This concert is imagined as a mehfil gathering. A mehfil (Arabic: محفل) is an intimate, private, or semi-private gathering in South Asian culture, often held in a living room or salon setting, dedicated to music, poetry, or dance. It emphasizes closeness between performers and audience, and a sense of shared artistic experience. The event will feature the Modal Collective, a group of University of Chicago musicians and guest artists working at the intersection of performance, improvisation, and intercultural music-making. The Modal Collective members include: Ronnie Malley, Pramantha Tagore, Lara Balikci, Hannah Goldberg, Nathan Friedman, and Lauren Molloy. The concert will also include a series of short performances by musicians from across the University and the wider Chicagoland music community.

Presented by the Sonic Borderlands of South Asia research project at the Neubauer Collegium in partnership with the Department of Music at the University of Chicago and Intercultural Music Production.