• Asian Music Centre, £3 1-2 Bradford Road, London, W3 7SP, www.amc.org.uk

  Born in the Tibetan countryside, Soname moved to England where she has been developing a singing career and brought to European audiences the traditional music from her distant homeland. Her songs reflect different styles including both powerful mountain songs, and songs with a spiritual influence. Soname's voice is awesomely powerful with a haunting passion that reflects the joy and beauty of the Tibetan landscape.

• A night of Iranian, Afghan and Indian traditional Music at Café Oto
  Wednesday 20 January, 8.00pm

  Enjoy and learn more about traditional music in the relaxed atmosphere of
  Café Oto, 18-22 Ashwin Street, Dalston E8 3DL.
  Price £5 (£2 for people who can prove they're on benefits)

  £5: http://www.wegottickets.com/event/64845
  £2: http://www.wegottickets.com/event/64846

  Musicians and instruments:

  Veronica Doubleday will be singing traditional Afghan folk and popular songs and playing the daireh (frame drum), with John Baily (Emeritus Professor of Ethnomusicology at Goldsmiths) on Afghan rubab, a short necked double chambered plucked lute with sympathetic strings, and dutar, a two-stringed long-necked lute.
  
  

• Debipriya Das, Sitar and Vocals ­ Debipriya, vocalist/ sitarist for Tarang (UKs first National South Asian Ensemble) will be performing light-classical musical forms in both Hindi and Bengali on her plucked stringed lute, which derives its resonance from sympathetic strings, a long hollow neck and a gourd resonating chamber. She will be accompanied on the tabla by 13 year old Janan Sathiendran.
  
   

  Please listen to 104.4 fm Resonance radio on Jan 18, and 19th from 8-9pm and hear the musicians talk and play!

• Asian Music Centre, £3 1-2 Bradford Road, London, W3 7SP, www.amc.org.uk

  The Sanshin (literally meaning Three strings) is an Okinawan musical instrument and precursor of the Japanese Shamisen. Its close resemblance in both appearance and name to the Chinese Sanxian suggests its Chinese origins. Shinjin Kise is one of the foremost Okinawan classical Sanshin musicians and former professor at the Okinawan Arts University. He is also the President of the Restoration of the Uzagaku 7 Music and of the Royal Court of Ryukyu Arts Association, as well as a member of the Council of the Association of Traditional Arts of Okinawa.

• Asian Music Centre, £3 1-2 Bradford Road, London, W3 7SP
  
  Professional Beijing Opera actor, Qin Liang, will introduce Beijing Opera history, role types, painted-faces, costumes, voice, movements, and show a short video. She will demonstrate movements and voice in part costume with a 15-meter long ribbon. The audience will be invited to join in basic movements and singing at the end.
  
  Qin Liang graduated in Daomadan (military Lady's role) from the Performance Department of the National Academy of Chinese Opera, Beijing, in 1999. She graduated in 2002 from the Music Education Department of the Wuhan Conservatory of Music, majoring in Dance, after which she worked as a teaching assistant for the Hubei University of Technology for three years.

• Wolverhampton, Arena Theatre, £8 (£6), 7.00pm
  With the special participation of Nathan "Flutebox" Lee, Wandan and Hanif Khan.
  Wulfruna Street, WV1 1SE
  Tel. 01902 321321 or www.arenatheatre.info
  
  
  

• London, The Elgar Room, Royal Albert Hall, £17, 7.45pm
  Flute Encounters: Bansuri to Beatbox with Ronu Majumdar and Nathan "Flutebox" Lee (press release).
  Kensington Gore, London SW7 2AP
  Tel. 020 7589 8212
  www.royalalberthall.com
  
  
  

• Corsham, Pound Arts, £12 (£11), 7.30pm
  The Pound, Pound Pill, Corsham
  With the special participation of Nathan “Flutebox” Lee, Wandan and Hanif Khan.
  Wiltshire
  SN13 9HX
  Tel. 01249 701628
  www.poundarts.org.uk
  
  

• The Asian Music Circuit is proud to support the UK’s First Himalayan Film and Cultural Festival! From 28 January to 12 February 2010 we are celebrating the rich and varied cultures of the world’s mightiest mountain range with film, music, art and photography.
  
