London Intl. Arts Fest Gathers Momentum

Jyotsna Srikanth

The London International Arts Festival (LIAF) had a successful start on 26th October.

The second week of the festival features an interesting band, Sunday Driver at the Brunel Museum on 29th October at 7.30pm, dont miss them!

Curated by the South indian violinist Jyotsna Srikanth, 2014’s five day line up spotlights the capital’s best up and coming world music bands alongside premier South Indian classical artists. Delicious food, handicraft stalls and children’s activities add to the festival fun.

LIAF AT BRUNEL MUSEUM WED 29 OCT
19.30 Sunday Driver (UK)
Indie fusion sensation Sunday Driver fuse together elements of Indie, World music, Asian traditional sounds (from popular Kannada and Telugu), jazz and folk to paint a heady, deliciously powerful sonic landscape that never fails to move the heart, head and feet.  Here performing in duo formation will be Chandrika on vocals and guitar and Kat on orchestral harp

FUTURE EVENTS AT LIAF 2014
LIAF AT BRUNEL MUSEUM THURS 06 NOV

19.30 An Evening of Indian Classical Music in Two Parts: North & South by Prabhat Rao and Annapoorna Karthik (India)
An experienced Hindustani Classical vocalist specialising in the North Indian “Khyal” style of vocal music, he will present a repertoire of pure classical Ragas and Bhajans.
The thematic South Indian Carnatic vocal concert in the second half will feature work by eminent composers set to ragas that evoke a fine spectrum of Navarasas (nine emotional moods), touching and transporting the listeners by Annapoorna Karthik from India.

LIAF AT JAZZ CAFE  SUN 09 NOV
16.00 – 17.00 Krar Collective (Ethiopia)
The Krar Collective serve up a colourful feast of mind-blowing Ethiopian grooves. Led by Temesgen Zeleke,  they perform a rootsy yet contemporary take on traditional music from Ethiopia based on other-worldly modes and driven by hypnotic rhythms.

17.30 – 18.30 Nordic Ragas (Sweden)
The innovative band Nordic Raga, made up of three of Sweden’s leading folk musicians Pär Moberg, Mats Edén & Dan Johnny Percy Svensson, explores the little taken path of improvisation within Nordic traditional music.

19.00 – 20.15 Jyotsna Srikanth (UK)
Bangalore Dreams led by  award-winning Jyotsna Srikanth on the violin is a collaboration that continues to push musical boundaries. Her captivating improvisation is rooted in Indian Carnatic Jazz, interwoven with Electronica, Funk, Celtic Folk, Bollywood and even Hip-Hop, creating divine harmonies and dazzling rhythms.

20.45 – 22.15 Susheela Raman (UK)
Acclaimed Susheela Raman is one of the UK’s best singers and among the most celebrated artists in the Asian diaspora. With six albums to her name and a reputation for incandescent live performances, her set will ooze a rhythmic sense drawn on South Asian and African sources, rich with harmonically and sonically adventurous music.

22.15 – 23.00 DJ Ritu(UK)
Pioneering global grooves guru, turn-tablist & radio presenter, DJ Ritu will be on the decks. ‘DJ Ritu, the godmother of Brit-Asian music’  Her club Kuch Kuch is the UK’s number one Bollywood Club.

LIAF AT REDBRIDGE TOWN HALLSUN 23 NOV
14.00 – 14.30 Dhruv Choir – ‘Chants for Children’ (UK) a South Indian choir based in East London and founded by Dhruv Arts’ Music School in 2004 performing Sanskrit chants with orchestration.
14.45 – 15.00 Redbridge Music School Symphony (UK)The Orchestra accompanies the massed school choirs in the biennial Redbridge Schools’ Choral Festival at the Royal Albert Hall perform at a range of venues throughout the London Borough of Redbridge and at other venues in London including the Royal Albert Hall and the Royal Festival Hall.

14.30 – 14.45 Ilford Country High School Choir (UK)The ICH Singers are a close-harmony group who perform mainly unaccompanied works ranging from classical to folk, jazz, and popular song.

15.00 – 15.30 Harmony with Nature – Dance Ballet by Ragasudha (UK) This dance presentation  showcases the happy state of affairs when we are in harmony with nature and the negative impact when we are not.

16.00 pm – 18.00 pm Pandit Nagaraj Rao Havaldar North Indian Classical vocal music, India
Pt. Dr. Nagaraj Rao Havaldar is a leading vocalist of Kirana and Jaipur Atraulli Gharana. He has toured the USA extensively and has performed in all major music festivals in India. Kedarnath Havaldar is a promising tablist of Farrukhabad Gharana.

18.30 pm to 9.00 pm Kadri Gopalnath, South Indian Carnatic Saxophone, India
Widely considered the topmost classical and fusion musician in India, multi-award-winning saxophonist Gopalnath has flourished into an unquestionable maestro, with no less than 65 years experience. He has performed jazz and Carnatic music fusion internationally at festivals in Prague, Berlin, Paris, the BBC Proms, International Maxico, Latvia, on tour with Evan Parker in the UK and with Swajanam the Kinsmen and Rudresh Mahantappa in the US.