Brooklyn Raga Massive at the Kahilu Theatre

The Kahilu Theatre will premiere the New York-based band Brooklyn Raga Massive in two performances next week.

One of the performances will take place on Saturday, Nov. 4, at 7 p.m. on the Kahilu Theatre main stage. The band will also be the headliners for the first of the Kahilu Gold concert series on Friday, Nov. 3, at 6 p.m. The Friday concert is a benefit for Kahilu Theatre’s education programs.

PC: Kevin Yatarola

“Brooklyn Raga Massive is a collective of highly talented musicians who blend two of the richest music traditions in the world – American jazz and Indian classical – showing that great music has no cultural boundaries,” says Surinder Brar, one of the sponsors of the touring performance and a member of the Kahilu Theatre’s Season programming committee.

In New York, Raga Massive musicians play weekly concerts and jam sessions in a variety of clubs and venues. They have also performed at the prestigious Kennedy Center and the Lincoln Center. Most of the musicians in the group are of Indian origin, were born in the US and studied with Indian classical music teachers both in India and on the mainland.

Neel Murgai, one of the founders of the collective, has played the sitar for more than 20 years and lived in Indiato learn from master practitioners. “He is very excited to be performing in Hawaiʻi for the first time and is looking forward to both performing and sharing a little about his cultural roots,” says Brar.

The group will also be contributing to Kahilu’s educational outreach by participating in a musical workshop and cultural exchange with students from the West Hawaiʻi Explorations Academy.

Tickets for both concerts are available online at www.kahilutheatre.org, by calling (808) 885-6868, or at the Kahilu Theatre Box Office, at 67-1186 Lindsey Road, Kamuela, HI 96743, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.