  Ronu Majumdar will perform as part of the Himalaya Festival on February 10 in London at Passing Clouds, £8 (£6) and £10 at the door at 8.00pm
  440 Kingsland Road
  Dalston, London, E8 4AA
  www.satsangproductions.com

  £8.00: http://www.wegottickets.com/event/69083
  £6.00: http://www.wegottickets.com/event/69084

  
  
  
  

• Traditional Indian music, traditional Jewish music from Eastern Europe, and an exploration bringing the two together
  Café Oto 22 Ashwin Street, Dalston, London, E8 3DL
  
  The third night in a series constantly evolving. This time AMC hosts an eclectic night featuring:
  Jyotsna Srikanth on violin, accompanied by mridangam, the London Klezmer Quartet and finally a newly composed piece with Francesca Ter-Berg on cello, Camilo Tirado on tabla, Ewan Bleach on saxophone, and a Dhrupad singer (TBC)
  
  £5 (£4 conc.)
  http://www.wegottickets.com/event/71681
  
  Also: Listen to resonance radio 2 March 8.00pm-9.00pm to hear the artists talk about how they composed their piece.

• Come and join us to listen to unique Baul and Fakiri songs from Bengal on Saturday 27 March 2010.
  Sasthidas Baul, Arjun Kyapa and Golam Fakir are the forbearers of an unorthodox devotional tradition of Bengal which carries influences of the Hindu Bhakti movements and Sufi Islam. These mystic singers sing about humanism and brotherhood, celebration of life and nature.
  Come and enjoy their simple songs which transcend linguistic barriers and listen to the beats of Khol and Dubki, strumming of Ektara and Dolara.
  
  The event is part of a larger tour funded by the European Union.
  
  Date and time: March 27 from 6.30pm onwards
  Venue: Asian Music Centre, 1-2 Bradford Road, off Warple Way, Acton, London, W3 7SP, phone 020 87 4995 84
  Fee: free event
  Parking is available on the streets on week-ends and evenings.

• IMPORTANT NOTICE:
  Following flight suspensions due to ash clouds from a volcanic eruption in Iceland, the performance of The Essence of Krishna on Saturday 17th April 2010 has been postponed.
  
  The concert has been re-scheduled for SUNDAY MAY 2nd, 2010 at 5.30pm . Please call the Box Office of the Cadogan Hall on 020 7730 4500 to arrange to have your tickets transferred to the re-scheduled date or to have a refund.
  
  Please note that  Alarmel Valli will not be able to perform at the rescheduled concert and that the new line up will include Pt Hari Prasad on bansuri and Niladri Kumar on sitar.
  
  The Bansuri flute was the instrument used by Lord Krishna to invoke the call of divine love. Today no living person personifies this call better than Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia who has devoted his life perfecting it and winning worldwide acclaim, and making him the most sought after contemporary musician in the world today.   Niladri Kumar, the son and disciple of Sitar Maestro Pandit Kartick Kumar, is a rare instrumentalist with a unique musical repertoire, innovative skills and the dexterity of swift, agile fingers. Niladri is considered one of his generations brightest stars with a career that promises to be illustrious and innovative.
  
  The Asian Music Circuit, The Lions of Moor Park and Cadogan Hall apologise for any inconvenience the change of date and program has caused and we look forward to seeing you on May 2nd.
  
  

  ---

  
  
  Presented by the Lions of Moor Park in association with Asian Music Circuit in aid of The Chain of Hope.
  Cadogan Hall
  5 Sloane Terrace, London, SW1X 9DQ
  
  The Bansuri flute was the instrument used by Lord Krishna to invoke the call of divine love. Today no living person personifies this call better than Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia who has devoted his life perfecting winning worldwide acclaim, and making him the most sought after contemporary musician in the world today.  Also featuring the internationally acclaimed dancer, Alarmel Valli who interprets the fables of Krishna through dance. Her dance is reputed to be vibrant, joyous and sensuous without losing the deep spirituality.
  
  Tickets*: £35, £25, £15 Super Seats: £50 (first 8 rows)
  To book and choose your seat visit: https://esro.cadoganhall.com/peo/chi2007/integrate.php?page=event&peocode=1240
  or telephone: 020 7730 4500
  *Note: Certain ticket prices are currently only available via telephone.

• Organised jointly with Poets in the City
  Ondaatje Wing Theatre at the National Portrait Gallery
  St Martin's Place, London, WC2H 0HE
  
  This amazing event will be hosted by the leading expert Viram Jasani , and will feature the acclaimed Dhrupad singer Ritwik Sanyal, who will be accompanied by   Shrikant Mishra on  the traditional double-headed drum the pakhawaj. The event will feature rarely heard recitals from the bardic tradition by Rajendra Singh Barhath and Kalla Khan Manganiyar , followed by Hannah Mannila and Hetel Gokal performing kathak , a stylish and exciting dance which also formed an important part of these sophisticated courtly entertainments.
  
