Composer and author John Pitts talks from the piano about the fascinating world of Indian rāgas. He explains with musical illustrations what a rāga is and its constituent parts, the concepts and methods behind the creative process of a live performance, how improvisation works within a rāga framework, how pianists can approach this on a piano, and the journey that lead to his two books How to Play Indian Sitar Rāgas on a Piano and Indian Rāgas for Piano Made Easy.

There will be opportunities for questions, and the talk will be followed by a session in which audience members can have a go at playing a rāga themselves on one of the fourteen available pianos, using material from one or other of the books. And if we have any brave pianist in the audience willing to try out the ālāp section of a rāga in public on the Steinway piano in the main hall, John will be on hand to guide them through the process.

This piano workshop is for everyone – listeners, musicians, teachers, all levels of pianists would love this special event.

Adults and children with their accompanying adult

£20 entrance fee includes evening solo performance by John and The Bansuri Project