Afternoon Concert Celebrates Musical Traditions

Afternoon Concert Celebrates Musical Traditions

A Sunday afternoon concert at Derby Theatre by one of the UK’s top South Asian vocalist Swati Natekar will commemorate the 75th anniversary of India and Pakistan’s independence and pay tribute to India’s iconic singer, the late Lata Magheskar.

The concert, entitled Nazrānā – An Offering, will be held at Derby Theatre on Sunday October 9, starting at 3pm.

It is part of the Derby Season of Light which is a family festival of activities, events and performances to celebrate the city and county’s diversity and creativity organised by Derby’s South Asian arts organisation, Surtal Arts.

Nazrānā is a very special concert that will take audiences on a nostalgic journey as Swati presents some well known and well-loved ghazals (lyrical poems expressed through music) from Pakistan.

The programme also includes iconic Bollywood songs from 50’s to the 90’s sung by the late Lata Mangheskar who is known to many as the Nightingale of India and who is widely considered to have been one of the greatest and most influential singers in India.

Swati, has performed across the world, and her voice also features on a Hollywood Warner Brothers movie ‘The In-Laws’, and ‘The Republic Of Love’, directed by Deepa Mehta. Having featured over 25 albums so far, Swati has also released her own Ghazal albums ‘Dhanak’ & ‘Anjuman’; a Fusion album ‘Destiny Chakra’ and Thumri album “Anuraag”.

In this concert she will be joined by leading UK-based musicians Kamalbir Singh (violin), Mahesh Patel (keyboard/accordian), Alok Verma (percussion table) and Siddharth Singh (guitar).

Surtal Arts chair Nisha Nath explained: “Derby Season of Light is all about celebrating the key element of different religious festivals at this time of year which unite us all – namely light – signifying inclusion, hope and remembrance.

“This year is particularly special as the festival coincides with the 75^th commemorations of India and Pakistan’s independence and we have therefore incorporated into the 2022 programme three concerts which bring together music and artists from both countries with music as the common bond.”

“Nazrānā is a perfect example of this unifying celebration as it combines some of the beautiful Ghazals which have been so important to Pakistan’s rich cultural tapestry over the centuries and will be sung by Swati.

“We are honoured that Swati Natekar and the incredible line up of UK-based artists will be performing on stage at Derby Theatre and I hope that this will be musical treat for people from all cultures to enjoy together.”

Derby Season of Light is spearheaded by Surtal Arts, the long-established Derby organisation rooted in traditional South Asian arts. They who are working with a wide range of partners including Derby City Council, Derby LIVE, Derby Museums, University of Derby, Déda, Derby Theatre, Air Arts, Fleet Arts, Number Twenty Eight and Belper Town Council, with funding from Arts Council England thanks to National Lottery players.

Tickets for ‘Nazrānā on Sunday October 9 cost £12 and are available to book at https://www.surtalarts.co.uk/nazrana-an-offering

Information about all the Derby Season of Light activities, events and performances are available at https://www.surtalarts.co.uk/season-of-light-2022-events