AUTUMN PROGRAMME ANNOUNCED!

The centrepiece of our autumn programme is From Bengal To Bloomsbury, commissioned by the Bloomsbury Festival (October 20 th , Conway Hall, WC1). Led by our tabla maestro Yousuf Ali Khan, it features our leading Bengali singer Lucy Rahman, and sitar virtuoso Jonathan Mayer making his Grand Union début.

They are joined by Grand Union musicians including Louise Elliott (tenor saxophone and flute) and Shanti Jayasinha (trumpet, cello) in a programme of songs by Lalon, Nasrul and Lucy’s father Sheikh Luthfur Rahman (himself an activist in the cause of the independence of Bangladesh) together with classical ragas. 

This is framed by a multifaceted project celebrating the music and cultural traditions of the African diaspora today and in the past. It features our Pan-African percussion ensemble, combining an extraordinary range of instruments including kora, balafon and talking drum, which made a stunning début at the Hackney Empire in our Windrush 75 festival in June.

While hypnotic rhythms may dominate, there are also chants and joyous songs. The programme provides opportunities for local people to cpme along and learn these – and even sing in the performances! There are also instrumental workshops led by the different percussionists.

For FULL DETAILS go to LIVE EVENTS

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO SIGN UP, write to: mail@grandunion.org.uk