ADVERTISEMENTs
Reena Esmail launches ‘Sunao’—a Hindustani raag with Western choirs
The Sunao collection serves as a cultural bridge, encouraging dialogue and connection beyond the boundaries of the music classroom
Reena Esmail and Reena Bhansali / Facebook
Indian-American composer Reena Esmail has launched Sunao, a three-song choral set created to introduce young Western choirs to the Hindi language and Hindustani classical music.
Esmail is widely recognized for her work integrating Indian and Western classical music. She currently serves as the Swan Family Artist in Residence at the Los Angeles Master Chorale, and is the Artistic Director of Shastra, a nonprofit promoting cross-cultural musical collaboration.
The lyrics of the song are by Reena Bhansali, founder of Hindi By Reena.
The song is commissioned by a consortium through the Southern California Vocal Association; Sunao is available in SATB, SSAA, and SAB (soprano, alto, tenor, bass: a combination of voices in choral music) arrangements and is distributed by Oxford University Press, J.W. Pepper, Presto Music, and other major choral music platforms.
The set blends simple, conversational Hindi with key elements of Hindustani raag. The first piece, Sunao, encourages the sharing of musical traditions through vowel-focused phrasing. The second, Khattar Pattar, uses rhythmic onomatopoeia to depict the rapid movement of thoughts. The final piece, Behta Ja, emphasizes self-compassion, contrasting light and darkness within a gentle musical framework.
The collection serves as a cultural bridge, encouraging dialogue and connection beyond the boundaries of the music classroom.
‘Sunao’ translates to “have me listen,” but more closely conveys the meaning of “tell me” or “sing for me.” Each piece in the set encourages musicians to embrace new ideas with curiosity while also tuning in to their own inner voice.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
E Paper
ADVERTISEMENT
.jpg)
Video
Comments
Start the conversation
Become a member of New India Abroad to start commenting.
Sign Up Now
Already have an account? Login