Anoushka Shankar, Avni Doshi, and Anosh Irani highlight Indian Summer Festival, as it unveils events from June 17 to July 17
Virtual concerts, immersive sound worlds, Punjabi Market walking tours, and more amid five weeks of online and limited live events
Anoushka Shankar
Author Avni Doshi
SITAR STAR Anoushka Shankar, tabla maestro Zakir Hussain, and authors Avni Doshi and Souvankham Thammavongsa are just some of the standout names rolled out in the Indian Summer Festival lineup today.
The 11th annual multidisciplinary event, which runs June 17 to July 17, has curated 10 offerings across music, theatre, literary talks, and more. Most offerings will be held virtually, with a few in-person components. The fest’s beloved food celebrations take new form, with dishes from Vij’s and wine from Volcanic Hills available for delivery to Lower Mainland residences, and an artist-curated Punjabi Market Premium Gift Box.
Indian Summer will be offering its live online premieres (in which audiences can interact through chat functionality) via an on-demand digital platform that makes it possible to view shows until the end of the festival.
Kicking things off at the opening-night party June 17 is Metamorphosis, featuring Laydy Jams, Shamik Bilgi, Her Tribal Roots, and Kamal Pandya. ISF2021 Premium Pass Holders will get exclusive access to an online afterparty where they'll be paired with other ISF friends and artists for one-on-one conversations and performances, and a special food-and-drink box featuring a meal for two by Vikram Vij paired with a bottle of wine from Volcanic Hills.
June 19 sees a special Indian Summer project by Anoushka Shankar. Called The Musical Journey of a Shapeshifter, it’s an evening of music and stories with the genre-defying musician and seven-time Grammy Award nominee. Says Indian Summer artistic director Sirish Rao: “For this 11th year…we thought that our theme should be ‘Shapeshifting’. It’s something that we’ve all had to do in the last year, and shapeshifters have existed in almost every culture.”
From June 23 to July 3, audiences will be able to visit VOX Infold, a chance to experience the music of the powerhouse vocal ensemble amid the 4D system at the Lobe Spatial Sound Studio. Produced in partnership with Vancouver Jazz Festival and LOBE Studios, the experience requires an advance booking and can be experienced as an individual or in a household bubble.
Flames and Portals, a literary discussion with Kamila Shamsie and Mohsin Hamid, moderated by Rao, hits the virtual stage June 24. The event revisits the two artists four years after their first appearance at the fest. Both published novels that turned out to predict a lot of the problems in the world today, including about the rise of nationalism and the tightening of political and social borders.
June 26 marks an intimate online concert with tabla maestro Zakir Hussain performing solo and then joined in real time virtually with both Grateful Dead legend Mickey Hart and bansuri virtuoso Rakesh Chaurasia. The concert is preceded by an interview with Hussain.
Guests are invited to take a self-guided walking tour via smartphone of the Punjabi Market on July 3. The audio tour, narrated by artists, shop owners, and community members, will give an insight into the past, present, and future of the neighbourhood. Fest-goers will also be able to order Punjabi Market Premium Gift Boxes, specially curated by artists Minahil Bukhari and Mustaali Raj for the fest. Costing $125 (including taxes and shipping), the box will be delivered to people’s doors (available for order here).
On July 8 at 7 pm, check out Ancient Futures—Musical Inheritances, a documentary premiere on the music project Jhalaak, followed by a conversation with musicians Ruby Singh, Khari Wendell McClelland, and PIQSIQ.
Anosh Irani
Two nights later, the Knives and Sugar event finds author Avni Doshi meeting minds with author Souvankham Thammavongsa, in a virtual discussion moderated by Anna Ling Kaye.
Elsewhere, celebrated playwright Anosh Irani, whose shows like Bombay Black and Buffoon have played to acclaim here in Vancouver, sees a new work called Transcendence debut on July 15. The meld of film and theatre featuring local stage bright lights Lois Anderson, Munish Sharma, and Laara Sadiq.
The festival wraps up with a finale on July 17 with A Night at the Orpheum: a musical performance broadcast to viewers’ living rooms, featuring Naadaleela Ensemble as well as Mohamed Assani & Friends.
The full schedule as well as information on tickets and all-inclusive passes are here.
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