Previous events
Hip Hop Meets the Music of India
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The Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art , 1050 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20560
From May 1 to May 14, America’s first national museum of art will mark its centennial by hosting the inaugural festival in this five-year initiative. Programming includes headline performers—internationally acclaimed singer-songwriters Eric Nam and Raveena—plus panel discussions, interactive experiences, culinary adventures, art-making projects and programming from the Middle East, Asia and America’s Asian American communities. The museum’s partnership with Bank of America will greatly expand the museum’s public programming, both within its galleries and on the National Mall, ensuring that Asian arts and culture reach the broadest possible audiences.
Catch Nistha Raj & Christylez Bacon present their collaborative project "Hip Hop Meets the Music of India" on Saturday, May 13th from 5-6 PM.
Bloom at Good Hope Concert Series NISTHA RAJ & CHRISTYLEZ BACON Indian Music Meets Beatbox
Good Hope Neighborhood Recreation Center, 14715 Good Hope Rd , Silver Spring, MD 20905
Multi-genre violinist Nistha Raj and progressive hip-hop artist Christylez Bacon, both Strathmore AIR alumni, come together to explore the intersection of beat boxing and Indian classical music, and everywhere in between. Nistha Raj has negotiated the spaces between Indian and Western classical and contemporary music for two decades, studying violin intensively in both the U.S. and India. She has gone on to meld tradition with contemporary innovation through work on collaborative classical, jazz, hip-hop, and rock projects, to name a few.
As a Grammy-nominated multi-instrumentalist, Christylez Bacon is no stranger to cross-cultural collaboration, bringing his musical experiences rooted in Southeast DC to creative partnerships with artists from India, Egypt, Brazil, and more. With a mission toward cultural acceptance and unity through music, Christylez has showcased his projects at a number of DC venues and events, including his own Washington Sound Museum events, along with the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and the Kennedy Center.
FREEE/PAY WHAT YOU CAN Tickets: https://www.strathmore.org/events-tickets/bloom-community-events/bloom-at-good-hope-nistha-raj-christylez-bacon/
RSVP - FREE
Live from the Mansion with Host Christylez Bacon Episode 7: Christylez Bacon & Nistha Raj
Grammy-nominated hip-hop artist Christylez Bacon is known for his beatboxing, rhyming, and story-telling skills. This collaboration with violinist Nistha Raj offers a contemporary take on classical Hindustani music. Together, this adventurous duo creates something totally fresh. It’s an edgy, innovative amalgam that draws on their diverse heritages with the goal of bridging cultural divide
FREE! RSVP online (optional) if you'd like a reminder email before the show starts at bit.ly/LiveFromTheMansion.
About Live from the Mansion Live from the Mansion is a virtual concert series that brings inspiring music and insightful conversation together in the Mansion at Strathmore. Each week, host Christylez Bacon joins us for performances in a variety of genres and helps us get to know some of the best artists from the DC area—all from Strathmore’s renowned Artist in Residence program. Tune into Strathmore’s Facebook page Wednesdays at 7:30 pm to catch the premiere of each episode.
About Host Christylez Bacon Grammy-nominated progressive hip-hop artist Christylez Bacon—with his inimitable style and magnetic personality—is a dynamic member of the Washington, DC music community. With a mission towards cultural acceptance and unification through music, Bacon is constantly pushing the envelope: whether it be with Beatbox Remix, the cross-cultural collaborative music video series he founded featuring guest artists from diverse musical genres, or his education performances for young people.
Strathmore’s Virtual Programming is supported by AARP Maryland.
Asian American Literature Festival
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Smithsonian's Freer Sackler Gallery , 1050 Independence Ave SW, Washington, D.C.
FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Join us for a special outdoor celebration featuring the voices of outstanding poets, writers, and performance artists as part of the Smithsonian Asian American Literature Festival. Visit our interactive Literary Lounge on the Freer plaza and stay for musical performances and a spoken word showcase jam-packed with energy. Plus Burmese flavors by Thamee, Taiwanese street food by AiYa, Asian-inspired cold treats by Ruby Scoops, and specialty cocktails by Please Bring Chips are available for purchase. Cool off inside by viewing the Freer’s exhibitions throughout the evening. 5–9 pm: Freer galleries are open. Food and drinks are available for purchase, including a cash bar. Interactive Literary Lounge featuring tarot card reading, literary meme-making, haikus against Islamophobia, postcards to refugees, and more! 5–6 pm: DJ Adriel Luis 5:30–6pm: Poetry Performances in the Freer Galleries 6–7 pm: Verbal Fire Literary Showcase hosted by poet Regie Cabico with Wo Chan 7–7:30pm: Musical Performance by Nistha Raj 7:30–8pm: Comedy Performance by Kat Evasco 8–9pm: Asian American Poetry Slam hosted by Gowri K. with Lauren Bullock, Soo-Jin Lee, M Marbella, Dan Lau, Jenny C. Lares & Pamela K. Santos
Free Admission (Rain or Shine) Kick off summer with a day of live music featuring an array of creative collaborations and genres ranging from Ethiopian jazz to Brazilian to Latin folk, a waterfront beer garden from Alexandria’s award-winning Port City Brewing Company, plus local food, hands-on arts and history activities, and fun for the whole family at the Portside in Old Town Summer Festival on Saturday, June 22, 2019 from 2 to 8 p.m. at the new Waterfront Park at the foot of King Street in Old Town Alexandria.
Performances: 2-2:15 p.m. Opening remarks 2:15-3 p.m. Elena & Los Fulanos - Latin folk 3:15-4 p.m. Christylez Bacon & Nistha Raj: Bhairavi Beatbox - Hip-hop meets the music of India 4:15-5 p.m. Feedel Band - Ethiopian jazz 5:15-6:15 p.m. Cissa Paz - Brazilian 6:45-8 p.m. Black Masala - Brass fusion
*Performance schedule is subject to change.
More info: https://tinyurl.com/yyq66p8y
The Visiting Artist Series is a nationally-recognized performing arts residency program that brings nationally- and internationally-known artists to the Quad Cities, offering the community the opportunity to see world-class performers. Outreach performances take place in schools over a one-to-two-week residency, concluding with a public performance in a traditional concert hall. A typical season brings 8-10 artists, reaching 40,000 people each year, mostly in schools (K-12), workplaces, human service agencies, senior centers, and public concert venues.The Visiting Artist Series exposes and educates students and our community by broadening their understanding of the arts through interaction with artists from various cultural and artistic backgrounds.
Hip Hop Meets the Music of India with NISTHA RAJ & CHRISTYLEZ BACON Outdoor Summer Concert Series FREE
Free parking is available at Dolley Madison Library, 1244 Oak Ridge Ave.
https://tinyurl.com/ydca7rxu District of Raga Presents: Neel Murgai
$10 *cash only accepted at the door
Details: 9:00 PM Neel Murgai: sitar & vocal Avi Shah: tabla
10:15 PM Raga Jam Session
Bossa Bistro & Lounge 2463 18th Street NW Washington, DC 20009
In this unique concert Neel Murgai shares his interdisciplinary talents in two parts. The first part will feature Neel's overtone singing with live looping, to create a psychedelic experience of just intonation drones and chords, mixed with primal guttural rhythms and harmonic counterpoint. The second part of the concert will be a North Indian classical performance with Neel on sitar accompanied by District of Raga's own Avi Shah on tabla.
