KalaSudha in Oxford
Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
Our reach in Oxford
A growing community built through live music, trusted partnerships and shared cultural experiences.
Upcoming KalaSudha concerts in Oxford
Book the next live performance and be part of the community we're building in the city.
A Hundred Strings in Oxford: Two Strings, One Pulse
Grammy-nominated sitarist Adnan Khan, Vinay Desai on santoor and Ustad Akram Khan on tabla at the Holywell Music Room, part of our November tour A Hundred Strings.
Audience reviews
What audiences in Oxford said
Attendee reviews and short videos from our previous concerts in Oxford.
out of 5
From 5 reviews across 1 concert in Oxford
Most recent concert reviewed: 13 November 2025
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Oxford Raga Unison: Duet of Winds and Drums
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Oxford Raga Unison: Duet of Winds and Drums
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Oxford Raga Unison: Duet of Winds and Drums
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Oxford Raga Unison: Duet of Winds and Drums
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Oxford Raga Unison: Duet of Winds and Drums
“My mum played flute in this building many times like 60, 70 years ago and so it was a delight to come and watch a completely different musical tradition but still the flute is such an amazing instrument and we really witnessed a virtuoso tonight, it was quite incredible, really amazing.”
Attended Oxford Raga Unison: Duet of Winds and Drums · 13 November 2025 · Holywell Music Room
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I go to a lot of concerts, all kinds of music, mostly classical. The music I like best is probably string quartets. The other day I heard a very fine performance of Beethoven's late quartet, the number, Op. 130, with the Grosse Fuge, which was very fine. But tonight's concert is a completely different kind of music, two extraordinary virtuosos, or Virtuosi but the great quality they had was simple joyfulness astonishing virtuosity but what is virtuosity without the joyfulness and that music really leaves me with a feeling that is not going to leave me for a good few hours and probably I'll still be feeling it tomorrow I know this from great concerts and that was Wonderful, wonderful music. I can say no more.
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I have to say thank you for making this an outstanding evening.
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I just started to play. Oh yeah? Yeah! And actually the guy who's making me my first flute, he was a student under Harry Prasad. Yep. So I think the same lineage, I think. Yep. Smaller. Yeah, he always takes me to another place, this music. Yep. And... The fun of it as well, the conversation between the two instruments and involving the crowd. It's just so beautiful, man. Such a break from normal life, you know. The thing about the breath, you know, that somehow takes you out of your head into the body.
Why Oxford
What sets KalaSudha apart in Oxford
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A music room from 1748
Haydn was the composer heard most often in this room between 1788 and 1791, forty years after it opened.
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Oxford's chamber music hall
The Holywell Music Room is the city's chamber music hall, on Holywell Street in the city centre.
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Bansuri and tabla, 2025
We presented Oxford Raga Unison here in November 2025, with Pandit Ajay Prasanna on bansuri and Kousic Sen on tabla.
Our venue reach in Oxford
The halls and cultural spaces where KalaSudha has brought artists and audiences together—and where our network continues to grow.
Holywell St, Oxford, OX1 3SB
The Holywell Music Room is the city of Oxford's chamber music hall, situated on Holywell Street in the city centre, and is part of Wadham College. Bui...
Artists we’ve presented in Oxford
Meet the musicians whose performances have shaped KalaSudha’s story and community in the city.
Pandit Ajay Prasanna is a widely acclaimed international flautist from a distinguished musical family. He carries the legacy of his father, Pandit Bholanath Prasanna, who was one of the best flautists India has ever produced. His disciples include Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia.
Born into a musical family in Calcutta and trained by great masters of the Banaras Gharana, Kousic is admired worldwide for his powerful yet sensitive tabla playing. His energetic performances bring a new life to the stage, whether in classical concerts, dance accompaniment, or cross-cultural collaborations. As an Artist in Residence with Milapfest in Liverpool, and through tours across the USA, Canada, Europe, and Asia, he has shared his rhythmic mastery with audiences in many of the world’s most famous venues.
