South Asian Music Ensemble
Minu Pasupathi, director
Pramantha Tagore, co-director
The South Asian Music Ensemble (SAME) is a special repertory ensemble that explores a wide range of music with roots in South Asia (specifically, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka and their diasporas), be they classical, popular, regional/local/vernacular, folk, primarily diasporic, or not so easily classifiable. SAME embraces various learning and performing opportunities, including those of regular weekly full-group rehearsals, small-group sectionals, student-led discussions and sessions, asynchronous work, on and off-campus performances, guest lectures/workshops/residencies, and classroom visits. While the primary focus of rehearsals is the mastery of repertoire, we also provide instruction on South Asian music more generally—music theory, musicianship skills (e.g., instruction in instrumental/vocal exercises and techniques, improvisation, and composition), performance practices and cultures, musical genres, styles, and compositional forms, and more. Moreover, we strive towards foregrounding and interrogating the so-called “extramusical” valences and contexts of South Asian music making, asking how South Asian music is imbricated in culture, social life, and politics from local to global stages both in and beyond the geographic boundaries of South Asia.
Membership is open to undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and staff of the University, as well as to community members from outside of the University. Beginners to South Asian music, experienced performers, and everyone in between are fully welcome to join. While it is beneficial for incoming students to have some background in reading Western standard music notation (several of our arrangements are done on sheet music using staff notation), no one is turned away due to a lack of musical ability.
SAME is a regular collaborator with other groups and ensembles both off and on campus, be they South Asia-focused or not. In the past, this has involved collaborations with on and off-campus dance groups, chamber music groups, and other world music ensembles. We believe reaching across traditions in this way honors the historic interwovenness of South Asian musical traditions all while furthering our goal of fostering a sense of community and camaraderie between people who participate in our ensemble and attend our concerts.
Rehearsals & Performances
SAME rehearses on Mondays from 5:00–7:00 PM. The ensemble presents two to three concerts per academic year.
2026/27 Concerts:
- Thursday, October 29 / 4:30 PM / Fulton Recital Hall (Goodspeed Hall 4th Floor) – Tea Time Concert
- Saturday, February 20 / 5 PM / Logan Center for the Arts 901
- Sunday, May 2 / 3 PM / Logan Center for the Arts Performance Hall
How to participate
Instead of auditions, the South Asian Music Ensemble hosts an open house event each year at the beginning of the autumn quarter, during which members are able to get a fuller sense of the ensemble’s repertoire, logistics, culture, and vision. This year's open house rehearsal will be announced soon. If you are interested in participating in the ensemble, you must attend the open house.