Directory
Saanjh
A concert of real international and intercultural significance ... a fabulous programme played and sung brilliantly. The trio created what at times felt like a deep meditation. Everyone was captivated ... you could have heard a pin drop!
An extraordinarily beautiful concert ... we’re very privileged to have seen and heard them. Virtuoso improvisation with an east-west fusion of melody and rhythm ... we were left literally speechless with delight!
Trio - Vocal & Instrumental
Instrumentation
- Ankna Arockiam - Voice
- Edward Cohen - Piano
- Hardeep Deerhe - Tabla
Repertoire
Inspiration for this innovative soundscape has been drawn from the following works:
Poetry by Sarojni Naidu and Mirabai
China Gates
Composed by John Adams
Shalimar
Rain Jhala | Jhala of the fountains |
Composed by Alan Hovhaness
(Shalimar in Hindi means garden)
Sarang
Hindustani improvisation on Raag Brindavan Sarang
Lotus Land
Composed by Cyril Scott
Pastiche on the Hindu Merchant’s Song
Composed by Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji
Kashmiri Song
Till I Wake
Four Indian Love Lyrics
Composed by Amy Woodforde Finden
Raag Kafi – Chota Khayal
Tabla Solo (teen taal)
Composed by Hardeep Deerhe
Plainchant in Raag Kapi
Composed by Amit Anand and Ankna Arockiam
Biography
Winners of Chamber Music Scotland's 2022 Underrepresented Composers Tour Opportunity, Ankna Arockiam, Edward Cohen, and Hardeep Deerhe created Saanjh (translates as dusk in Hindi) for St Andrews Voices festival. They call on their eclectic influences to portray a collection of musical scenes. Through collaboration, cultures will merge, blending voice, piano, and tabla, with elements of improvisation and conversation.
Originally from India, Ankna moved to Glasgow in 2011. Since then, she has graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and continues to study singing with Margaret Izatt. She is currently completing her PhD, studying the musical, cultural, and social identities of young Western classical musicians in Indian cities. Her singing career continues and as a soloist she has performed in various festivals and venues across India and the UK. She regularly collaborates with other musicians and artists and is part of an Indo-Celtic Glasgow-based band. Apart from singing and research, Ankna is the founder of Glasgow Sitare (singing group for South Asian women) and is on the board for Children’s Classic Concerts, MusiQuE, and Nevis Ensemble.
Edward has a wealth of experience both on the concert platform and as an educator, and regularly collaborates with leading musicians in major performance venues and festivals. As well has holding a post of Lecturer in Accompaniment at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, he is a principal study piano teacher for the University of Glasgow, and pianist for the choruses of the RSNO. He is a first class graduate of the Royal Academy of Music and holds MMus degrees with distinction in both Solo Piano and Accompaniment from the RCS.
Hardeep is an accomplished Scottish-based musician, composer, and sound artist whose practice is an interdisciplinary one that crosses over into performance, teaching, and design. His work has taken him on numerous tours around the USA, Canada, India, and Europe. Hardeep's recordings are distributed and published worldwide, and he has written music for German-based band 'Homebound' and 'Reveal'. He is a classically trained tabla player, vocalist, improviser, and composer. With education at the heart of his art, he recently started the Talking Tabla Academy, training students in the art of Tabla and Indian rhythmic patterns. He is the co-founder of SCrAN (Scottish Creative Asian Network), and is the current producer of the Glasgow Mela.