The 'Music for the Mind & Soul' concert series welcomes back live audiences to The Capstone Theatre in Liverpool on 28th April, brought to you by Milap - the UK's leading Indian arts and culture company.
This unique concert series is a flagship of Milap's performance work - an enchanting musical experience providing audiences with a window into Indian arts and culture.
Milap is the UK's leading Indian Arts & Culture company. Established in 1985, it has a year round programme of Indian arts in London and Liverpool, and works both nationally and internationally to inspire, educate and entertain. Milap also founded the National Indian Arts Awards - now in it's fifth year - in order to recognise the work of countless individuals, schools, teachers, performers, and art organisations, up and down the British Isles, who are working tirelessly to provide generous opportunities to learn or experience Indian arts.
Kaviraj Singh
The concert series relaunches with three upcoming dates. The first in the series takes place in April, featuring Kaviraj Singh, Kirpal Panesar & Milap's artist-in-residence Kousic Sen.
Combining both soulful musicality and a complex rhythm, Singh brings a fresh blend of modern British culture and classical Indian tradition to his music. Raised in a musical family, he continues to take the legacy further by showcasing the beauty and intricacy of the Santoor; one of India’s most treasured stringed instruments.
Kirpal Panesar plays the Tar Shehnai as both a soloist and an accompanist to some of the greatest musicians of India. His versatility and soulful playing along with his unique improvisation skills leaves audiences captivated.
R N Prakash, Kousic Sen, R Prathap
Kousic Sen, Milap's artist-in-residence is a tabla player whose intense and energetic performances add a new dimension to the traditional concert experience. He is well known for his rhythmic mastery, and has performed with most of India’s greatest musicians throughout the world’s most famous venues and festivals.
Following their long-awaited return to live concerts this April, Milap's second date of the concert series will take place on Thursday, May 26th, featuring Rhythm Yatra (Bangalore Prathap, RN Prakash, Kousic Sen, Asaf Sirkis & Giuliano Modarelli). The third concert in the series takes place on Thursday, June 30th, starring Vijay Rajput and Ramya Tangirala with Kousic Sen and Paul Wilkinson.
Vijay Rajput (Hindustani Vocal)
At the beginning of the pandemic, Milap made the switch from physical venues to online spaces to showcase their live performances and concerts.
Over the past 26 years, 'Music for the Mind & Soul' has featured established stars and emerging musicians of the Indian Diaspora, and also regularly presents the next generation of British talent.
Discussing the return to live audiences, Milap's Head of Marketing Archana Shastri said “while we’ve all adapted to and experienced the arts online to varying degrees over the last two years, we can all agree that there’s nothing quite like the energy, thrill and emotion you feel when attending a live event. Our Music for the Mind and Soul concerts are the perfect tonic to these strange and stressful times – a chance to escape, relax and lose yourself in the rich sounds of Indian music. Music has the power to heal and unite – something we all need now more than ever, and we can’t wait to welcome our audiences back to the Capstone for the return of our much-loved concert series this Spring.”
Tickets for the Thursday April 28th show are available to purchase here.
Venue: The Capstone Theatre, 17 Shaw Street, Liverpool, L6 1HP
Sandhya Suri poses during a photocall for the film "Santosh" at the 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on May 21, 2024. 
Bhumi Pednekar