Symphony Orchestra of India Announces Second UK Tour

The orchestra will tour with various guest soloists between November 29 to December 10, 2023

Founded in 2006 by Khushroo N. Suntook and violin virtuoso Marat Bisengaliev, the Symphony Orchestra of India (SOI) is based at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Mumbai and is India’s first and only professional orchestra.

Returning to tour the UK for the first time since 2019, the SOI will perform across seven cities, including Coventry, London, Cambridge, Croydon, Bradford, Birmingham, and Edinburgh, beginning on November 29, 2023.

Led by conductors Alpesh Chauhan and Richard Farnes, the orchestra will be joined by soloists: violinist Mara Bisengaliev, tabla player Zakir Hussain, pianist Pavel Kolesnikov, sitar player Niladri Kumar, and bansuri player Rakesh Chaurasia.

The orchestra is known for its performing complex classical compositions and those that represent a combination of the classical traditions of South Asia and the West.

Its upcoming tour will feature the UK premiere of Hussain’s Triple Concerto featuring himself as the soloist, alongside soloists Kumar and Chaurasia in London, Birmingham, and Edinburgh.

“The SOI’s 17th year has been special. The SOI co-founder and Music Director Marat Bisengaliev and I are pleased to witness the orchestra’s journey and hope that this is only the beginning,” said Suntook, according to Media India.

“The Autumn 2023 Season was a great success assisted by the excitement around the NCPA’s commissioning of a Triple Concerto for the tabla, sitar and bansuri played by the three great maestros, Zakir Hussain, also the composer, Niladri Kumar and Rakesh Chaurasia,” he added. “We can safely say that it was one of the most successful seasons of the SOI in living memory. The same artists are now preparing to go to the UK. The tour promises to be a remarkable musical celebration and we look forward to presenting it to the audiences in the UK.”

For more details about the tour, click here.