Jagriti Theatre’s Morning Raag series back in Bengaluru from this month

Jagriti Theatre brings the sixth edition of their annual Morning Raag concert series back to the city this weekend

As has been their custom over the past five years, Jagriti Theatre has been presenting their Morning Raag concerts as a celebration of Hindustani and Carnatic music. This year, too, the series titled, Voices of the Sacred: The Bhakti Continuum, will begin with vocalist Krithika Sreenivasan and go on till July.

According to Rebecca Spurgeon, artistic director and curator of the event, the series was designed for Jagriti Theatre’s outdoor space, and was never meant to be a formal indoor concert. “At its core, the aim of program is to experience the morning through music. It is as simple as that,” says Rebecca.

“There are a number of ragas that are meant to be sung at the start of the day or in celebration of a beginning. These elements of classical music also celebrate the idea of mornings,“ she adds.

“That is the brief given to artistes when preparing for this series and it has been exciting to work with those musicians who have always tried to push the envelope in these terms.”

Rebecca says the upcoming edition centres around the concept of riyaaz and how it can be a part of the concert. Riyaaz (or sadhana) is the regular practice of music, dance or any art form, most commonly under the guidance of a teacher.

“Usually practised first thing in the morning, we hope this insight into riyaaz gives audiences a chance to learn a bit more about the form, raga and artiste, even while listening to them perform. This is not possible in full length, formal concerts as they can be quite structured.”