Inside the Raga

An Introduction to the Melodic and Rhythmic Frameworks of Raga Music

Description: This concert-style lecture focuses on the question “What is a raga?”, inviting us towards understanding its many different components through live demonstrations and guided listening. Together we’ll explore the modal language of ragas, get inside the rhythmic cycles and uncover the different stages and forms of improvisation within a raga performance. A chance to listen closely, ask questions, and discover new ways of thinking about improvisation — whether you’re a musician, composer, or simply curious about sound.

Presented and led by Hania Mariam Luthufi, with special guest Herry Singh performing on tabla.

Hania Mariam Luthufi (Colombo, Sri Lanka) is a vocalist, improviser and composer whose work moves between the deep worlds of raga music and folk song traditions, jazz and the open terrain of contemporary improvisation. Rooted in over a decade of raga study in India where she learned the styles of Patiala Gharana and Jaipur Atrauli Gharana respectively, her voice draws on tradition while constantly bending, breaking and reimagining it in the context of the moment. She has collaborated with artists including Jordi Savall, Efren Lopez, Ballaké Sissoko, Tcha Limberger, Erkan Oğur, Sebastian Gramss, Kelly Thoma and Ciro Montanari.

Herry Singh is a percussionist and tabla player demonstrating expertise in the Delhi, Lucknow, Farukhabad and Banaras Gharanas styles of music. His performances regularly blend classical patterns (like Teen Taal) with Carnatic rhythms and folk musical structures from Punjab, Kashmir, and Rajasthan.

Language: English

NOTE: This event will be filmed (video and audio) and the material will later be published under CC BY SA license. By attending this event, you agree to be filmed and that the finished materials with your likeness in them will be published online under the CC BY SA license, without personally asking nor identifying you.