Aditi B. Prahlad and Ashwin Mandoth young Indian classical musicians from Bangalore will premiere musical collaborations with Joash Gill and Vinthya Perinpanathan young musicians from the UK, at Manchester Museum on 17th and 18th March 2023 in the culminating leg of the RhythmXChange. As part of the Indian Music Experience Museum, Bangalore (IME) and Manchester Museum’s flagship cross-cultural project supported by the British Council’s India / UK ‘Together Season of Culture and Our Shared Culture Heritage Programmes’, RhythmXChange was focussed on exploring rhythm as a shared language between East and West, celebrating young voices and showcasing emerging and renowned artists. The two-day event will also feature Jay’s Jam with Johnny Jay and guitar legend Aziz Ibrahim, as well as headliners Gracie T and Chande. Collectively known as the J.A.V.A. (Joash Gill, Aditi B Prahlad, Vinthya Perinpanathan, Ashwin Mandoth) will close with two finale performances at the opening of the landmark South Asia Gallery at Manchester Museum. Apart from the main events at MM the young artists and mentors (Deepika Sreenivasan & Vishnu R) are also performing at several other venues in Manchester, including a two-hour takeover of the Reform Radio Station, where they spoke about their musical influences and experiences of working together over the last one year.
Speaking about the initiative, Preema John, Museum Director, IME said, “IME has always been known to create unique events that bring out the best in artistes. Through RhythmXChange our collective vision was to promote young musicians from India and UK and grow their global networks. Being a bilateral project and an on-site festival, the young musicians have had the opportunity to discover musical connections between India and the UK over the last one year, and now they get to travel to the partner country to perform and connect with the host communities. It’s our honour to have these young musicians from Bangalore be part of the opening week celebrations of the South Asia Gallery at Manchester Museum. We remain committed to developing many more such programs with the support of our partners like the British Council that promote opportunities for young musicians with a focus on interconnectedness through music.”
The second day’s event on 18th March will be a family-friendly day, where attendees can make music memorabilia like paper flutes and playdough dhols, learn the traditional dance techniques of Kathak with Guru Kajal Sharma, go on a tour of the new South Asia Gallery, learn mixing with Daytimers DJ Vindya or enjoy spoken word poetry and R&B performances. It will also include an experimental jam session with Johnny J and guitar legend Aziz Ibrahim, known for his work with the Stone Roses, Simply Red and more.
