Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit

Hendricks Chapel to host special Rupayan concert

Tuesday, September 23, 2008, By News Staff
Share

Sara Miller
(315) 443-9038

The South Asia Center of Syracuse University is presenting a special concert, “Rupayan: Music from the Rajasthan Desert,” featuring eight musicians from the Langa and Manganiar communities of Rajasthan, India, on Tuesday, Oct. 7, at 7 p.m. in Hendricks Chapel. The concert, additionally sponsored by the Central New York Humanities Corridor, is free and open to the public.

The Langas and Manganiars are groups of hereditary professional musicians whose music has been supported by wealthy landlords and aristocrats for generations and is a vibrant representation of the unique music of the desert land of Rajasthan. Though both communities are made up of Muslim musicians, many of their songs are in praise of Hindu deities and celebrate Hindu festivals such as Diwali and Holi. The hypnotic combination of rhythm and melodies sung and played by the Langas and Manganiars are part of the eternal appeal of this mysterious and wondrous land. Thanks to the efforts of the late renowned folklorist Komal Kothari, these musicians have performed in concerts worldwide. The Kalapriya Foundation is acting as the U.S. promoter of this rare art form. Kalapriya’s mission is to promote a better understanding of Asian Indian art and culture among the general population.

The “Sindhi Sarangi” used by the Langas is made up of four main wires, with more than 20 vibrating sympathetic strings that help to create its distinctive haunting tones. The bowing of these instruments is a skilful exercise, often supported by the sound of the “ghungroos” or ankle bells that are tied to the bow to make the beat more prominent. Another remarkable bowed instrument is the “kamayacha” of the Manganiars with its big, circular resonator, giving out an impressive deep, booming sound. The music of Rajasthan is driven by pulsating rhythms created by an array of percussion instruments, the most popular of them being the “dholak,” a double-headed barrel drum, whose repertoire has influenced other Indian drums including the “tabla.” Other instruments include the double flute, “satara,” and the hypnotic Jewish harp or “morchang.”

The Oct. 7 concert also has co-sponsorship from U.Encounter and iLearn, as well as the Department of Fine Arts, the Department of Religion and the Program in Religion and Society in The College of Arts and Sciences.

The South Asia Center of Syracuse University, located in the Maxwell School’s Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs, collaborates with Cornell University as a National Resource Center consortium for South Asian studies funded by the U.S. Department of Education. The center’s focus is on the research and scholarship of the countries in the South Asia region. The South Asia Center coordinates a variety of colloquia, films, cultural programs, and other activities for the SU community as well as for faculty and students at nearby colleges.

The Central New York Humanities Corridor, a collaborative partnership among Syracuse University, the University of Rochester (including the Eastman School of Music) and Cornell University, is made possible by a generous grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Thanks to the Humanities Corridor, Rupayan will also perform at Cornell University on Sunday, Oct. 5, at 4 p.m.

  • Author

News Staff

  • Recent
  • What to Expect With the Link Hall Renovations
    Thursday, September 28, 2023, By Kwami Maranga
  • New Student Association Leaders Aim to Get More Students Involved
    Thursday, September 28, 2023, By John Boccacino
  • Chancellor Syverud Addresses Athletics, Benefits, Sustainability at University Senate
    Wednesday, September 27, 2023, By News Staff
  • Setting the Agenda in Biology Research: 2 Professors Join NIH Peer Review Committees
    Wednesday, September 27, 2023, By News Staff
  • Satisfy Your Research Curiosity at BioInspired Institute Symposium Oct. 19 and 20
    Wednesday, September 27, 2023, By Diane Stirling

More In Uncategorized

Syracuse Views Fall 2023

We want to know how you experience Syracuse University. Take a photo and share it with us. We select photos from a variety of sources. Submit photos of your University experience using #SyracuseU on social media, fill out a submission…

Phillips Appointed Interim Director at Lender Center for Social Justice; Director Search Committee Named

The Lender Center for Social Justice has familiar leadership for the 2023-24 academic year while a renewed search for a permanent director is conducted. Kendall Phillips, founding co-director of the Lender Center and professor in the Department of Communication and…

Syracuse Views Spring 2023

We want to know how you experience Syracuse University. Take a photo and share it with us. We select photos from a variety of sources. Submit photos of your University experience using #SyracuseU on social media, fill out a submission…

Awards of Excellence Honoree: Maxwell has Been ‘a Guiding Hand’ in Public Service Career

Standing before an audience of fellow Maxwell School alumni gathered in Washington, D.C., for the second annual Maxwell Awards of Excellence, CNN anchor Boris Sanchez ’09 shared the motivation behind his work as a journalist. Sanchez emigrated from Cuba as…

NASA Honoring Those Who Were Aboard Space Shuttle Columbia And Other Late Astronauts

Sean O’Keefe, University Professor in the Maxwell School, was interviewed for the USA Today article “Twenty years later, loss of space shuttle Columbia still teaches us lessons.” The article emphasizes how NASA’s Memorial Grove is used to honor late astronauts,…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • X
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • @SUCampus
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2023 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.