Intercultural Music Dialogue: Inside South Indian Rhythm
Event Details
Date: Wednesday 6 May 2026
Time: 16:00 – 17:00 45mins Lecture Recital 15mins Q&A
Venue: Recital Hall East, Sydney Conservatorium of Music (SCM)
It gives us great pleasure to introduce the next speaker in our Performance Practice Development series, 'Bridging Cultures Through Music' — the world-renowned South Indian classical percussionist, Pirashanna Thevarajah. This session exemplifies our commitment to fostering intercultural dialogue by integrating diverse musical lineages into contemporary pedagogical practice.
South Indian classical music (Carnatic music) possesses one of the most sophisticated rhythmic traditions in the world. At the heart of this event lies an interest in music not simply as repertoire, but as a living medium of intercultural encounter. In this lecture-recital, Pirashanna will explore:
Cultural & Historical Background: How Carnatic music functions within its community.
Core Concepts: An in-depth look at Carnatic rhythm, its intricate structures, and the values that allow these complex systems to lock together.
Reflective Performance: How distinct musical traditions and pedagogical lineages can be brought into conversation.
About the Artist
Praised as a "percussion wizard" by Presto Classical, Pirashanna Thevarajah is acclaimed for his mastery of the Mridangam, Kanjira, Ghatam, Morsing, and the art of Konnakol. Having toured the world as part of Pandit Ravi Shankar’s ensemble, and continuing to perform and record with Anoushka Shankar, Pirashanna’s artistic voice is shaped by both deep lineage and global cross-cultural exchange. He is currently based in Sydney and serves as a guest lecturer at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
All Welcome. This session invites students and faculty to reflect on the processes by which musical meaning travels across boundaries while engaging with the promises and tensions of inclusive artistic practice.
Curator: Dr. Lu Liu (Discipline Lead, Intercultural Music );
Facilitator: Dr. Alex Chilvers (Intercultural music composer):
Research Assistant: Yun Zhou (Project support)
The Sydney Conservatorium of Music's Intercultural Music Program is generously supported by Paolo Hooke and Fan Guo.