#tabla school

Toronto Tabla Ensemble: Celebrating 25 Years When the Toronto Tabla Ensemble (TTE) was established in 1991, the tabla was rarely seen in Canadian music. The TTE has changed this by being a major force in musical performance and education. The Ensemble’s 25th anniversary concert will be held on May 14th and 15th, 2016 at the Harbourfront Centre in Toronto. It will showcase a new generation of young artists who represent the future of tabla in Canada. Featuring the main ensemble as well as the Toronto Tabla Youth Ensemble, original works composed by ensemble and youth members will be presented for the first time.

Led by artistic director, Ritesh Das, the TTE has brought a lot to Canadian World Music by consistently producing concerts and albums over the last 25 years. The Ensemble has focused on collaborative projects which highlight the similarity of many musical forms and cultures. They have done this with great success and gained a lot of exposure including a Juno nomination and widespread feature on various radio and television outlets such as CBC and Much Music. The Ensemble has presented concerts yearly and was featured at festivals including the Vancouver Folk Music Festival, the Winnipeg Folk Festival, and the Montreal International Jazz Festival.

Meanwhile Das and the TTE have maintained traditional educational programming through the School of Tabla, which has three branches across the Greater Toronto Area. The school’s students have gone on to become members of the TTE youth and main ensembles as well as tabla teachers at the school. The TTE has organized workshops in Toronto led by the legendary maestros, Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri and late Pandit Chitresh Das. In maintaining this high educational standard the Toronto Tabla Ensemble has been the leading institution for training professional tabla players in Canada. The Ensemble’s celebratory concert will highlight the TTE’s role in the future of tabla in Canada and be a preview of what the next 25 years can bring.

The 25 Year Anniversary Concert will be held on May 14th at 7:00 PM and May 15th at 3:00 PM at the Brigantine Room, Harbourfront Centre. Tickets are $25.

For more information and to buy tickets please visit: Online: torontotabla.com/tte-25 Phone: (416) 973-4000 (Press 1) In Person: Harbourfront Centre Box Office, 235 Queen’s Quay West (Tues-Sat 1-6 PM)

Tabla maestro Ritesh Das weaves his magic once again” Lise Watson, Independent writer on TTE Next concert

“Ritesh Das is certainly a born showman and a wicked tabla player.” Susan Walker, Dance Writer, The Toronto star

“Attending a Toronto Tabla Ensemble concerts can be like visiting a giant laboratory, where artistic director, Ritesh Das plays the role of a master chemist gleefully mixing music and dance from around the world. It is always exciting to see such skilled and experienced dance artists working things out on stage together, rising to meet each other’s skill and the virtuoso musical energy.” Rebecca Todd, The Globe and mail

“The Toronto Tabla Ensemble, along with dancer Joanna de Souza and bass player George Koller, demonstrated the magic that can happen when a group of creative, yet respectful and disciplined musicians set about to explore the interaction between different musical worlds. [They] performed with precision, spontaneity and an infectious enjoyment. Clearly an invigorating addition to Toronto’s music scene.” Tamara Bernstein, The Globe and mail

“From the moment they walked on stage, the poly-ethnic percussion ensemble had the rapt attention of the capacity audience and proved that musical boundaries can be flexible. Yet just as essential to the Tabla Ensemble’s cross-cultural success is a keen sense of performance. Using the tabla as a launching point, the group combined light, voice and acoustics to create a bridge between the orchestrated precision of Kronos Quartet and the roof-raising energy of British dance innovators Stomp!, which had the audience on its feet demanding more.” Matt Galloway, NOW magazine, Toronto