Bihu tunes in Glasgow, London

GUWAHATI: Sunita Khaund, an Assamese violinist, presented Bihu ahead of the coming Commonwealth Games at a cultural event which is part of a series of sporting extravaganza held in Glasgow recently. She also performed in London.
The violinist performed at the first music festival of 'Culture 2014', the art and culture series of the Commonwealth Games beginning July 23, in Glasgow.In London, she performed for Incense and Lights, a music series under the banner Beyond Boundaries.
Khaund was invited to perform at the Glasgow Mela, a multicultural festival held on June 7 and 8. She, in collaboration with the Scottish music group Paragon Ensemble and the African percussion group Hah Ensemble, gave a musical rendition. On the opening day, she performed a fusion piece combining both Assamese and Scottish folk to a packed audience. .
She then performed 'Luitor Ballite' her piece from her album 'Bihu Strings' for the world music festival. She then continued with 'Bharat Darshan', her signature piece, and 'Raagas to Bollywood' in the 'Indian Music' section accompanied by Utasav Lal, a raaga pianist.
"It was a beautiful experience for me to perform in front of so many people. But more than that, it was a learning experience as it gave me an opportunity to know about Scottish and African music. Music is all about transcending boundaries and learning from different cultures of the world. I am glad that I could showcase Assamese traditional folk music to a diverse audience as this," said Khaund over the phone from Mumbai.
In London, Khaund made sure that the packed audience at the beautiful cathedral of St. Cuthbert's Parish Church, which on any given day gets to hear only choir and gospel music, got a taste of the Assamese Bihu. Khaund performed 'Ganga Siloni' with British musicians James Barralet and Jonathan Mayoron the cello and sitar respectively on June 11 and 12.