Australian-Indian music ensemble to embark on a seven-city India tour

PA/26/18                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         10 December 2018

                                                         Australian-Indian music ensemble to embark on a six-city India tour

Inter-cultural music ensemble, The Three Seas, is setting sail for a six-city tour of India as part of Australia Fest.

The Three Seas combines traditional Baul music, originally performed by the mystics from West Bengal and Bangladesh, with contemporary Australian jazz, rock and western production aesthetics.

Australia’s High Commissioner to India Her Excellency Ms Harinder Sidhu said, “The Three Seas is a great example of the cross-cultural creativity that can emerge through the deepening links between our people. I am delighted that music lovers across India will get the opportunity to experience their music as part of Australia Fest.”

The Three Seas is a ten-year labour of love for their Artistic Director and founder Matt Keegan. A trip to India in 2009 introduced Matt to the traditional music and instruments of West Bengal and inspired him to establish The Three Seas.

Matt is thrilled to have finally realised his vision to tour the group in India. “The Three Seas is a very personal project that has been many years in the making, so to receive recognition for the project from the Australian Government, including through the Australia Council for the Arts, is very rewarding as an artist,” he said.                      

The ensemble comprises Artistic Director, composer and saxophonist Matt Keegan; prodigious singer and virtuosic khamak player Raju Das Baul; multi-instrumentalist of Nepalese/Indian heritage from Darjeeling Deoashish Mothey; award-winning jazz bassist Steve Elphick; and Kolkata-based percussionist and dubki expert Gaurab Chatterjee.

While in India, The Three Seas will release their latest recording “Fathers, Sons & Brothers”. The album follows the ensemble’s critically acclaimed debut release Haveli (2014), which was made possible through Keegan’s 2011 Freedman Jazz Fellowship and was recorded in a 100-year old Maharaja mansion in the Rajasthani desert.

“Travelling to India is always an adventure. It’s very fulfilling when things come together and we are working, across continents and language barriers to create something new together. For me, this is one of the most pleasurable parts of being a musician,” added Matt.

The tour will commence on 15 December with a performance in Fort Kochi as part of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, one of Asia’s biggest contemporary art festivals. The group will then travel to Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Kalimpong and Siliguri.

The Three Seas India Tour

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Interviews available in English, Hindi and Bengali.

About Australia Fest:

On 18 September 2018 Australia’s High Commissioner to India Her Excellency Ms Harinder Sidhu, launched Australia Fest, a six month long celebration of Australian culture and creativity. Australia Fest has been made possible with the generous support of our partners in three major categories: Platinum: State Governments of Victoria and New South Wales; Gold: Deakin University; Silver: ANZ Banking Group, Ashok & Mariam Jacob, CQ University Australia, FCM Travel Solutions, Mahindra, Northern Territory Government, Tata BlueScope Steel, Telstra, Tourism Australia and Woodside Energy. Australia Fest’s hotel partner is the Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL), airline partner is Singapore Airlines, wine partner is Jacob’s Creek, and promotion partner is BookMyShow.

Follow us for updates – www.australiafest.com

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