Cellist Chris Votek's Singing Strings of the East and West March 5

Acclaimed as a “creative force,” cellist and composer Chris Votek, who is one of LA’s most in demand studio artists and composers, is celebrating the release of Memories of a Shadow, on MicroFest Records, with a concert on March 5 at the Pico Union Project. The release marks Votek’s bold recording debut as both a traditionalist performing Hindustani raga on cello, and an innovative composer exploring the intersection between Western and Indian Classical traditions. The evening will feature world renowned violinist Kala Ramnath, tabla maestro Dr. Neelamjit Dhillon, and a string quintet including members of the Grammy-nominated new music collective Wild Up. Hosted by KPFK radio personality John Schneider and presented by MicroFest, Singing Strings of the East and West will take place on March 5 at 8pm at the Pico Union Project located at 1153 Valencia Street in Los Angeles. Tickets $25 advance / $30 door are available at https://indianconcert.eventbrite.com

Refracting Indian classical music through the lens of modern Western chamber music, the program will include a traditional raga presentation in Gayaki-Ang (vocal) style with master of the singing violin, Kala Ramnath, leading Votek’s cello and Dhillon’s tabla; Votek’s string quintet Memories of a Shadow, a cathartic three movement work blending raga melody with European polyphony, and an encore performance of Sands of Time, an arrangement for string sextet, Indian violin, and tabla of a traditional Rajasthani Folk Medley arranged by Votek and Dhillon originally created for Ustad Zakir Hussain, Ramnath and the San Francisco Symphony. The artists include violinists Andrew Tholl and Adrianne Pope, violists Ben Bartelt and Tom Lea, and cellist Derek Stein.

Singing Strings of the East and West is part of Votek and Dhillon’s mission to connect communities through intercultural music-making. Drawing on their knowledge of both Indian and Western idioms, they aim to create new spaces for musicians from different backgrounds to collaborate and create art that reflects their diverse communities. Committed to making traditional art forms accessible to all, they will lead a hands-on pre-concert Indian music workshop for music students through the award-winning non-profit Harmony Project which will take place on Saturday, February 19.

Chris Votek’s fluency in musical languages from North Indian classical, Arabic, electronica, jazz, ambient, Western classical to pop, makes him highly sought after as a performer, composer, arranger, recording artist, producer and sound engineer. A disciple of the legendary Indian violinist Dr. N. Rajam, Votek is one of the few cellists in the world performing the rare Gayaki-Ang style Hindustani Raga.

Recent highlights include arranging music with Dhillon for Rhythm Spirits, a collaboration between Ustad Zakir Hussain, Kala Ramnath, and the San Francisco Symphony. His compositions have been performed at REDCAT, the Hammer Museum, Clockshop, and the San Francisco Symphony’s experimental late-night concert series SF Soundbox. Votek has toured 4 continents with acclaimed songwriter Julia Holter and performed at the Royal Opera House Muscat as principal cellist of Nabil Azzam’s Arabic orchestra MESTO. As a touring and studio cellist, Votek has worked with Chris Martin, Father John Misty, Wild Up, Bridge to Everywhere, Kamasi Washington, The Dirty Projectors, Amanda Palmer, The Marias, and Homayoun Shajarian among others. He recently performed with the Silk Road Ensemble at the Smithsonian Institution with Persian singer Mamak Khadem.

With a discography of close to 100 recordings, 20 film and TV scores, composer and producer of 7 short film scores and one feature length documentary score, Memories of a Shadow marks Votek’s first title dedicated to his original music. Votek can also be heard on the 2021 Grammy nominated album Cinema by The Marias, and on Khadem’s newest album, Remembrance, performing with Chris Martin of Coldplay, an album on which Votek also served as co-producer and arranger.

Dr. Neelamjit Dhillon is an award-winning multi-instrumentalist (tabla/saxophone/ bansuri) and composer based in Los Angeles. Skilled in both North Indian classical music and jazz, he is a student of Ustad Zakir Hussain and has worked extensively with Disney, performed around the globe, and can be heard on Snatam Kaur’s Grammy nominated album Beloved.

Kala Ramnath with her Singing Violin is among the world’s finest, most inspirational instrumentalists. Her playing and compositions have been featured on the Grammy-nominated Miles from India project, Grammy-winning In 27 Pieces, the Kronos Quartet’s 50 For The Future, and on the soundtrack of the Oscar-nominated Blood Diamond. She holds the distinction of being awarded the most illustrious Sangeet Natak Academy Puraskar for her contributions to the violin in Hindustani Classical Music.

For interview requests, more information or advance copies of the recording, please contact Genevieve Spielberg at 908-608-1325 or genevieve@gsiartists.com

Visit www.chrisvotek.com for more information and hi-res images

For Listings

March 5 at 8pm

Singing Strings of the East and West

Celebrating the release of Memories of a Shadow (MicroFest Records)

Chris Votek, cello/composer, Indian violinist Kala Ramnath, tabla Neelamjit Dhillon, violinists Andrew Tholl and Adrianne Pope,

violists Ben Bartelt and Tom Lea, and cellist Derek Stein

Pico Union Project

1153 Valencia Street, Los Angeles, CA 90015

Tickets https://indianconcert.eventbrite.com