Sitar maestro Niladri Kumaar performs live with an ensemble of Indian and American musicians, celebrating his partnership with Zakir Hussain.
Niladri Kumaar brings his sitar to the Southern Theatre on Wednesday, October 28, at 7:30 PM. He'll be joined on stage by an ensemble of Indian and American musicians, and the whole show is built around his musical partnership with the late Zakir Hussain.
The set draws from Space Between the Notes, a recording of a live concert the two maestros gave in Mumbai. It was released later that year and remains their only recorded performance together, so the tour is a way of honoring that bond. Kumaar will play portions of the album live, and the music brings centuries of Indian classical tradition together with his own contemporary voice.
The venue has its own history to match. The Southern Theatre is the oldest surviving theatre in central Ohio and one of the oldest in the state, having opened in 1896 as part of the Great Southern Fireproof Hotel and Opera House. It was designed by the local firm Dauben, Krumm, and Riebel, and originally seated 1,723. Over the years it hosted touring productions, silent films, and vaudeville, with names like Ethel and Lionel Barrymore, John Philip Sousa, Sarah Bernhardt, Al Jolson, and W.C. Fields crossing its stage. It was also one of the first commercial buildings in Columbus to use electricity, with 204 light bulbs lining the orchestra arches.
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Kumaar's performance is at 7:30 PM on Wednesday, October 28, at the Southern Theatre, 21 E. Main Street, Columbus, OH 43215.
