Message from the Artistic Director
Going into the 23rd year of Toronto Tabla Ensemble, it is time to step back and think about the future of this organization.
This year is the start of a new era in the history of the TTE. I had taken some time off in the past year and a half to travel and reconnect with my roots in India and my family. I also spent time in Europe and the U.S. exploring the evolution of Indian music in these continents.
It was an eye-opening and inspiring experience. Spending time with my brother, the legendary Pandit Chitresh Das, helped crystallize my own vision. I saw the generation of his students embracing their culture and taking their art to a new standard.
I came back determined to build a youth ensemble with children between eight and 16 years of age. We would not only teach them how to play tabla, but shape them into knowledgeable, attentive and creative young adults. Using the foundations of tabla, they are learning about math, language, Indian and Canadian history, public speaking and performance. For children of South-Asian descent growing up in North America, the art will nourish their roots. This will always stay with them. We are finding even parents are learning more about their countries’ culture and history while sitting in the classroom!
In order to reach the youth, we have opened new locations in Mississauga and Scarborough in 2013. They are learning quickly and are set to debut with the Toronto Tabla Ensemble in the spring of 2014.
I am also excited in premiering new works for the Toronto Tabla Ensemble in the upcoming season, which will be presented in multiple locations across the GTA.
Over the past six months we conducted intense one-week courses at four Toronto Elementary Schools under the Ontario Arts Council’s Artist in Education program. Our teachers worked with 6 to 16-year-olds to compose their own music and dance, which each class then performed for their whole school at the end of the week. We are grateful for the support from Ontario Arts Council, Roden Public School, Equinox Public School and Winchester Public School.
I would like to thank the Pirani family for organizing and hosting a very successful fundraising event. The proceeds went towards funding school expansion and launching an advertising campaign on the Bloor Subway line.
And finally, I would like to say a big thank you to the board, teachers, and volunteers for your continued effort in helping this organization excel. Every member of the TTE community is an integral one. I feel confident that the level of commitment you brought to the past year will carry us forward to even greater artistic heights in the future.
Ritesh Das
Artistic Director
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