You probably haven’t seen anything like a Surya Ensemble performance, but you should.
The group’s music is bold and brash, the performances sexy and often soulful. There’s belly dancing and fire. There’s also audience engagement and introductions to each artist and their instrument.
Surya Ensemble is a new 6-piece group of world musicians whose performances dazzle in intimate settings. Such was the case during a preview of the ensemble’s current show “Elements” at SCADshow in July. The group will showcase “Elements” again at the venue today. It brings Surya Ensemble’s signature style — blending Eastern and Western instrumentation — to life.
The collective group of world performers includes Ankit Patel (shenai, an ancient Indian oboe), Michelle Winters (violin), Nima Ghadiri (daf, a Middle Eastern drum instrument), Sean Thrower (guitar), Catherine Evergreen (viola) and Maria Martynova (dancer).
Credit: Ziyu Julian Zhu/AJC
Credit: Ziyu Julian Zhu/AJC
Surya Ensemble officially formed earlier this year, and the sextet had its first show at Magnolia Hall in Piedmont Park in March. Outside of festival stops, the Atlanta-based band aims to produce a show once a month. Patel, who composes the tracks, founded the group.
Its name derives from a Sanskrit word, which means “sun.”
“We really wanted to create a space to show our unique instruments to the world,” he said. “.....Where is the true acoustic music in the world? Surya is really a space for us to showcase that we exist and we have a nice blend of instrumentation. It’s not just Eastern music or Western music. It’s a nice blend of cultures and diversity in the group.”
For Patel, Surya Ensemble is a “pure East-meets-West type of fusion.” The West is represented by viola, violin and classical guitar where the East is represented by the shanai, Persian drums and the belly dancer.
As the group grows, they plan to do more shows each month, but want to see how the city digests the niche performance concept. Michelle Winters said being in Surya Ensemble is a representation of Atlanta’s diversity.
“I think it represents Atlanta as a city, because (Atlanta) has grown so much in the past five years,” Winters said. “We’ve had a lot of people migrate to our city, especially different cultures, so I also feel that Surya is a beautiful concept from different cultures coming and growing together.”
Credit: Ziyu Julian Zhu/AJC
Credit: Ziyu Julian Zhu/AJC
“Elements” is a show that music nerds and casual listeners will equally appreciate. The ensemble takes the audience on an hourlong journey of music, narration, lights and stories of the world’s four elements (earth, wind, water and fire). There’s also a set of familiar favorites: covers of Adele’s “Set Fire to the Rain,” Justin Timberlake’s “Cry Me a River” and other pop hits.
The show offers an intimate, romantic setting that’s perfect for a date night.
Thrower said their fans appreciate the group’s musical and cultural diversity.
“I think the blending of cultures is inspiring, and it’s great to look beyond your comfort zone as a listener and as an artist and hear something new,” he said. “Being involved in music like this, a blending of West and Eastern sounds, there’s plenty of things that are different about the music from each culture, but there’s also a lot of crossover. I think our listeners can catch on to things that they’re accustomed to hearing while simultaneously being introduced to things that are new to their listening experience.”
For now, the group is focused on growing their concerts and performing more family-oriented shows. They also want to put their music on streaming services. But they don’t want to lose the group’s essence as they evolve.
“I think there’s beauty in raw instrumentation,” Patel said. “No matter how big we grow, I don’t want to be in a big theater. I don’t want you to hear the violin on a big speaker a hundred feet back. I want there to be an intimate concert.”
Credit: Ziyu Julian Zhu/AJC
Credit: Ziyu Julian Zhu/AJC
IF YOU GO
Surya Ensemble
7:30 p.m. Oct 10. $55. SCADshow, 1470 Spring St NW, Atlanta. 912-525-5050, scadshow.com.
3:45 p.m. Oct. 20. Free. Brookhaven International Festival at Peachtree Creek Greenway, 1801 Corporate Blvd., Brookhaven. brookhavenga.gov/intl-fest, Festival@BrookhavenGA.gov
