GemArts is strutting into Summer with Masala Festival 2019!

GemArts award winning Masala Festival is back, strutting into summer like a Bengal tiger from 15-21 July 2019, as we bring you another magnificent line up of classical, traditional and contemporary artists from the UK and Indian sub-continent, exploring themes of home, belonging, freedom, resistance, luck and hope. Download your Masala Festival 2019 brochure here.

Launching on 15th July, at Sage Gateshead, with an incredible collaboration and special evening of music composed and performed by the internationally renowned Sarod maestro Ustad Wajahat Khan with a String Quintet from our region’s fantastic chamber orchestra Royal Northern Sinfonia.

A Musical Trio : Wajahat Khan (Sarod) during the performanvce at Tata Theatre, NCPA on 08/02/2019. Photo By : NARENDRA DANGIYA

Followed by two of the most prominent women on the contemporary jazz scene, on 16th July Zoe Rahman and Laura Macdonald.

For spoken word and poetry, look no further than Luck and Hope: an evening of poetry  with two of the best poets writing today Mona Arshi and Imtiaz Dharkar at Culture Lab, and a stellar line up of regional spoken word talent in Strictly Spoken with our partners at Arch16.

We have a fantastic line up of films this year with: heartwarming, ‘feel good’ comedy of the year Eaten by Lions following half brothers Omar and Pete on a journey of discovery via Blackpool, featuring Jonny Vegas and Jack Carroll; stunning cinematography and subdued tension with The Sweet Requiem, showing an unforgettable reflection on an ongoing and forgotten Tibetan refugee crisis and contemporary film shorts about freedom, desire and resistance in Woman.

“The Sweet Requiem” directed and produced by Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam of White Crane Films, Photo by: PABLO BARTHOLOMEW Photo credit: PABLO BARTHOLOMEW All rights reserved. For permission and licensing rights: PLEASE CONTACT: pablo@bartholomew.tv Or by cellphone +91 98100 14131

Writer, performer and professional wrestling manager, Pariah Khan brings his ‘shrewd and bitingly funny’ An Indian Abroad to Northern Stage on 20th July, where we follow the story of Krishnan, who is stifled by life in middle class India and decides to visit the exotic island of Great Britain. What will he learn about himself? And what happens when he falls in love with one of the natives?

If you want to get yourself moving, why not try out Bollywood dance,  yoga on the beach or if you are if need of a little TLC before the summer try out an introdution to Meditation.

Not to mention the amazing menu being cooked up by Dabbawal throughout the week, watch here for their menu reveal soon!!

Masala  Festival ends on Sunday 21^st July at Live Theatre’ Garden with a spectacular fun packed Mini Mela finale, with FREE South Asian arts, craft, music and dance workshops for all of the family to enjoy. This year enter a seafront arcade in a caravan with ….. Elvis’ Bingo Balls, neon, sounds of the slots and an Indian Elvis as your bingo caller! Not to mention Circus Raj, a circus troupe from India performing throughout the day, with stilt walkers, extreme juggling, sword swallowing and acrobatics, plus dancing marionettes and much, much more…..

There really is something for everyone. Visit www.gemarts.org to find out more and book tickets.

Look out for our beautiful brochure around Newcastle and Gateshead or download your full brochure here GemArts Masala Festival 2019 Brochure

Advertisement

JUST A VIBRATION COMPETITION

Win tickets to Just A Vibration on 13th July at Sage Gateshead, and a copy of this fantastic project on CD. Visit Living North Competition for details.

Photo Duncan Lomax

NEW CONCERT ANNOUNCED

Every now and then whilst planning our forward programme, an opportunity to add to GemArts’ current season appears, and we have had such an opportunity present itself this season. On 18th December GemArts and Sage Gateshead will present Project Avartan in Hall Two. This fantastic world fusion trio features musicians Rekesh Chauhan (Piano), Alok Verma (Tabla/Percussions) and John Garner (Violin). Avartan, meaning cycle, weaves in influences from various world music styles, with an emphasis on the classical backgrounds the trio share. The project explores musical traditions with an array of contemporary flavours. This concert takes place during Sage Gateshead’s 10th birthday week, when the venue will be buzzing with birthday cheer.

Rekesh Chauhan (piano)
Alok Verma (tabla/percussion)
John Garner (violin)

Watch Project Avartan perform in Lisbon below:

Tickets are available from Sage Gateshead, priced at £10 full , £8 concession and our special £25 Family Ticket is also available. More info at www.gemarts.org

 

PROJECT AVARTAN

ALOK VERMA’s repertoire spans spiritual world music, fusion, indo-jazz, hipChop and African drumming. He has performed alongside Boris Grebenshikov, Aquarium International at the Royal Albert Hall and Ian Anderson, (Jethro Tull) at the Barbican, London.

REKESH CHAUHAN’s early training in Indian Classical Music from his Father and Guru, Rajesh Chauhan, fed into his study of Western Classical Music. Unifying a new style has made him a phenomenon amongst listeners as he is one the few who perform Indian Classical music on the Piano.

A graduate of the Royal College of Music, violinist JOHN GARNER has performed across the world with Hot Club Ensemble, electronica band Polaroid 85, his jazz quartet, and the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

 

Post by Sinead

October 2014, Happy Diwali, Lifetime achievement awards, and whats to come

Happy Diwali from GemArts

So far this season we have already welcomed the Sikh Fortress Turban to Sunderland Museum&Winter Gardens as part of a Spotlight Programme Loan from the British Museum, brought Penned in the Margins two man miniature epic The Shroud to Caedmon Hall, presented two awe inspiring classical Indian concerts with Debashish Bhattacharya and Jyoti Hegde at Sage Gateshead, and worked with Seven Stories to create their Diverse Voices exhibition.

Now October is here we look forward to Amina Khayyam Dance Company’s (AKDC) kathak interpretation of Yerma on 25th. With the original set in rural patriarchal and religiously repressive Spain, AKDC have re-imagined this work as an Indian classical dance for an inner city community.

Diwali is also now upon us, as always we are enjoying celebrating the festival of lights with friends and families. Once the family celebrations die down we will host our annual celebration at the Civic Centre, with performances, DJs, food and plenty of fun for all the family on 1st Nov.

A special mention must go to our Founder and Trustee Mr Bahal, who received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Gateshead Awards 2014. Mr Bahal was invited to a special ceremony last week, where he celebrated with guests from across the borough.

This November will be a busy month for GemArts, with Grammy award winners, local talent and work crossing science and dance, but more on that soon!

For more information on GemArts programme visit http://www.gemarts.org/whatson/

 

Post by Sinead