These are the hard working people that make Ethno India happen!

THE ETHNO INDIA TEAM

ANANT RAINA

PROJECT COORDINATOR

Anant is a freelance filmmaker based in Delhi, working mainly in the non-fiction space for over 10 years. He has worked in various roles on programs for clients such as Discovery Channel, National Geographic, Columbia Sportswear, PVR Nest, Cartoon Network and PSBT. Apart from filmmaking he likes travel and photography. He is also a novice capoerista and a certified open water diver.

ethno.in@gmail.com

DURGESH KANWAL

The ever-smiling Durgesh has been to seven Ethnos,  three in 2014–India, Flanders and Germany, and four in 2016–India, Estonia, Flanders and Germany. He's won over many friends with his lovely smile and warm ways. He is a hard-working tabla player; he graduated top of his class at New Delhi's Kathak Kendra, earning the privilege of performing solo at the prestigious Kamani Auditorium. Now professional, he has ventured into teaching and performance, and also plays darbouka. ​His recent foray is making instrument and microphone stands, the first of which was a tabla stand branded mBeat. He has also recently made tongue drums in varying tonalities.

YASHDEEP KHARE

Yashdeep joined the Ethno team as a volunteer for the 2016 edition. A whiz at finance and merchandising, he is also an avid djembe player and soloist with the Sunshine Ensemble.

Hailing from Madhya Pradesh, his folks are now settled in the central Indian town of Bhopal.

AKILA JAYARAMAN

Akila Jayaraman is Head of Planning at Essence Digital. She has worked in the corporate sector for over 18 years across many industries. Akila is passionate and highly committed to whatever she sets her mind to. She plays the darbuka and has recently participated in Ethno New Zealand. Akila is the newest member of the Ethno India team.

SHIVANI DASS

PHOTOGRAPHY

Always a keen observer of life around her, Shivani has trained under accomplished photographers and also earned a degree from the prestigious Light and Life Academy (LLA) Ooty in 2009. Since then she has participated in two international foundry photography workshops and held her first solo exhibition in April 2010, Sanjeevani in a Spectrum. Her 2nd solo exhibition was held in 2013, entitled Violet Dreams. Her Book project I Often Think of Those I left Behind (2014) was on Chin refugees living in New Delhi. Her forte is food/travel/portraits & short documentaries. She is also a gifted djembé player. 

ARTISTIC LEADERS 2020

These are the fantastic musicians who will lead the musical side of things at Ethno India 2020!

NENAD KOVAČIĆ

PERCUSSION

Nenad is a member of various bands in Croatia, as percussionist, with whom he has released seven albums in last eight years and actively performs across world. In 2016 Nenad’s band Sevdah Takht Damira Imamovica has joined into Glitterbeat records family – one of the best world music labels in the world. He also works as a full time composer of theater and film music. He has composed music for over 20 plays and documentary films.
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One of his biggest interests in music is traditional music. He is an expert in West African music having learnt by through traveling and playing with masters of Djembe music in Guinea, Mali and Burkina Faso (Mamady Keita, Famoudou Konate, Sega Sidibe and Zoumana Dembele).
Since 2008. he is leading west african rhythm workshops in Zagreb (Croatia). He has been a regular at Ethnos across the world since 2006, as a participant and also as an artistic leader (Ethno Denmark 2012, 2013, Ethno Croatia 2015, Ethno India 2016, Ethno France 2019). Also he’s been attending Ethnofonik course in Paris 2014. Since 2015 he has worked as a Coordinator of Ethno Croatia.

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ANNA GUSTAVSSON

MELODY

Anna Gustavsson is a versatile nyckelharpa player who is comfortable in everything from playing for dancing in dance barns in Sweden to perform on international competitions in Kazakhstan. To meet different cultures, genres and expressions, mixing tradition with improvisation and composition are things she enjoys and values.
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Anna performs in many different projects with international musicians in different traditions and genres. In addition to playing, she also teaches Swedish folk music for ensembles of different sizes, with different instruments and experience. Everything from having individual lessons to being a leader in world music camps with 100 participants. She has been a leader at courses in Sweden and abroad, for instance India, France, England and the United States. Anna is passionate about sharing her knowledge about nyckelharpa and teaching Swedish folk music in a creative way, while also being interested in learning and exchanging knowledge with other cultures.
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Being a teacher and performer, as well as an active member of Folkmusiker mot rasism (folk musicians against racism) and in the board of Sweden’s institute for traditional music and dance and Swedens youth organisation for folk culture she has a good overview of what the Swedish folk scene looks like today.

PIETER LENAERTS

BASS/CHORDS

Pieter Lenaerts is a double bassist and composer from Belgium. Pieter started playing the piano when he was 9 years old. At the age of 18 he picked up the double bass and after a few years of training he became a professional musician on that instrument. For the last 20 years Pieter has been a freelance double bassist in a wide variety of musical genres. We could say that this part of his life as a musician started with the very first Ethno that didn’t take place on Swedish territory: Flanders Ethno 1999 (later on named as “Ethno Flanders”). Pieter attended his first Ethno there and became an addicted ‘ethnoite’; in the years to follow, quite soon as an artistic leader and for some years also as one of the Flanders Ethno organisers.