Neel Murgai is a sitarist, daf player, overtone singer, composer and teacher from Brooklyn, NY. He is a cofounder and artistic director of Brooklyn Raga Massive, a nonprofit musicians collective dedicated to Indian music. Neel has studied sitar for over 20 years, currently with his guru Pundit Krishna Bhatt. He learned overtone singing from Timothy Hill of the Harmonic Choir. He is a graduate of Goddard College's MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts program. Neel has performed around the world with numerous artists from varying disciplines including, Bill T. Jones, Cyndi Lauper, Wyclef Jean, Andre DeShields, Karsh Kale, Vijay Iyer, Daniel Bernard Romain, Dana Leong, Ellen Stewart, Laraaji, Yuerba Buena, Baba Israel, Raz Mesinai, Mission on Mars, Akim Funk Buddha, Loren Conners, Louis Bellogenis and Cosmo Vinyl. He has performed at venues ranging from the Lincoln Center and Kennedy Center to the David Letterman Show to jazz clubs such as the Blue Note and at festivals around the U.S including Art Wallah, Arts Plosure, Masala! Mehndi! Masti! and many others. Neel played in the orchestra for Disney’s musical theater adaptation of “The Jungle Book” directed by Mary Zimmerman. Neel has composed music for many film, TV, video, theater and dance projects including the features, “The Yes Men Fix the World", which premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and "A Decent Arrangement" starring Shabana Azmi. His music has been featured in the BBC series, “Holiday’s in the Danger Zone", and TBS programs, “Women of the Ink", and “Spotlights".
Raised in the US, Advait Shah (Avi) has been playing tabla since the age of eight. Largely a self taught musician, Advait has developed much of his musical knowledge and skill through listening to recordings and attending concerts. He received a basic training at the Faculty of Performing Arts of the Maharaja Sayajirao University in Baroda during a trip to India in 1986. Upon his return to the USA, he began accompanying musicians in all genres of Indian music including Hindustani classical, ghazals, qawalis, film and devotional music. He later received advanced training from Ustad Tari Khan in Chicago, IL., and has had the opportunity to attend workshops taught by the great Ustad Zakir Hussain. As an accompanist, he has shared the stage with Nisar Bazmi, Ustad Nafiz Ali Khan and Pandit Subroto Roy Choudury, among others. Through his training and self study, Avi has developed a unique style which creatively blends a mix of East and West. Along with Karavika, he also plays with fusion alternative rock/Indian group Banyan Trees. Avi's musical interests also extend to singing ghazals and Hindi film songs as well as playing the dhol, and other percussion instruments. By profession, Avi is a practicing dentist in the Baltimore area.
After the performance our jam session will follow. We are focused on encouraging spontaneous collaboration between smaller groups of musicians. Pairs, trios, quartets: join up with other musicians that are present or that you've met at past events and sign up for a slot to play. We only ask that your performance is rooted in or inspired by the tradition of Indian Classical Music.
Hosted, organized, and curated by Nistha Raj and Avi Shah, District of Raga is a monthly event for Indian Classical music with featured artists followed by a jam session. All are welcome to participate. We are focused on encouraging spontaneous collaboration between smaller groups of musicians. Pairs, trios, quartets: join up with other musicians that are present or that you've met at past events and sign up for a slot to play. We only ask that your performance is rooted in or inspired by the tradition of Indian Classical Music. More info: https://www.facebook.com/districtofra ga/
Thank you for your support!! District of Raga
https://tinyurl.com/y8bsmpod District of Raga Presents: Improvisation Dialects, A meeting Point
Details: 7:30 - 8:30 PM Workshop with Deepak Ram (upstairs) Methodology and Philosophy of Improvisation in Indian Classical Music. Open to all, no prior experience necessary.
