--- url: 'https://kalasudha.com/en-gb/event/norwich-ragas-piano-slide-guitar-unbound' title: 'Norwich Ragas: Piano & Slide Guitar Unbound, Fri 19 Sep 2025' author: name: drupler url: 'https://kalasudha.com/en-gb/user/1' date: '2025-05-08T23:33:05+00:00' updated: '2026-10-25T13:00:31+00:00' type: events.event summary: 'Piano and Indian slide guitar play ragas over tabla at The Assembly House, Norwich: a Kala Festival 2025 double bill with Deepak Shah, Pandit Debasis…' tags: - Norwich - In-Person image: 'https://files.kalasudha.com/styles/d12_standard/public/2025-06/Norwich%20Ragas%20Piano%20%26%20Slide%20Guitar%20Unbound.jpg?h=eb901320&itok=cM8OmvoG' published: true og: site_name: KalaSudha 'image:url': 'https://files.kalasudha.com/styles/d12_standard/public/2025-06/Norwich%20Ragas%20Piano%20%26%20Slide%20Guitar%20Unbound.jpg?h=eb901320&itok=cM8OmvoG' 'image:secure_url': 'https://files.kalasudha.com/styles/d12_standard/public/2025-06/Norwich%20Ragas%20Piano%20%26%20Slide%20Guitar%20Unbound.jpg?h=eb901320&itok=cM8OmvoG' 'image:type': image/jpeg 'image:width': '1200' 'image:height': '675' 'image:alt': 'Norwich-Ragas-Piano-&-Slide-Guitar-Unbound' street_address: 'Theatre St' locality: Norwich postal_code: 'NR2 1RQ' country_name: 'United Kingdom' --- # Norwich Ragas: Piano & Slide Guitar Unbound - \#Norwich - \#In-Person SEP 19, 2025 Friday 6:30 PM The Assembly House Norwich, United Kingdom ### Get Your Tickets Early Bird This event has ended. 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Send Save Calendar [Google](https://calendar.google.com/calendar/render?action=TEMPLATE&dates=20250919T173000/20250919T193000&ctz=UTC&text=Norwich+Ragas%3A+Piano+%26+Slide+Guitar+Unbound&location=The+Assembly+House%2C+Theatre+St%2C+Norwich%2C+NR2+1RQ) [Outlook](https://outlook.live.com/calendar/action/compose?path=/calendar/action/compose&rru=addevent&startdt=2025-09-19T17:30:00Z&enddt=2025-09-19T19:30:00Z&subject=Norwich%20Ragas%3A%20Piano%20%26%20Slide%20Guitar%20Unbound&location=The%20Assembly%20House%2C%20Theatre%20St%2C%20Norwich%2C%20NR2%201RQ) [Office 365](https://outlook.office.com/calendar/deeplink/compose?path=/calendar/action/compose&rru=addevent&startdt=2025-09-19T17:30:00Z&enddt=2025-09-19T19:30:00Z&subject=Norwich%20Ragas%3A%20Piano%20%26%20Slide%20Guitar%20Unbound&location=The%20Assembly%20House%2C%20Theatre%20St%2C%20Norwich%2C%20NR2%201RQ) [Yahoo](https://calendar.yahoo.com/?v=60&view=d&type=20&ST=20250919T173000Z&ET=20250919T193000Z&TITLE=Norwich%20Ragas%3A%20Piano%20%26%20Slide%20Guitar%20Unbound&in_loc=The%20Assembly%20House%2C%20Theatre%20St%2C%20Norwich%2C%20NR2%201RQ) [Apple / iCal](/en-gb/event/59/calendar.ics) [ Share ](/en-gb/share/59) Event Tags - Norwich - In-Person ## Event Summary Piano and Indian slide guitar play ragas over tabla at The Assembly House, Norwich: a Kala Festival 2025 double bill with Deepak Shah, Pandit Debasis Chakroborty and Ustad Akram Khan. ## Performing Artists [ Debasis Chakroborty ](/en-gb/artist/debasis-chakroborty) [ Deepak Shah ](/en-gb/artist/deepak-shah) [ Akram Khan ](/en-gb/artist/akram-khan) > " > > The piano helps me speak the language of ragas in a new way. It’s where my heart finds balance between tradition and imagination. > > — Deepak Shah Raga Pianist ## Performing Artists - [ ](https://www.facebook.com/DebasisGuitar) [ ](https://www.instagram.com/debasis.chakroborty/) [ ](https://x.com/debasisguitar) ### Debasis Chakroborty 21 Events [ View Profile ](/en-gb/artist/debasis-chakroborty) - [ ](https://www.facebook.com/deeppak.shah) [ ](https://www.instagram.com/raagapianist/) [ ](https://x.com/pianist_deepak) ### Deepak Shah 10 Events [ View Profile ](/en-gb/artist/deepak-shah) - [ ](https://www.facebook.com/mohdakramkhan) [ ](https://www.instagram.com/akramtablaofficial/) ### Akram Khan 16 Events [ View Profile ](/en-gb/artist/akram-khan) ## Event Details [Kala Festival 2025](/festival/kala-festival) presents Indian classical music in Norwich on Friday 19 September 2025, with a **double bill** in the historic rooms of The Assembly House. The raga pianist **[Deepak Shah](/artist/deepak-shah)** plays the first set. After the interval, **[Pandit Debasis Chakroborty](/artist/debasis-chakroborty)** plays **Indian slide guitar** with the tabla player **[Ustad Akram Khan](/artist/akram-khan)**. Doors open at 6pm and the music starts at 6.30pm. Deepak Shah brings his own reading of ragas to the piano. A raga is a melodic framework with its own notes and characteristic phrases. Expect delicate piano work, with tabla accompaniment. In the second half, Pandit Debasis Chakroborty moves a steel slide along the strings, so the notes glide between pitches. Ustad Akram Khan is the seventh-generation exponent of the **Ajrara Gharana**, one of the six main traditional schools of tabla. Between the sets you can take refreshments