Inspired by the time specific nature of raga, where certain modes are only invoked to match the mood of specific times of day, the Ragas Live Festival is BRM’s 24-hour marathon celebration of raga music in all its forms alongside traditions from every corner of the globe.

Since 2012, the Ragas Live Festival has expanded the audience and presentation of raga, South Asia’s epic, classical music form. Inspired by the time specific nature of raga, where certain modes are only invoked to match the mood of specific times of day, Ragas Live first broke new ground in 2012 when BRM co-founder, musician and radio host David Ellenbogen gathered a community of 50 musicians to collaborate for a 24 hour radio broadcast on WKCR 89.9 FM-NY, the first of its kind, even in India. 

In 2016, the festival graduated from the radio studio and was broadcast remotely in front of an enthusiastic audience at Pioneer Works, a 25,000 square foot experimental arts venue in Red Hook, Brooklyn. In 2017, Ragas Live was held at The Rubin Museum of Art for 24 Hours of Sacred Sound complete with sunrise prayer and meditation. Check out our Ragas Live Retrospective album covering music from 2011-2017 here. In 2020, the festival again broke new ground during the height of the pandemic lockdowns, when it broadcast a 24 video livestream from 15 cities and 9 countries. This iteration of the festival featured 90 musicians, including many legends of music such as Toumani Daibate (from Côte D’Ivoire), Zakir Hussain (from SF Jazz), Betsayda Machado (from Venezuela), and the legendary composer Terry Riley from Japan.

In 2021, Ragas Live returned to Pioneer Works for the 5th time with an epic 10th anniversary celebration featuring an immersive, experiential performance of Brooklyn Raga Massive’s large ensemble work, In D, in collaboration with the subject of their homage, Terry Riley, who performed virtually with ensemble. The concert was a culmination of a new 24-hour radio broadcast and also featured live sets by Abhik Mukherjee, Jay Gandhi, Vivek Pandya, and Innov Gnawa. Ragas Live 2022 will take place October 22-23, 2022 at Pioneer Works.

Ragas Live Festival is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Brooklyn Arts Council. Brooklyn Arts Fund (DCLA) is sponsored, in part, by the Greater New York Arts Development Fund of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, administered by Brooklyn Arts Council.

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