9:00 PM Concert Deepak Ram (Bansuri) Pepe Gonzalez (Bass) Avi Shah (Tabla and Percussion)
10:15 PM Raga Jam Session
Workshop + Concert: $15 (discounted from $20) Concert Only: $10 Workshop Only: $10 *Cash only accepted at the door
Disciple of Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, Deepak Ram is known for his evocative performances in traditional North Indian (Hindustani) Classical Music. Apart from the US, Deepak has performed in South Africa, India, United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Austria, Germany, Lebanon, Turkey and Holland and had the honor of accompanying his teacher, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, in Geneva, London and Paris. In addition to his training under Pandit Chaurasia, Deepak learned from other maestros such as Sri Jeram Bhana (in South Africa), (late) Sri Suryakant Limaye and Pandit Vijay Raghav Rao. He also studied Tabla under Sri Yashwant Padhye and, music theory and voice under Pandit Rajaram Shukla. Deepak has eight solo albums to his credit and as a session musician can be heard on over twenty-five albums. Winner of several prestigious awards, Deepak holds a Masters degree in Music (MMus) from Rhodes University, South Africa. He served as visiting professor in Indian Music at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He has lectured full time for four years at the University of Durban-Westville, South Africa. www.deepakram.com
Living in Washington, DC, Pepe González is a performer, composer, producer, arranger, and teacher. Pepe has performed largely within the Jazz, Afro-Carribean and Brazilian idioms and hs recorded extensively with national and international musicians. He has had the pleasure of performing with Maria Rodriquez and her Latin Jazz Orchestra, Jeannie Bryson, Pepper Adams, Dorothy Donegan, Clifford Jordan, Horacio Icasto, Hilton Ruiz, Slide Hampton, Dave Valentin, the Grubb Brothers, and many others. Pepe has played many festivals including the Carribean, Spain, France, Greece, Italy and the Soviet Union. Pepe recently recorded his fist CD, Looking Back, where he shares with us his considerable composing and arranging chops. The CD includes nine original compositions, all written by Pepe and dedicated to his family, mentors, and heroes.
Raised in the US, Advait Shah (Avi) has been playing tabla since the age of eight. Largely a self taught musician, Advait has developed much of his musical knowledge and skill through listening to recordings and attending concerts. He received a basic training at the Faculty of Performing Arts of the Maharaja Sayajirao University in Baroda during a trip to India in 1986. Upon his return to the USA, he began accompanying musicians in all genres of Indian music including Hindustani classical, ghazals, qawalis, film and devotional music. He later received advanced training from Ustad Tari Khan in Chicago, IL., and has had the opportunity to attend workshops taught by the great Ustad Zakir Hussain. As an accompanist, he has shared the stage with Nisar Bazmi, Ustad Nafiz Ali Khan and Pandit Subroto Roy Choudury, among others. Through his training and self study, Avi has developed a unique style which creatively blends a mix of East and West. Along with Karavika, he also plays with fusion alternative rock/Indian group Banyan Trees. Avi's musical interests also extend to singing ghazals and Hindi film songs as well as playing the dhol, and other percussion instruments. By profession, Avi is a practicing dentist in the Baltimore area.
After the performance our jam session will follow. We are focused on encouraging spontaneous collaboration between smaller groups of musicians. Pairs, trios, quartets: join up with other musicians that are present or that you've met at past events and sign up for a slot to play. We only ask that your performance is rooted in or inspired by the tradition of Indian Classical Music.
Hosted, organized, and curated by Nistha Raj and Avi Shah, District of Raga is a monthly event for Indian Classical music with featured artists followed by a jam session. All are welcome to participate. We are focused on encouraging spontaneous collaboration between smaller groups of musicians. Pairs, trios, quartets: join up with other musicians that are present or that you've met at past events and sign up for a slot to play. We only ask that your performance is rooted in or inspired by the tradition of Indian Classical Music. More info: https://www.facebook.com/districtofra ga/
Thank you for your support!! District of Raga
Cultural Events Night Nistha Raj and Christylez Bacon with Chao Tien on Chinese Dulcimer & Avi Shah on Tabla
District of Raga Presents: Samarth Nagarkar (Hindustani vocalist)
Details: 7:30 - 8:30 PM Workshop with Samarth Nagarkar (upstairs) Guided listening session with Samarth: Open to all, no prior music experience required. We will listen to selection of recorded music as Samarth will pause at key moments to discuss little nuances to further break down the music. The goal is to deepen our understanding as listeners and enhance our future experiences.
