Chennai, Sep 01: ITC Grand Chola is set to present an exceptional evening of cross-cultural musical artistry with Utsav Lal's Ragas to Reels: An Indo-Irish Musical Confluence on 10 September 2026, featuring acclaimed Indian pianist and composer Utsav Lal alongside celebrated Irish musicians Winifred Horan and Sam Comerford, and renowned tabla virtuoso Zuheb Ahmed Khan.
Part of Utsav Lal's Ragas to Reels India Tour 2026, the performance arrives in Chennai as one of four select showcases across India, following engagements in Mumbai and Delhi and preceding Bengaluru. Supported by Culture Ireland and Team Ireland in India, comprising the Embassy of Ireland in New Delhi, the Consulate General of Ireland in Mumbai, and the Honorary Consuls in Bengaluru and Chennai, the tour serves as a flagship cultural initiative celebrating Ireland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Recognised internationally for his pioneering work in reimagining Hindustani classical music on the piano, Utsav Lal has spent over a decade developing Utsav Lal's Ragas to Reels, a distinctive musical project that explores the creative intersections between Indian classical and Irish traditional music. Through a seamless blend of tradition and improvisation, the collaboration brings together artists from two rich musical legacies to create a dynamic and contemporary performance experience.
Joining Lal on stage is Winifred Horan, one of Ireland's most distinguished fiddle players, celebrated for her profound contribution to Irish traditional music. Acclaimed flautist and saxophonist Sam Comerford adds a distinctive contemporary dimension to the ensemble, while Zuheb Ahmed Khan's masterful command of the tabla grounds the performance in the rhythmic sophistication of Indian classical music.
Utsav Lal's Ragas to Reels is a unique musical collaboration that explores the creative dialogue between Indian classical music and Irish traditional music. Drawing from historical and imagined connections between Irish and Hindustani musical traditions, the project creates a rich sonic landscape where Sean-nós airs dissolve into alap, harp songs converse with thumri and chhands, and reels and jigs ignite into tarana and jhala. Featuring traditional repertoire alongside original compositions, the music is at once virtuosic, spontaneous and deeply moving.
Over the years, Utsav Lal's Ragas to Reels has captivated audiences across Ireland, the United Kingdom, India and the United States, with performances at prestigious venues including the Southbank Centre in London, Lyric Theatre Belfast, Irish Arts Center in New York, and The Barns at Wolf Trap in Washington, D.C.
Event Details
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Event: Utsav Lal's Ragas to Reels: An Indo-Irish Musical Confluence
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Date: 10 September 2026
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Venue: ITC Grand Chola, Chennai
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Featuring: Utsav Lal, Winifred Horan, Sam Comerford and Zuheb Ahmed Khan
For music enthusiasts, cultural connoisseurs and lovers of artistic collaboration, Utsav Lal's Ragas to Reels offers a rare opportunity to experience a vibrant musical conversation between India and Ireland, brought to life by some of the finest practitioners of their craft.
