Tablacentric: Two-Week Long Residency Starts Tonight

Robin Sukhadia and Walter Kitundu performing live. Photo credit: Mischief Photo.

Robin Sukhadia and Walter Kitundu performing live. Photo credit: Mischief Photo.
Two years ago, Machine Project hosted a month-long Tablacentric residency, featuring the tabla -- a traditional drum of northern India. Twelve tablas were set up all month at Machine Project, and workshops and sessions ranged from tabla lessons to film screenings, cooking lessons, and a talk on robotics and the tabla. The month's events were devised and organized by Robin Sukhadia aka Tablapusher, a tabla performer, educator, and innovator.

Well this month Robin Sukhadia is back in town, hosting a two-week long residency at the Hammer Museum, along with Machine Project. From tonight until April 18th, he and various other artists will teach tabla workshops, screen films and host readings, and perform Indian classical and non-classical music (the full schedule of events is below).

Robin Sukhadia hosts a tabla workshop. Photo by Jaeger Smith

Since our interview with Robin Sukhadia two years ago, he has travelled extensively around the US and internationally, performing tabla by himself and in collaboration with DJs and musicians, and has continued to teach music education workshops for youth. He travels to India on behalf of Project Ahimsa, an organization committed to empowering impoverished youth through music education, and this year he was awarded a Fellowship from the American Institute of Indian Studies to expand this work.

The two-week Tablacentric residency this month is packed with exciting events, many of which are free. Here's the schedule, starting with tonight's launch party:

• Monday 4/5: 7 PM
  Tablacentric Launch Party (At Machine Project) featuring PremaSoul + Mandeep Sethi (MC) -- FREE
• Tuesday 4/6: 2 - 5 PM
  Tabla Workshop: 2 - 3:30pm at Hammer Museum Lobby. Special guest Chris Votek (cello) - 3:30 - 4:00pm. Tabla Workshop 4 - 5pm
• Thursday 4/8: 2 - 5 PM
  Tabla Workshop: 2 - 3:30pm at Hammer Museum Lobby (FREE Museum Admission). Special guest workshop on harmonium + Sanskrit chants led by Sheela Bringi 3:30 - 4:30. Tabla Workshop 4:30 - 5pm
• Saturday 4/10: 1 - 4 PM
  Tabla Workshop: 1 - 2:30pm at Hammer Museum Lobby followed by special guest performances by Sheela Bringi, Clinton Patterson and Debashish Chaudhuri beginning at 2:30 - 4:00pm.
• Monday 4/12: 7:30 PM
  LA Indivisible Poetry Anthology Reading (at Machine Project) - FREE - featuring Tablapusher + Kitundu

• Thursday 4/15: 5 - 9 PM

  Tabla Workshop: 5 - 6:30pm at Hammer Lobby. Followed by special performances featuring Tablapusher + Kitundu @ Hammer Museum (FREE Museum Admission)

• Saturday 4/17: 4 - 7 PM
  Tabla Workshop: 4 - 5:30pm at Hammer Lobby. Followed by special performances featuring Tablapusher + Kitundu with special guest Neelanjana Banerjee @ Hammer Museum
• Sunday 4/18: 4 - 7 PM
  Tablacentric Closing Party - at Machine Project - featuring SADUBAS (Robin Sukhadia and Ameet Mehta) + TJ Troy + Sheela Bringi + Mandeep Sethi - FREE

Sadubas (Robin Sukhadia and Ameet Mehta) live at LACMA. Photo credit: LACMA