Third Culture Collective @ The Old Church

Blurring the boundaries between South Asian and Western classical music, Third Culture Collective has become known for its imaginative collaborations and genre-bending performances. Founded and directed by Kavi Pau, the ensemble brings together musicians of both cultures, exploring what it means to make music from a ‘third culture’, one that reflects the fluid identities and shared stories of its artists. Highlights include an orchestral collaboration with Osman Mir at the Royal Festival Hall, a new programme with the critically acclaimed choir Tenebrae, the launch of the UK’s first South Asian majority orchestra and choir, and a UK tour including a sold out headline show at London’s Jazz Café.

For this appearance at Hackney Music Live, members of Third Culture Collective will perform an intimate evening of Indian devotional music (bhajans). This authentic performance offers a rare chance to hear the devotional and folk songs of Gujarat in their original form, rich with rhythm, melody, and emotional depth. Led by the vocals of Kavi Pau, the music will be accompanied by tabla, harmonium, bansuri (bamboo flute), manjira, banjo and keyboard, as the performance traces how the folk and devotional traditions of North India continue to be relevant today.