girl gathers 40 young female warriors to vanquish invaders, securing her clans’ freedom. Uzbek filmmaker Saodat Ismailova’s multimedia adaptation sets live performances by female reciters and instrumentalists against multiscreen video projections, with a musical score by Tashkent-based composer Dmitri Yanov-Yanovsky. Join us for a true celebration of women’s musical traditions in the Muslim world.

Pre-show talk with musicologist Ted Levin in the Concert Hall Lobby at 3:00 pm. Post-show Meet & Greet with the artists.

Silk Road Ensemble
The Silk Road Ensemble

Thursday, April 12 at 7:30 p.m.
Fine Arts Center Concert Hall, Chamber Seating


Inspired by the exchange of ideas and traditions along the historical Silk Road, cellist Yo-Yo Ma established Silkroad in 1998 to explore how the arts can advance global understanding. A Grammy-nominated collective of performers from Asia, Europe, and the Americas, the ensemble has been at the core of Silkroad’s work to connect the world through musical performances and learning programs and fostering cultural collaboration around the world. The ensemble’s lively concert features classical music and sumptuous traditional music alongside new work

Pre-show talk in the Concert Hall Lobby at 6:30pm.

 

Sponsors:

 
Hadley Farms Meeting House MCC massculturalcouncil.org WGBY57