Percussion virtuoso Anuradha Pal to lead jugalbandi at Katara

The Indian embassy, in partnership with Katara — The Cultural Village and Qatar Museums, is organising an instrumental music ensemble (jugalbandi) by India’s first female professional tabla and percussion virtuoso, Anuradha Pal.The show will be held at the Katara Drama Theatre (Hall No 16) at 6.45pm today and at Ashoka Hall, Indian Cultural Centre, at 7.30pm tomorrow, the embassy has said in a statement.The musical evening will contain interactive narrations through innovative rhythmic dialogue on the tabla, violin and flute, followed by an ensemble between the tabla, dholak, kadtaal, pakhawaj, udu, djembe and darabuka.The concert will also give an insight into folklores of Rajasthan.Anuradha is an internationally-acclaimed accompanist with top Indian classical musicians and an enthusiastic collaborator with jazz, African, Latin, flamenco, crossover classical, percussion, pop, rock and new-age music, the statement notes.She holds the honour of being the youngest and first female Indian musician to perform at two of the most prestigious music festivals in the world – Woodstock Festival (2008) and Womad Festival (1999). Her band consists of five talented musicians, including two instrumentalists — Carnatic violin and Hindustan flute, one performer of Rajasthani folk songs, a keyboard player and percussionists playing various instruments, as Anuradha leads on the tabla, pakhawaj, Handsonic and djembe.“The event will provide a glimpse of India’s rich musical heritage and the immense cultural and artistic diversity that India offers. Indian music, which has interacted and benefited from external influences over many centuries, is one of the finest examples of the abiding links between India and the Arab world in the field of culture and music,” the statement adds.