Event overview
Mapping the soundscape of South Indian music in London
An AHRC-funded research project at Goldsmiths in collaboration with the Asian Music Circuit presents a two day event on "Music Learning and Performance in London's Tamil Diaspora".
As part of the Department of Music's PureGold season, we present an afternoon lecture by PhD student Jasmine Hornabrook on "Mapping the soundscape of South Indian music in London"
Musics of the Indian subcontinent are being learned and performed all around Greater London. South Indian music fills the spaces of homes, Hindu temples, community schools, and suburban theatres, as well as internationally prestigious venues such as the Southbank Centre and the Royal Albert Hall. However, most of this music-making takes place outside the vision of the mainstream public in the capital. These musics are largely community-based, particularly endorsed by the exiled Sri Lankan Tamil community, and supported by musicians and migrants from South India. In this presentation, Hornabrook will explore and map the styles of music and contexts of South Indian performances in London, from time-honoured traditions of Tamil temple singing, to lavish debut classical performance ceremonies, bringing to light a vibrant musical community just under the surface of London's multicultural society. She will also discuss the adaption and translation of an Asian classical music into the musical landscape of London today, and her own experience of gaining access to this music scene as a researcher. This will be an opportunity to see fieldwork footage from community-based performances, and to learn about South Indian music within London's Sri Lankan and South Indian diaspora.
The presentation precedes the 8th May performance of South Indian music by three of London's Tamil musicians, in Deptford Town Hall.
This research project, funded by an AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Award, sheds light on transnational music-making within Sri Lankan and South Indian communities in London. The research has involved extensive fieldwork on music learning and performance with musicians, community members and institutions active in London. In collaboration with the Asian Music Circuit, the two events outlined below aim to connect the research project, the musical community and the public, thereby forging new links between the academy and society at large.
Jasmine Hornabrook is a PhD candidate in Ethnomusicology at Goldsmiths, University of London, funded by an AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Award with the Asian Music Circuit. The project, entitled 'Cultural Identity and Transnational Networks: Musical learning and performance in London's Tamil diaspora', has involved fieldwork in London and Chennai, where Jasmine has been working with Sri Lankan and South Indian diasporic musicians. She also learns and performs music from India and Indonesia.
Image: Hindu temple procession in South London, 2013
Dates & times
| Date | Time | Add to calendar |
|---|---|---|
| 7 May 2014 | 5:00pm - 6:00pm |
Accessibility
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