9:00 PM Concert Samarth Nagarkar: vocal Anjna Swaminathan: violin Avi Shah: tabla
10:15 PM Raga Jam Session
Workshop + Concert: $15 (discounted from $20) Concert Only: $10 Workshop Only: $10 *Cash only accepted at the door
Event Link: https://tinyurl.com/y9763nof
Samarth Nagarkar is a Hindustani classical vocalist, known for his captivating performances and a traditionally rich music. Samarth features in several prominent music festivals and venues around the world. He is Guru and Director of Academic Affairs at Chhandayan Center of Indian Music in New York and frequently presents lectures and master-classes at schools/universities like NYU and MSM. He has two albums titled ‘Pravah’ and ‘Pranali’ and a book, ‘Raga Sangeet’ to his credit. Trained under two of India’s most respected gurus and performers, Ulhas Kashalkar and Dinkar Kaikini, he is a former scholar of the ITC Sangeet Research Academy, Kolkata. Samarth was awarded a Fellowship by the Department of Culture, Government of India and was one of the youngest musicians to be adjudged winner of the prestigious All India Radio National Competitions at 19 years. Pursuing a full-fledged career as a performer, composer, teacher and author, Samarth is described by critics as one of today’s most prolific performers and a torchbearer to the traditions he represents. More info at: www.samarthnagarkar.com
Hosted, organized, and curated by Nistha Raj and Avi Shah, District of Raga is a monthly event for Indian Classical music with featured artists followed by a jam session. All are welcome to participate. We are focused on encouraging spontaneous collaboration between smaller groups of musicians. Pairs, trios, quartets: join up with other musicians that are present or that you've met at past events and sign up for a slot to play. We only ask that your performance is rooted in or inspired by the tradition of Indian Classical Music. More info: https://www.facebook.com/districtofraga/
Details: 9:00 PM
Veena Sivaraman: vocal
Bhargav Tumkur: violin
Anirudh Changkakoti: tabla
10:15 PM Raga Jam Session
Veena Sivaraman is a budding classical Indian vocalist. She began training in Carnatic music at the age of 5, owing her strong foundation to Guru Sri Palghat T.R. Rajaram. Veena is the great grand daughter of Sri Papanasam Sivan, a Tamil music composer. She has performed extensively in music festivals throughout the USA, including but not limited to the Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana, Indian Raga Fellowship, Star Singer USA Junior, the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC and the residence of India’s Ambassador to the US. With her background in Bharathanatyam, she provides excellent vocal support for arangetrams. Veena has also had the privilege of performing solo concerts in Chennai during the December Music Festival. Veena currently attends the University of Maryland as a Biology and Computer Science major. She was the President of Anokha, UMD’s South Asian fusion acapella team in 2016. Veena’s passion for the art guides her in this lifelong musical journey.
Thank you for your support!! District of Raga
More info: https://tinyurl.com/ya6qd5k7
Hosted, organized, and curated by Nistha Raj and Avi Shah, District of Raga is a monthly event for Indian Classical music with featured artists followed by a jam session. All are welcome to participate. We are focused on encouraging spontaneous collaboration between smaller groups of musicians. Pairs, trios, quartets: join up with other musicians that are present or that you've met at past events and sign up for a slot to play. We only ask that your performance is rooted in or inspired by the tradition of Indian Classical Music. More info: https://www.facebook.com/districtofraga/
APAP: Barbès & Electric Cowbell present SECRET PLANET
For the 8th year, Barbès Records and Electric Cowbell Records present a Manhattan showcase timed to coincide with the APAP conference. APAP is an annual rite that, every January, brings musicians from around the world to New York. This year's Secret Planet's lineup continues our tradition of showcasing new talent unlikely to remain secret for very long. This year's edition includes artists playing their own version of music from Thailand, Ethiopia, India, West Africa, Colombia, The Middle East, and great American music cities like Cleveland, Brooklyn, and Washington, DC. And don't be dazzled by the geographical diversity or think of it as World Music. Most musicians involved have no idea what world music is.