Pieter has been a veteran at many Ethnos across the world, initially as a participant and also as Artistic Leader.
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He is an experienced double bass teacher and, a regular freelancer in classical orchestras, baroque orchestras and occasionally also other genres like jazz and tango, opening up the musical horizon to a wide variety of styles. In the last 10 years Pieter’s musical interests and activities shifted more and more to contemporary music and free improvisation, but also to Indian classical music, a constantly growing creative interest since his first visit to India in 2007, after which he kept visiting this country from time to time, counting 6 travels to India over the years and a 7th time coming up in 2020, for the 4th edition of Ethno India.

GREGOR SCHULENBURG

WIND

Gregor Schulenburg is a versatile flautist, interpreter and performer in solo and chamber music, both at home and abroad. He has performed at festivals such as the Salzburg Festival, the Ultraschall Festival, the Edinburgh Festival, the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival and the Klang Festival Copenhagen.

His repertoire spans from baroque to contemporary and experimental music and he has a great interest in improvisation and in the extensive variety of ethnic music. In this context he is a sought-after duduk soloist and kyotaku player.

He is a member of the ensembles mam.manufaktur für aktuelle musik, Ensemble Extrakte and a guest musician of Ensemble Modern. Amongst others he played in the New European Ensemble, Ensemble Musique Nouvelles, Ensemble Meitar, the New Israeli Contemporary Players, in the Oh-ton Ensemble and had his debut as duduk soloist with the Thüringer Symphoniker.

As an interpreter he worked together with various composers, like Helmut Lachenmann, George Aphergis, Simon Steen-Andersen and has performed in numerous first performances.

Gregor Schulenburg holds awards and scholarships of different renowned competitions and grants, including The German Music Competition, The Stockhausen courses in Kürten and The International Ensemble Modern Akademie (2009/10).

​He studied flute at the Royal Conservatory The Hague with Rien de Reede, Thies Roorda and Kersten McCall.

Since 2017 Gregor has been the project manager of the ETHNOLeader program, carried out by Jeunesses Musicales in Germany and has recently become ran assistant trainer of the NGO Musicians without Borders.

VASUNDHARA VIDALUR

VOICE

Vasundhara Vee is a well known name in the Western music space in our India. She is seen in the finest Soul, RnB and Jazz ensembles in the capacity of both Collaborator and Curator. She has performed at various platforms in India and abroad, collaborating with artists from across the globe. She has performed live with Etienne Mbappe, Ranjit Barot, Dhruv Ghanekar, Louiz Banks, Loy Mendonsa, Mahalaxmi Iyer, Purbayan Chatterjee, Mohini Dey, Osam Ezzeldin, Sean Freeman, Marc Guillermont and also with mentors of the young independent circuit such as Pranai Gurung, Tarun Balani, Aditya Balani etc.

Vee has played at every major jazz and blues festival in the country, from numerous Jazz Yatras and Jazz Utavs, the vastly popular Delhi Jazz Fest, Hyderabad Jazz Fest, Goa International Jazz live Festival, Giants of Jazz, Shubha Mudgal’s Baaja Gaaja Festival, Serendipity Arts Festival etc.
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She is also been a technique trainer to over 40 professional and well known singers in Delhi and Mumbai, including some who have featured and won western platforms such as The Stage and Colours of Youth, Colours Infinity.

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GLENN LOUVET

SITAR/VOICE/PERCUSSION
​Guest Artistic Leader

Glenn's love for Indian music brought him to New Delhi, where he teaches both music and Yoga.

​Glenn is a sitarist, a percussionist and a pretty handy vocalist too! He also plays with harmonic instruments such as Jews harp. The ability to play such diverse instruments combined with rich aesthetics & sensitivity makes him a specialist in soundscapes. His extensive Yoga practice brings in a unique energy to his music which touches the heart and takes the listener on an inner journey.

Glenn has performed in France and all over India in solo, duo or ensemble. Since 2004, he has worked extensively with world percussionist Suchet Malhotra in duo and as a member of percussion ensemble Temple of Drum.

ETHNO INDIA WISHES TO THANK THESE AMAZING PEOPLE

PROJECT DIRECTOR (2012-2019): SUCHET MALHOTRA

PROJECT COORDINATOR (2014-2018): Dr AMIT SINGH

GRAPHIC DESIGNER (2014-2019): NETRA SHYAM

ETHNO DOCTORs: DR BANDANA MALHOTRA (2014, 2016 editions) & Dr ANOOP VELAYUDHAN (2018 edition)

Delhi – What To See And Do: Document prepared by Dr Bandana Malhotra, Supriya Puri and Anant Raina
Cultural DOs and DON'Ts: Document was prepared by Dr Bandana Malhotra

Volunteers at Ethno India: Ranii Kaur, Makrand Sanon, Vikram Mittal, Tanya Agarwal, Joshua Leeds, Aarti Gupta, Pallavi Chaturvedi, Bandeep Singh, Baahu Singh, Ishan Sindhwani, Bhargavi Gupta, Supriya Puri.

People who have lent their gear to the project: Lionel Dentan, Vikram Badhwar, Yogyata Khullar, Rakesh Mathur, Vipul.