Ragas Reimagined
Friday, July 17th, 2026
Surrey Arts Centre
13750 88 Avenue
Surrey
BC V3W 3L1
Doors: 7:00pm
Show: 7:30pm
Accessibility Information:
For information about seating, parking, washrooms, and other accessibility information see Surrey Arts Centre Accessibility Page.
Ragas Reimagined brings together two extraordinary ensembles for an evening of lush vocals, beloved melodies, and boundary-crossing sound.
Opening the night is Raga Echoes presenting Live Unbound: An Ode to India’s Nightingales, an intimate unplugged journey through timeless Hindi classics inspired by legendary voices such as Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Shreya Ghoshal, and more. Through stripped-back live arrangements, moments of raag and improvisation, and a rich acoustic soundscape, the performance reimagines songs that have shaped generations. Led by vocalist Divya Sharma and featuring special guest vocalist Gurmukh Singh and tabla artist Hriday Buddhdev, the performance creates a warm, immersive musical experience that invites audiences to slow down, listen deeply, and reconnect with music through nostalgia, storytelling, and shared memory.
The evening then expands into the bold, genre-defying world of Raagaverse, the Juno-nominated, critically acclaimed Indo-jazz ensemble led by vocalist Shruti Ramani and pianist-composer Noah Franche-Nolan. Through improvisation, layered harmony, and evocative storytelling, Raagaverse reimagines the raga for a new generation. For this special performance, they are joined by globally renowned, Juno and WCMA-nominated tabla and ghazal master Cassius Khan.
Together, these artists bring Indian Summer Festival 2026’s curatorial theme, Ragas for a Ruptured World, to life. The night unfolds as a dialogue between memory and reinvention, intimacy and expansiveness, where beloved songs, ancient melodic forms, and diasporic improvisation meet in a powerful shared experience.
Funded in part with the support of a City of Surrey Cultural Grant.
CO-PRESENTED WITH
MUSIC SERIES PARTNER
SERIES SUPPORTING PARTNER
about the artists
raagaverse
Raagaverse is a Juno nominated Indo-Jazz fusion ensemble rooted in Hindustani classical tradition and shaped by contemporary improvisation. Raagaverse creates a musical world where ancient melodic frameworks meet lush harmony, rhythmic fluidity, and an ever-evolving sense of storytelling. Shruti Ramani’s musical fluency originates from her rigorous Hindustani training and degree under Dr. Ritu Johri in Mumbai, India, and her studies leading to a degree in Jazz from Capilano University. Her original compositions use melodies ornamented with traditional Hindustani nuances, with underlying modern Jazz harmonies and rhythms.
cassius khan
Cassius Khan, a globally renowned and award-winning Canadian musician, is uniquely distinguished for his simultaneous mastery of the Tabla and classical Ghazal and Thumri singing (poetry in Urdu and Hindi). He is the only professional musician worldwide to present his art in this dual format. Khan has received numerous accolades, including the 2005 Salute to Excellence Award, a 2008 Juno Award nomination, a 2011 Western Canadian Music Award nomination, and the 2019 Bernie Legge Artist of the Year Award. His performances highlight the extraordinary challenge of dividing his brain and focus between singing classical Ghazals and playing intricate rhythmic patterns on the Tabla.
gurmukh singh
Known for his emotionally driven renditions, Gurmukh Singh has built a strong online presence by reinterpreting classics with a clarity that feels both familiar and new. His voice carries a certain weight, not through scale, but through intention. His approach is not about overpowering a song, but about drawing the audience into it. He holds a note with quiet confidence, letting it settle before moving forward.
Gurmukh’s strength lies in how he connects. He does not rush the music. He allows it to unfold, giving space for the audience to meet him halfway. That balance between control and openness is what makes his performances stay with the audience.
hriday buddhdev
Hriday Buddhdev is a rising force in Canada’s Indian classical music scene, celebrated for his rare pursuit of both sarod and tabla. Named one of CBC’s “30 Under 30” classical artists, Hriday has performed across Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Born and raised in British Columbia, he began his musical journey on the tabla at age four and later found his calling with the sarod at the age of nine. He continues his advanced training under Ustad Alam Khan and Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri at the Ali Akbar College of Music in California. A three-time recipient of the Advanced Instrumental Scholarship from AACM, Hriday is among a select few sarod artists in Canada. From 2023-2025 Hriday has presented at the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s Day of Music, and most recently made his debut in London at the Nehru Centre. With artistry rooted in tradition and shaped by innovation, Hriday brings a fresh, soulful voice to the evolving classical landscape.
raga echoes
Raga Echoes, founded in 2025, is a British Columbia-based live music production company creating immersive, themed concert experiences that showcase local musical talent through high-production live performance. Founded by partners in life and music, Aakash Mehta and Priya Joy, Raga Echoes was born from a simple but powerful observation. After moving to British Columbia, they noticed that while international touring artists frequently filled major concert halls, there was limited space for the extraordinary musicians already living and creating here - artists with world-class skill, depth, and artistry who simply needed a stage worthy of their craft.
The ensemble features Divya Sharma on vocals (top-left), Irfan Lawrence on bass (top-right), Shivam Kumar on keyboard (bottom-right), and Rishabh Gulati on drums (bottom-left).