Ronu Majumdar and Nathan 'Flutebox' Lee have flute encounter in the Royal Albert Hall's Elgar Room
16 December, 2009
On Monday 8 February, Ronu Majumdar, one of India's foremost exponents of the bansuri, or bamboo flute, will be joined by Nathan 'Flutebox' Lee in a thrilling, collaborative performance of classical and contemporary flutes. Presented by the Royal Albert Hall and Asian Music Circuit and with a cabaret style setting, this one- off performance, ‘Flute Encounters: Bansuri to Beatbox with Ronu Majumdar and Nathan ‘Flutebox’ Lee’, is yet another piece of imaginative programming staged in the Elgar Room, the exciting new, state-of-the art performance space at the Royal Albert Hall.
Viram Jasani, from Asian Music Circuit, said: 'This is an innovative concert of the highest quality. It’s the meeting of two different styles of playing the age-old instrument - the flute. A traditional Indian performance by the brilliant Ronu Majumdar blends with the contemporary "flutebox" of Nathan Lee that will heighten anyone’s state of mind in the intimate setting of the Elgar Room in the Royal Albert Hall.'
Lucy Noble, Head of Programming at the Royal Albert Hall, said - 'We are delighted to work with the Asian Music Circuit in bringing Ronu and Nathan Lee together in this exciting collaboration- this is a great example of the Royal Albert Hall bringing new audiences into the Elgar Room through diverse and innovative programming'.
Ronu Majumdar and the bansuri are synonymous, he is a tour de force in the realm of Indian classical music, both as a 'thinking' musician and scintillating performer. His virtuosity, versatility and compelling presence will ensure that fans are in for a magical evening on the 8 February. Nathan 'Flutebox' Lee will be joined by Hanif Khan on tabla and WanDan on beatbox, mesmerising the Elgar Room audience with his trademark live Fluteboxing – simultaneously playing the beatbox and the flute. Nathan is a true 21st Century musical pioneer, performing an explosive blend which unites Hip Hop, Drum ‘n’ bass and Ragga beats with Indian classical, Jazz and Funk melodies. The Elgar Room will be his first collaboration with Ronu Majumdar.
Tickets for this must-see event are £17 and are available from www.royalalberthall.com Box office: 020 7589 8212
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For further information contact:
Nadine Bibi/ Emma Burgess – LD Communications
Nadine.bibi@ldcommunications.co.uk / emma@ldcommunications.co.uk
Tel: 020 7439 7222
Notes to Editors
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is one of the UK’s most treasured and magical buildings, recognisable the world over. It is a registered charity and operates without any public subsidy. Since opening in 1871, the Royal Albert Hall has had an unparalleled history of exceptional performances by the world’s leading artists. Today over 350 events are held in the Hall’s auditorium each year which include performances of jazz, world music, rock and pop, dance, comedy, film premières and award ceremonies. Audiences of well over a million are entertained at the Hall each year and many millions more around the world enjoy the Hall experience through broadcasts, recordings and new media channels.
The Elgar Room
Built to support one of the Hall’s main purposes to promote the advancement of the Arts & Sciences, the West Theatre as this room was originally known, provided space for small theatricals and meetings of a scientific or literary nature. From1906 until 1957 it was the home of the Central School of Speech and Drama where luminaries such as Laurence Olivier, Vanessa Redgrave, Judi Dench, Virginia McKenna and Harold Pinter received their training. In 2009 the room was renovated to provide a state of the art performance space and restaurant. The photographs by David Redfern that adorn the walls are images of some of the iconic performers who have graced the stage at the Royal Albert Hall.
For more information on the Royal Albert Hall and the Elgar Room, please contact Sean Carrigan seanc@royalalberthall.com