Led by the “fiery alto saxophonist and prolific composer” Aakash Mittal (Minneapolis Star Tribune), the Awaz Trio sculpts sonic landscapes, pointillistic textures, and angular melodies from Indian and American improvised music. Their debut project, Nocturne, is a series of pieces that deconstructs five Hindustani evening and night ragas. The colorful dissonances, meditative silences, and punctuated rhythms that emerge paint a unique picture of the night. At times the music evokes the meditation of a world at rest, night terrors conjured by the imagination, and the slow cadence of blue light melting into darkness. Nocturne is part of the trio’s mission to create new work that explores the concept of Awaz, a Hindi-Urdu word that changes meaning between sound, noise, and voice depending on the context.
Presented in collaboration with The India Center Foundation and Asian American Arts Alliance
The India Center Foundation is dedicated to the study of the Indian Subcontinent, the promotion of its cultural life, and the unique relationship between India and the United States. The India Center hosts dialogues and exhibitions, mounts programs, educates audiences, and fosters debate focused on India’s future as well as its rich and varied past.
The Asian American Arts Alliance is dedicated to strengthening Asian American arts and cultural groups through resource sharing, promotion, and community building. The Alliance convenes artists and audiences around issues of race, identity, and art making through its bimonthly Town Hall gatherings, panels and workshops, and fellowships programs.
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Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis.