NODE / Brian Cliff Olguin for Ultima
A Song of Woes
Jason Kunwar I Ranav Adhikari I Sanskriti Shrestha I Turi Leng Seong Agostino I Nischal Khadka
A Song of Woes, We offer Steeps celebrates the fact and fantasy of Nepalese and Himalayan experience in songs, stories and melodies from all over the region.
Jason Kunwar (flutes, sarangi and electronics) addresses the challenges of village life after the influx of labourers and migrant workers. Ranav Adhikari improvises with singing bowls, Tibetan cymbals, horns, electric guitar, archival recordings and visuals. Sanskriti Shrestha accompanies them on backing vocals and traditional drum instruments, while Turi Leng Seong Agostino provides a creative sound mix. The project is curated by Nischal Khadka.
The performance encourages experimentation with traditional and contemporary styles, fusing Nepalese and Tibetan music with electronic elements. A performance that reveals the joys, sorrows, rituals, festivals, and tensions related to migration and urbanisation, while looking beyond the stereotypes and colonial history of the Himalayan region.
Jason Kunwar. Photo: Bishwo Harsha Bajracharya
Ranav Adhikari. Photo: Samik Kharel
Sanskriti Shrestha. Photo: Andreas Wildhagen
Turi Agostino. Photo: Camille Blake
Singing bowls, radung, sarangi, sur-mandal, horns, flutes, vocals, nya-khin
- Jason Kunwar
Dilruba and electronics
- Ranav Adhikari
Percussion
- Sanskriti Shrestha
Electronics
- Turi Leng Seong Agostino
Curator
- Nischal Khadka
In collaboration with
- Blå
- SPOR Festival
Supported by
- Sparebankstiftelsen DNB
- The Creative Europe programme of the European Union as part of Sounds Now