Grammy-nominated sitarist Adnan Khan plays in the gayaki ang, trained in Delhi by his grandfather Ustad Zafar Ahmed Khan, his father Ustad Saeed Khan and the singer Ustad Mashkoor Ali Khan.
Vinay Desai plays the santoor, the hundred-stringed instrument of Kashmir, as a disciple of Padma Vibhushan Pandit Shivkumar Sharma. He is based at an ashram in New York.
Ustad Mohammad Akram Khan is a respected Indian classical tabla player from the Ajrada Gharana. A seventh-generation artist, he has performed around the world for over forty years. He is renowned for his exceptional skill, tradition, and dedication to preserving the Ajrada style of tabla.
Milestones
Our Oxford story
The performances, partnerships and shared moments that continue to shape our work in the city.
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Concerts
2 concerts presented
KalaSudha has built a stage for Indian classical music in Oxford with 1 venue partner.
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Artists
5 artists featured
Musicians from different lineages have met our Oxford audience through performances and conversations.
Past KalaSudha concerts in Oxford
Explore the performances, artists and venue partnerships that have grown our community across the city.
View all past concertsOxford Raga Unison: Duet of Winds and Drums
FAQs about Oxford
Where can I hear live Indian classical music in Oxford, and where are KalaSudha's Oxford concerts listed?
KalaSudha presents Indian classical music in Oxford at the Holywell Music Room on Holywell Street, part of Wadham College. The room dates from 1748, and Wadham calls it "the oldest custom-built concert hall in Europe".
The KalaSudha Oxford page lists each Oxford concert with its Book Tickets button; press Register for updates there to hear about new dates. For directions, see getting to the Holywell Music Room.
KalaSudha has presented Oxford Raga Unison at the Holywell Music Room.
Where can I find upcoming KalaSudha Indian classical music concerts in Oxford, and how do I buy tickets for them?
KalaSudha lists each upcoming Oxford concert on the KalaSudha Oxford page, and each concert there has its own Book Tickets button. KalaSudha's Oxford concerts take place in the Holywell Music Room on Holywell Street, part of Wadham College. They include the A Hundred Strings tour concert, A Hundred Strings in Oxford: Two Strings, One Pulse.
To hear when KalaSudha sets a new Oxford date, press Register for updates on the Oxford page. For directions, see how to get to the Holywell Music Room, and for how your ticket reaches you, see How do I get my ticket?
What will I hear at an Indian classical concert in Oxford if I'm new to it?
Each Oxford concert listing on this page describes its own programme. At KalaSudha's Oxford concert in November 2025, Pandit Ajay Prasanna played bansuri with Kousic Sen on tabla in the Holywell Music Room. One listener there heard "two extraordinary virtuosos" and said "the great quality they had was simple joyfulness".
Has KalaSudha put on an Indian classical music concert in Oxford before, and which musicians played?
Yes. KalaSudha presented an Indian classical music concert, Oxford Raga Unison: Duet of Winds and Drums, at the Holywell Music Room in Oxford on Thursday 13 November 2025. Pandit Ajay Prasanna played bansuri, the Indian bamboo flute, with Kousic Sen on tabla.
KalaSudha's A Hundred Strings tour includes a concert in the same room: A Hundred Strings in Oxford: Two Strings, One Pulse, with Adnan Khan on sitar, Vinay Desai on santoor and Ustad Akram Khan on tabla.
Can I learn Indian classical music with KalaSudha in Oxford, online and in person?
Yes. KalaSudha's online academy offers classes in every discipline of Indian classical music, and keeps adding specialised courses and teachers. The courses are hybrid. When enough learners in Oxford sign up, KalaSudha brings physical workshops and summer camps to Oxford, so you can learn online and in person.
For workshop levels, see what level KalaSudha workshops suit, and for Oxford concerts, see how to find and book KalaSudha concerts in Oxford.