ADMISSION FREE!
FROM THE INDIAN OCEAN TO THE PACIFIC SHORE
A FINE CABARET CELEBRATES THE MUSIC, POETRY AND STORIES OF SOUTH ASIAN ARTISTS AT THE SURREY ARTS CENTRE
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 17 AT 7:30 PM
Vancouver, B.C. September 9, 2004: A sitar and a Scottish fiddle. Saris and hip-hop dance moves. Shadow puppets and story telling. Old and new blend Friday September 17 at 7:30 pm at the Surrey Arts Centre when CBC Radio presents From the Indian Ocean To The Pacific Shore, an evening celebrating artists of South Asian heritage. Admission is free, but tickets must be picked up in advance. For information call 604-501-5566. The Surrey Arts Centre is located at 13750 – 88 Street.
Imagine opera mixed with hip-hop and traditional chants from India. Add in jazz dance movements, silken costumes and a love of art that crosses the barriers between stage and audience. Meet Veera devi Khare, a classically trained singer, songwriter and producer. Born in Prince George, her versatility is legendary encompassing all areas of music and performance. She divides her time between Vancouver, New York and soon will be in Las Vegas developing new projects.
Vishwa’s three young musicians fuse Indian classical music with Celtic styles. Sunny Mathara, Neetu Mathara and Max Ngai play sitar, tabala and violin. They performed the original music that threads its way behind the radio drama A Fine Balance, which airs at 10 pm October 3 on CBC Radio One 690. The group has just released their first CD called Vishwa, which has been getting airplay across Canada.
The Maharaja’s Daughter is a fabulous true story based on the meeting between the daughter of an Indian Maharaja and a village girl in Gujarat, India at the turn of the 20th century. This meeting resulted in all the village women being taught to read at a time when very few peasants could even dream of being literate. Using shadow puppets, one of South Asia’s oldest form of entertainment and storytelling, a collaboration of Vancouver artists has created an inspiring piece. Composer and musician Joelysa Pankanea is the great-granddaughter of the village girl.
“CyberRAJ” is the collaboration of Paul Pahal and Stefan Cilhelka. Their interest in writing, producing and performing has evolved around the ideas of both western based electronic music and the classical traditional elements of Indian music. Their philosophy is simple, to blend, connect and intermingle many aspects of music into one. CyberRaj incorporates modern 'CYBER' technology with the traditional “RAJ” culture where Computers and Drum Machines share the stage with live musicians.
Actor Raahul Singh reads from The Cripple and his Talismans, a novel by Vancouver author Anosh Irani.
Two very funny characters from A Fine Balance play host to our evening of entertainment. Actors Seth Ranaweera and Parm Soor in the guise of Ishvar and Omprakash make lighthearted fun of the proceedings as they lead us from act to act.
For more information:
Joan Athey, Program marketing Coordinator
CBC Radio British Columbia 604-662-6605 joan_athey@cbc.ca