What happens when a harpist, a mridangam player and a Carnatic singer meet?

It creates a piece of special diverse music and Pune will get to be part of this mesmerising event called Plucking Ragams on Friday at Mazda hall.

Harpist Lina Bellard (France), Carnatic vocalist Brindha Manickavasagam (Chennai) and Mridangist Aswini Srinivasan (Chennai) met online as part of an artists’ residency programme held within the framework of [In]Chorus.

This concert ‘Plucking Ragams’, produced throughout the artists’ residency, will showcase tunes as diverse as traditional Carnatic compositions and folk music from Brittany, France.

The concert is presented in Pune by Alliance Française de Pune and The Poona Music Society, as part of Bonjour India 2022 – an artistic, cultural, educational, and social initiative put together by the French Cooperation Network in India – including the Embassy of France in India, its cultural department the French Institute in India, the network of Alliances Françaises in India, and the Consulates of France.

[In]Chorus is an initiative of the Alliance Française de Delhi and Kala Setu dedicated to fostering collaboration and inter-cultural exchange between emerging Indian and French-speaking musicians.

Lina Bellard is a musician from Brittany, France, harpist and singer, Lina Bellard takes inspiration from the cultural heritage of South India, Poitou (France) and Périgord (France).
In 2011, she trained under the artistic direction of singer Erik Marchand, then obtained a fellowship grant allowing her to train under the tutelage of Titi Robin.

While Brindha Manickavasakan is a performing vocalist in Indian Classical Carnatic Music. A master’s degree holder in Biostatistics from Georgetown University, and in Music from Madras University, she is presently pursuing her PhD in Music at Madras University. She also performs on All India Radio, Brindha regularly performs in Chennai, all over India, and overseas and Aswini Srinivasan is the youngest professional female Mridangist in India.

“We strive to promote the French language and French culture through cultural and artistic exchange. The public in Pune is curious to discover the creativity of French and Indian artists,” said Adele Speiser, Director of Alliance Francaise, Pune.

Date: Friday, 8 April, 2022 | Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Venue: Mazda Hall, Dasture Primary School, Camp, Pune

Open to all | No registration required
Free entry strictly on the basis of first-come, first-serve

For further information, material, and interview request, contact:
Peony Sengupta | culture.pune@afindia.org | +91 788 788 9573