Utsav Lal brings “Ragas to Reels” to Spanish Peaks Celtic Fest Sept 21-24, 2023

Utsav Lal will Perform with Reverie Road at the Spanish Peaks Fest in Huerfano County, Colorado Sept 21-24, and collaborate with other musicians, and also will showcase his project “Ragas to Reels”
Friday, September 22, 1:00pm – 2:00pm at the Francisco Fort Theater in La Veta. A musical melting pot that brings together Indian classical music and traditional Irish music, this presentation will truly entertain and inform you.
As an Indian classical musician who has lived in Delhi, grew up in Dublin and now
resides in NYC, Utsav’s approach to Indian and Irish traditional music has been very multidimensional.
He explains: The music for this project aims to take an all-encompassing approach
to examining the different nuances and facets of these two traditions for e.g the
similarities and yet the friction between raga ornamentation and Sean Nos ornamentation,
the contrasting approaches to the way the traditions deal with rhythm and space yet the
shared cyclic nature of tension and release which underscores the foundation of the
music, the incredible tonal variety of both musics treating pitches as much more than just
notes but ranges of spaces inherently tied to instigating emotion in the listener. Possibly
the most important parallel for me is the blurred lines between composition and
improvisation in these traditions. The “living” qualities of existing compositions passed
down through oral tradition are constantly morphing, assimilating new ideas in line with
new generations of individual styles. They are both forms of music where you have
permission to insert yourself, your memory, your vision and your experiences into vast
and rich history of repertoire as long as you set out to do so with the utmost respect and
reverence for the history behind you. I view them both as living traditions with
innovation and malleability at the core of their heart which is what ensures they will
never be “ancient artifacts” and possess the dynamism to interact in a very interesting and
meaningful way.

Utsav Lal has performed several piano concerts with a repertoire of Indian ragas at venues including Carnegie Hall, New York, John F. Kennedy Center, Washington DC, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, KonsertHuset, Sweden, Southbank Centre, London and others. Lal holds a Bachelors in Jazz from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Glasgow and a Masters in Contemporary Improvisation from the New England Conservatory of Music, Boston. Lal won Ireland’s MAMA Award (2008) for Multiculturalism in the individual category Yamaha Jazz Scholar award (2014), TiE Aspire Young Indian Achiever Award (2012) and was named a Young Steinway Artist (2010) by piano-makers, Steinway & Sons.
Utsav Lal is currently on the teaching faculty of Piano School of NYC and has conducted several performance workshops at venues including Global Music Institute, India and “Breaking Boundaries” workshop series in India and USA.

For Spanish Peaks Celtic Fest Sept 21-24 info, schedules, tickets go to www.CelticMusicFest.com