  Tickets are available from the National Portrait Gallery.
  £5.00 (£4.00 conc.)
  • Call 020 7306 0055
  • Book online at www.npg.org.uk/events
  
  

• Recital of dhrupad with singer Ritwik Sanyal accompanied by Shrikant Mishra
  on pakhawaj , followed by a recital of chhands and bardic poetry with
  Rajendra Singh Barhath and Kala Khan from Rajasthan and a multi-media presentation by expert on Rajasthan folklore, Nitin Harsh.
  Asian Music Centre, £5 (£4)
  1-2, Bradford Road, London, W3 7SP
  020 8749 9584, www.amc.org.uk
  

• National Portrait Gallery
  St Martin's Place, London, WC2H 0HE
  India Noir is an evening filled with a rich and illuminating mix of contemporary Indian culture. Enjoy live Indian music programmed by the Asian Music Circuit; a fascinating panel discussion about Indian Crime Fiction delving into the dark side of Delhi and Calcutta with well known authors and writers and British contemporary artists, The Singh Twins will be in conversation to discuss their work which fuses Indian traditional and contemporary Western influences. With a range of exciting Gallery tours, art and dance workshops added to the mix this will be a truly memorable night.
  
  Part of the Indian Spring events season accompanying The Indian Portrait 1560 – 1860 exhibition
  FREE event
  
  
  
  Shah Jahan as a Prince by Mughal
  Abu'l-Hasan ('Nadir al-Zaman'), c.1617
  ©V&A Images/Victoria and Albert Museum, London

• Talk and demonstration on Chinese Lute with Cheng-Ying Chuang
  £3
  Taiwanese lutenist/countertenor Cheng-Ying Chuang studied Chinese lutes liuqin & zhongruan since 12 and finished MMus at Birmingham Conservatoire in  vocal performance in 2007. He won prizes on Chinese lute solo, conducting and voice in both Taiwan and UK and was the first countertenor to be awarded as the Young Star 2008 of the National Concert Hall in Taipei. In this talk, he will introduce the history of liuqin and zhongruan , including the reformation of the modern instruments he is using and the comparison between Chinese plucked instruments. He will also perform music/songs selected from Han (206 BCE–220 CE), Tang (618-917), 20th Century and contemporary styles.
  
  

• Asian Film Season: Music in Movies
  £3
  
  What would movies be without music and songs? How does soundtrack layer and enhance a filmic narrative? How much does a film music reflect its context and culture? What is special about Bollywood song and dance? A special season of film screenings which explore the use of music and soundtrack in feature films from South Asia. In addition there will be some documentaries on Indian music and musicians.
  
  Each film will be book-ended by an introduction and a post-screening discussion.
  
  Sunday 30th May - Pather Panchali (dir Satyajit Ray)
  Bismillah of Benaras (documentary movie by Nasreen Kabir)
  
  Saturday 5th June - Mughal-e-Azam (dir K. Asif)
  + lecture  with  film clips / illustrations
  
  Sunday 13th June - Rang de Basanti (dir R. Omprakash Mehra)
                                       + lecture with film clips/ illustrations
  
  
  This series is presented by  the film producer and historian Sangeeta Datta

• Forde festival- Norway

• This year the summer school will be held at the Royal Academy of Music from Saturday 24th July – Sunday 1st August 2010. As part of the annual summer school there will also be a wonderful series of concerts and seminars held at the Southbank Centre which will be open to the public. For more information contact the Education Team: Jasel@amc.org.uk
  
• Concert Venue: All concerts will take place at Southbank Centre's Purcell Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall, London.
  
  Address: Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX
  (The Purcell Room is located inside the Queen Elizabeth Hall).

Thursday 29 July
19.45

Folk music and dance from Rajasthan
Liz Walters (Taiko) 

Friday 30 July
19.45

Chinese and Japanese Strings
Satish Prakash Qamar and his Ensemble
Dr. Ayako Hotta-Lister (Koto)
Guqin: Dai Xiao Lian
Guzheng: Zhu Xiaomeng
Pipa: Cheng Yu

Saturday 31 July
19.45

Sunday 1 August
19.45

Widely recognised as one of the leading musical ensembles in Iran today, the ever-popular Kamkars make a welcome return to London with their inspiring new repertoire. This Kurdish family of seven brothers and a sister perform a compelling and richly diverse programme ranging from the entrancing melodies of Persian classical to the driving rhythms of Kurdish dance music.