and talk with other listeners. Book your seats on this page. Show More ## Venue information ### The Assembly House Theatre St, Norwich, NR2 1RQ [ Venue website ](https://www.assemblyhousenorwich.co.uk/) Image not available ## Event Highlights & Gallery Relive the magic - watch videos and browse photos from this event All Media ... Videos ... Photos ... ### Video Performances (...) [ Live Performance 05:20 ### Raag Miyan ki Malhar | Jhaptaal | Slide Guitar & Tabla | Debasis Chakroborty, Akram Khan | KalaSudha 6 months ago ](/en-gb/video/raag-miyan-ki-malhar-jhaptaal-slide-guitar-tabla-debasis-chakroborty-akram-khan-kalasudha) [ Live Performance 13:35 ### Raag Yaman – Alaap on Piano | Deepak Shah | Kala Festival 2025, Norwich 8 months ago ](/en-gb/video/raag-yaman-alaap-on-piano-deepak-shah-kala-festival-2025-norwich) ### Photo Gallery (...) [ ](/en-gb/image/pandit-debasis-chakroborty-and-ustad-akram-khan-norwich-2025) ### Video Performances (...) [ Live Performance 05:20 ### Raag Miyan ki Malhar | Jhaptaal | Slide Guitar & Tabla | Debasis Chakroborty, Akram Khan | KalaSudha 6 months ago ](/en-gb/video/raag-miyan-ki-malhar-jhaptaal-slide-guitar-tabla-debasis-chakroborty-akram-khan-kalasudha) [ Live Performance 13:35 ### Raag Yaman – Alaap on Piano | Deepak Shah | Kala Festival 2025, Norwich 8 months ago ](/en-gb/video/raag-yaman-alaap-on-piano-deepak-shah-kala-festival-2025-norwich) ### Photo Gallery (...) [ ](/en-gb/image/pandit-debasis-chakroborty-and-ustad-akram-khan-norwich-2025) ## Frequently Asked Questions Where can I go to hear live Indian classical music in Norwich, which venues have hosted KalaSudha's concerts, and where do I find the next Norwich date? KalaSudha presents Indian classical music in Norwich and lists each concert on its [Norwich page](/place/norwich), with a link to book. For the next Norwich date, read [how to hear about new Norwich concerts](/faq/how-do-i-hear-about-upcoming-kalasudha-concerts-in-norwich). KalaSudha has presented concerts at [St Andrew's Hall](/venue/st-andrews-hall-norwich) on St Andrew's Plain and at The Assembly House, a Grade I listed building on Theatre Street. Who is the Indian slide guitarist Pandit Debasis Chakroborty, and where does he work and perform? [**Pandit Debasis Chakroborty**](/artist/debasis-chakroborty) plays [Indian slide guitar](/instrument/indian-slide-guitar) in Hindustani classical music and has over 25 years of professional experience. He plays in the [Senia-Maihar gharana](/gharana/senia-maihar-gharana). He has been part of the Department of Performing Arts at Mangalayatan University since its inception. He is also a regular visitor, conductor-performer and Artist-in-Residence at universities in Australia and the USA. He helped carry out a joint music research project between Mangalayatan University and Monash University, and has published 10 research papers. Who is Deepak Shah, and what is his musical background? [**Deepak Shah**](/artist/deepak-shah) is a pianist, arranger and music director from a musical family. His grandfather, Shantilal Shah, and Mohan Junior taught him classical music, and that training opened the door to arrangement and direction. Over about 25 years he has worked with leading artists from India and performed in India and abroad. He has composed music and background scores for over 30 films in Bangla, Gujarati, Punjabi and Bhojpuri, and recorded albums with T-Series, Tips and Venus. What is an Indian slide guitar, how is it played, and where can I learn it? The **Indian slide guitar** is a guitar laid flat across the lap and stopped with a steel bar instead of fingers on frets. It is an instrument of **Hindustani classical music**, the classical music of North India. Sympathetic strings ring underneath the melody unstruck, and the player plucks extra drone (chikari) strings. The bar never leaves the string, so one note travels into the next without a break. For its history and players, see the [Indian slide guitar](/instrument/indian-slide-guitar) page. You can learn it with KalaSudha in the [online academy](/courses). What is the Ajrara (Ajrada) gharana of tabla, where did it begin, and what is it known for? The [**Ajrara gharana**](/gharana/ajrara-gharana), also spelt Ajrada, is a school of [tabla](/instrumental/hindustani-classical/tabla) that arose in the late 18th or early 19th century in the village of Ajrara, in Meerut district. Most accounts trace it to two brothers, Kallu Khan and Miru Khan, who learnt in Delhi, making it an offshoot of the Delhi gharana. Its players add the ring finger to the Delhi technique. It is best known for qaidas, themes with set variations, in **aad laya**, three strokes to every two beats. [Ustad Akram Khan](/artist/akram-khan) plays in the gharana today. Have more questions? Contact our support team and we'll be happy to help!