June 1 • The Music Gallery and the Istituto Italiano di Cultura present
COSMOPOLITAN RAGAS
An Artist's Talk by Amelia Cuni

LOCATION: Istituto Italiano di Cultura, 496 Huron St.
Infoline: 416-921-3802 ext. 221

6:30pm • Admission FREE

Amelia Cuni shares her experiences and insights of a 30 year journey between cultures. As a young Italian lover of Indian music, she spent a decade in India to learn dhrupad singing and kathak dance with some of the most respected exponents of the
Hindustani tradition. During the ‘90s, she started elaborating her musical knowledge in a contemporary setting and experimental context, interacting with musicians and composers from various backgrounds (Terry Riley, David Toop, Maria de Alvear a.o.)
She has presented her own contemporary dhrupad projects in Europe, Asia and America and collaborated in the fields of early and new music, electro-acoustic, chamber music, electronica, jazz, multimedia, and beyond.

During this lecture, Amelia will discuss the main themes in her artistic production, illustrating some selected works with audio and video samples:
• Amelia's raga-based compositions
• other composer's works for Amelia's dhrupad voice
• Amelia's interpretation of John Cage's 18 microtonal ragas
• integration of various performative elements

The talk will focus on the challenge posed by the juxtaposition in music of various influences and cultural backgrounds, on the integration of one's own life experiences within the creative process and on the search for a contemporary interpretation of the
tradition. Questions and a final discussion will be encouraged.