More info: http://bit.ly/2AnAUFu
DOUBLE FEATURE District of Raga Presents: Vinay Konda & Kaleidoscope $10
Details: Vinay Konda: 9:00 PM Kalaeidoscope: 10:00 PM RAGA JAM SESSION: 11:00 PM
Vinay Konda - saxophone Vijay Ganesh: Mridangam
Brian Kalkowski: saxophone Ben: guitar Nistha Raj: violin Avi Shah - tabla
More info: http://bit.ly/2AzsQxL
Hosted, organized, and curated by Nistha Raj and Avi Shah, District of Raga is a monthly event for Indian Classical music with featured artists followed by a jam session. All are welcome to participate. We are focused on encouraging spontaneous collaboration between smaller groups of musicians. Pairs, trios, quartets: join up with other musicians that are present or that you've met at past events and sign up for a slot to play. We only ask that your performance is rooted in or inspired by the tradition of Indian Classical Music. More info: https://www.facebook.com/districtofraga/
Hip Hop Meets the Music of India with NISTHA RAJ & CHRISTYlEZ BACON After Hours at the National Gallery of Art East Building, 6:00–9:00 PM FREE More info: https://tinyurl.com/ya739g6s
October: District of Raga & Multiflora Fest Presents BROOKLYN RAGA MASSIVE Featuring: Arun Ramamurthy & Karavika $10 http://bit.ly/2xE73EA
Hosted, organized, and curated by Nistha Raj and Avi Shah, District of Raga is a monthly event for Indian Classical music with featured artists followed by a jam session. All are welcome to participate. We are focused on encouraging spontaneous collaboration between smaller groups of musicians. Pairs, trios, quartets: join up with other musicians that are present or that you've met at past events and sign up for a slot to play. We only ask that your performance is rooted in or inspired by the tradition of Indian Classical Music. More info: https://www.facebook.com/districtofraga/
Join CulturalDC and Ward 6 community members as we celebrate the launch of SPACE4: Visual Arts, DC's first-ever mobile arts gallery! We turned a 40-ft shipping container into a fully-renovated, solar-powered exhibition space for local DC artists and can't wait to share vibrant artistic experiences with communites across DC. The Yards Park kickoff event will feature food, music, family-friendly performances and an interactive installation by Salvatore Pirrone.
Performances by: - Stuart Hobson Middle School Band - Tyler Elementary School All-Star Steppers - Open Box Project (Orange Grove Dance + Rogue Collective) - Christylez Bacon and Nistha Raj
More info: https://tinyurl.com/yapbqasy
District of Raga, previously known as DC Raga Jam, was launched in January 2017 with a vision of creating a space for practitioners and lovers of Indian classical music to gather for musical dialogue and community within Washington, D.C. Their inspiration came from the hugely successful community of musicians in New York City known as Brooklyn Raga Massive.
The event is currently held at Bossa Bistro & Lounge in Adams Morgan on the last Wednesday of every month. The event showcases a curated, featured artist followed by an open jam session with a focus on representing traditional and authentic Indian classical music as well as multicultural musical traditions. District of Raga is curated, hosted, and organized by cofounders Nistha Raj and Avi Shah.
Musicians Nistha Raj, violin Deepak Ram, bansuri flute Advait Shah, tabla Brian Falkowski, saxophone, flute FREE More info: https://tinyurl.com/y86l599l
Featured Artist: Anand Vemuri (bansuri) http://bit.ly/2iL3PMl $5
Hosted, organized, and curated by Nistha Raj and Avi Shah, District of Raga is a monthly event for Indian Classical music with featured artists followed by a jam session. All are welcome to participate. We are focused on encouraging spontaneous collaboration between smaller groups of musicians. Pairs, trios, quartets: join up with other musicians that are present or that you've met at past events and sign up for a slot to play. We only ask that your performance is rooted in or inspired by the tradition of Indian Classical Music. More info: https://www.facebook.com/districtofraga/
“Music is like fire, never stale, existing mainly because of relentless rejuvenation. This fusion performance (Nistha Raj & Christylez Bacon) had a class, uncompromising musicality and entertained the audience. This is a proof that you can have the cake and eat it too! ”
— Sridharan Madhusudhanan Minister (Press, Information & Culture) Embassy of India