The Barbican 020 7638 8891
www.barbican.org.uk
tickets £15, £20, £25, £30, £35

See flyer

• 25th July 2010 Ingolstadt - Germany
• 30th July Purcell Room London

• 11th July 2010 Newcastle
• 17th July Southampton
• 18th July Nottingham
• 25th July Ingolstadt - Germany
• 27th July Edinburgh
• 29th July London - Purcell Room

• AMC programmes the classical tent with a brilliant line up featuring:
  
  Kiranpal Singh on santoor: Amina Khayyam – kathak ; Tarun Jasani on sarod
  
  Shabaz Husain and Prakash – tabla and mridangam duet; Swati Natekar and her musicians
  
  free
  Lloyd Park, Coombe, Croydon, CRO 5RD
  
  For more details visit www.croydonsummerfestival.org

Festival of Afghanistan

The nationwide tour, Music from Herat, will feature a mixture of Herati vocal and instrumental music, along with the Afghan classical music that has been performed in Herat since the 1930s.

The festival also features several events at the Asian Music Centre, including Professor John Baily's lecture on the music from Herat as well as screening his film Annual Cycle, featuring recordings of his visits to Afghanistan from 1973 to 1977, in the years before the Soviet occupation.

At the Royal Albert Hall Professor Baily performs, along with Ustad Arif a master tabla player, a mixture of traditional Afghan folk and classical music in Roses and Nightingales.

At the Asian Music Centre, Dr Moya Carey, Iran Heritage Foundation Curator at the Victoria and Albert Museum, gives a lecture on the painting for Sultan Husayn Bayqara from Late Timurid Herat.

Afghan Tales is a family friendly event at the Asian Music Centre which takes us on a musical journey through the emerald pastures, snow-capped Pamir mountains and arid valleys of Afghanistan, a land of teaming bazaars and palaces inhabited by greedy kings, wicked viziers and jinn fairies. Drawing on Afghanistan's rich oral heritage, Afghan Tales introduces the customs, religions and cultures that make up this fascinating country.

Festival of Afghanistan – Music from Herat

Featuring the talents of Nasim Rahim Khushnawaz (Afghan rubab), Ustad Gada Mohammad (Herati dutar), Naimatullah (Herati vocal), Muhammad Aziz (classical vocal and harmonium), Yusuf Mahmoud (tabla) and female vocalist Mina Amani

See flyer (PDF format) for details

Saturday 18 September 8.00pm, £12 and £8

• Northern Rock Foundation Hall, The Sage Gateshead, St. Mary's Square, Gateshead, NE8 2JR
  01914434661
  www.thesagegateshead.org

Monday 20 September 7.30pm, £16

• St. Ives Arts Club, St. Ives, Cornwall TR26 2DY
  01736794477/ 01736796297
  www.stivesartsclub.org

Wednesday 22 September 8.00pm, £12

• St George's Bristol, Great George Street, off Park Street Bristol, BS1 5RR
  0845 40 24 001
  www.stgeorgesbristol.co.uk

Thursday 24 September 7.30pm, £10

• Roxy Art House Roxburgh Place Edinburgh, EH8 9SU
  0131 629 0039,
  www.roxyarthouse.org

Sunday, 26 September 8.00pm

• The Tricycle Theatre 269 Kilburn Road, London, NW6 7JR
  www.tricycle.co.uk
  020 73281000

• Festival of Afghanistan – Roses and Nightingales
  
  Featuring Music from Herat (see above for details). Also featuring John Baily (dutar and rubbab), Veronica Doubleday (vocal and daira [frame drum]), Ustad Arif Mahmoud-Chisti (tabla drums) and Jan Hendrickse (flute).
  
  The Elgar Room, Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore, SW7 2AP
  020 7589 8212
  www.royalalberthall.com

Wednesday 22 September 6.30pm, £3

• Festival of Afghanistan – events at the Asian Music Centre
  
  Lecture on Music from Herat by Prof. John Baily with the screening of “Annual Cycle”
  
  Asian Music Centre 1-2, Bradford Road, London, W3 7SP
  020 8749 9584
  www.amc.org.uk

• Lecture by Dr. Moya Carey
  
  “Painting for Sultan Husayn Bayqara, Art in Late Timurid Herat”
  
  Asian Music Centre 1-2, Bradford Road, London, W3 7SP
  020 8749 9584
  www.amc.org.uk

• Afghan Tales: A Storytelling Event
  
  A puppet-making workshop follows the 3pm performance and a carpet-making workshop follows the 7pm performance (both are suitable for children aged 5 years and older)
  
  Asian Music Centre (or nearby park, please check our website for details) 1-2, Bradford Road, London, W3 7SP
  020 8749 9584
  www.amc.org.uk