Join us for an evening with acclaimed pianists Utsav Lal and Sova (Sophia Vastek)! Utsav, known for his groundbreaking work as the "Raga Pianist", and Sova, known for her singular ethereal and cinematic sound, have been circling each other's orbits for years. On Feb. 28, they will finally share a stage for the first time! 

TROY LISTENING ROOM
7:00 PM - doors open
7:30 PM - music starts

PLEASE NOTE: the venue address will be provided in the confirmation email sent to all ticket-buyers. We are located in South Troy, NY, a few blocks south of the canal. If you have any questions about the location or event before purchasing tickets, please contact us at sspresents518@gmail.com.

* All ages welcome
* BYO (feel free to bring your own drinks/snacks)
* This venue is not ADA accessible and requires walking up a short flight of stairs to enter
* Tickets are sliding-scale. Please select the price tier that you feel most comfortable with.

Utsav Lal

Indian pianist/composer UTSAV LAL, often known as the ‘Raga Pianist’ is recognized as the rarest of pianists. Stunning the world with his innovative handling of Indian Classical Music on a Western instrument, The Irish Times describes Utsav Lal as “a fleet-fingered performer whose best moments can be both highly evocative and dazzling.” Lal’s ground-breaking work has garnered an impressive career spanning two decades, with solo performances at world famous venues like Carnegie Hall (New York), Southbank Centre (London), Kennedy Center (Washington DC), Steinway Hall (New York), Asia Society (Hong Kong), Arts Center (Melbourne).

Treading the careful line between an ancient tradition and the innate desire for innovation with utmost respect, Lal’s music is acclaimed for its sincerity, depth and powerful intensity. With unfailing clarity of technique and rhythmic virtuosity, his work is deeply influenced by Dhrupad and gains inspiration from a vast array of sources such as The Necks, Thelonious Monk, Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou and Cecil Taylor. Lal has challenged commonly understood ways of improvisation to develop his own unique voice for the piano, taking stage at leading festivals including Novara Jazz (Italy), San Francisco Silent Film (USA) AsiaTopa Festival (Australia), Masters of Tradition (Ireland).

Endorsed as Young Steinway Artist, TiE Aspire Young Indian Achiever, Yamaha Jazz Scholar, Lal has been recognized for his extensive collaborative work with Irish, Scottish, Jazz and Experimental artists including leading names like Martin Hayes, Dennis Cahill, Winifred Horan, Australian Contemporary Circus Theatre CIRCA, Talvin Singh, George Brooks, Rajna Swaminathan. Lal has 7 solo record releases which include a historic world’s first album on the microtonal “Fluid Piano” (2016). Lal holds a Masters in Contemporary Improvisation (New England Conservatory of Music), Bachelor’s in Jazz (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) and is a disciple of Dhrupad vocalist Ustad F. Wasifuddin Dagar.

Sova 

"Ghostly, delicate, elegant..." (Independent Clauses)

For Sova — the moniker of New York-based pianist/composer Sophia Subbayya Vastek — the piano has always been home. A second generation pianist, she holds a deep reverence for her collective history, coupled with an exploratory ear, and moves quietly between musical worlds. Over the years, her intuitive playing style — rooted in tenderness, improvisation, and classical training — has evolved into a dynamic, cinematic sound.

Described as performing with "passion and profound tenderness” (Second Inversion) and “serene strokes and lyrical beauty” (Brooklyn Rail), her music is quietly devastating, blossoming into ambient-inspired soundscapes that range from whisper-soft echoes to expressive cascades.

Her most recent LP, In Our Softening (2022), produced by Sam Torres (Polymouth Music), features nine of her own beguiling piano compositions, each track a part of a thoughtfully woven tapestry. Recorded entirely on an upright built in 1902 — complete with a giant crack in the soundboard — the album draws listeners in with its vulnerable and vibrant intimacy. Exploring themes of loss, rebirth, and finding softness within an increasingly hard world, the album has been called “a tender and revelatory balm" by editors at I Care If You Listen, “heaven on earth” (Sun 13), and “one of the very best things I've heard all year” by longtime music journalist Steve Smith (Night After Night). The record also made it onto Bandcamp’s All-Time Best Selling Solo Piano list.

Her music has been released on OPIA, the record label founded by Ólafur Arnalds, Innova Recordings, and more. Her debut album, Histories (2017), was produced by Grammy-winning engineer Adam Abeshouse, and described as “a beautiful mosaic of the larger cultural intersections of our world” (Second Inversion). She has also released an EP of the complete solo piano works by composer Lili Boulanger (1893-1918), entitled Lili (2020, reissued 2023).

Equally important to the music itself are the spaces in which Sova’s music exists. Whether she is performing or presenting, she is dedicated to creating musical experiences that are grounded in care and intentional gathering. In that spirit, she is a co-curator of the popular Lift Series at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, currently in its sold-out fifth season. She also hosts concerts in her home — a converted church-space in South Troy called Troy Listening Room.

In 2022, Sova was recognized as a composer by the New York State Council on the Arts and New York Foundation for the Arts (NYSCA/NYFA) as a Music/Sound Fellow, a statewide program focused on the evolution of contemporary art. Her music has been featured on NPR, BBC, and KEXP, and she has performed across three continents.