Pre-Show Talk with Akhil Jobanputra

Presented by Chan Centre Presents

Rāga 101 is an interactive workshop that explores rāga, the core melodic principle prevalent across Indian classical music systems. Vocalist Akhil Jobanputra will dissect the question “what is a rāga” through engaged dialogue and demonstration.

Born and raised in Burnaby, Akhil Jobanputra is a young student, performer, educator, and curator of Indian classical music. He started his journey at the age of three with various local teachers, and received direction from Pandit Jasraj. He currently trains with masters Pandit Arun Dravid and Pandit Arijit Mahalanabis, learning the nuances of various sub-genres of Hindustani music including dhrupad and khayal.

Akhil’s music intertwines self-introspection, personal narratives, cascading improvisations, and metaphysics. His repertoire features a mix of centuries-old traditional compositions and a range of contemporary pieces, including his own. He has performed across Canada, the US, India, and the U.K. with notable performances for ‘Chaar Prahar Festival 2020’ (Viewcy.com), and for ‘Parāśakti: The Flame Within’ (Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, Canada) – a unique production conceptualized and co-directed by Akhil.

As an educator, he teaches local and international students of diverse backgrounds under the Kalāvāṇī Institute, specializing in interdisciplinary pedagogy catering to the needs of contemporary students. At the age of twelve, Akhil founded the Indian Classical Music Society of Vancouver (ICMSV). Since then, he has curated a series of initiatives and events geared at increasing awareness, accessibility, and education around Indian classical music.