Asian Music Circuit
Encyclopedia
The Asian Music Circuit (AMC) is a UK-based organisation based which produces tours and concerts internationally, holds educational and outreach events in the UK and works generally to promote the music of Asia. Registered in Hemel Hempstead
, its office and museum are based in West London. A registered charity funded by Arts Council England
, the organisation celebrates twenty years since its incorporation in 2011, though it was initially founded in 1989. It is regarded as a leading promoter of pan-Asian music in England.
, Anuradha Paudwal
, The Kamkars, Fun-da-mental
, the Naxi musicians of China and Asha Bhosle
. The AMC has produced concerts in London's Royal Albert Hall
as part of the BBC Proms, Royal Festival Hall
and Wembley Arena
, and also in the Sage Gateshead
and at Manchester International Festival
. It occasionally brings tours to Europe, the USA and Asia.
The AMC brought Bollywood
stars Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
to the Royal Albert Hall
in September 2011 - the group's first-ever performance in the UK.
, tabla
, dhrupad
and ghazal
. In partnership with the UK IMR
s, the AMC sends artists to lead performance days with detainees. Working with local schools in West London, the AMC invites teachers to bring classes into its Museum, or sends teachers to classrooms directly. Its foci have included the music of Afghanistan
and poetry events.
The AMC is based in its Museum in Acton
was officially opened by HRH The Prince of Wales in 2008. It features permanent displays of Asian musical instruments and temporary exhibitions focusing on different countries and regions of Asia. An extensive audio-visual archive is based here and can be accessed on dedicated computer terminals.
Hemel Hempstead
Hemel Hempstead is a town in Hertfordshire in the East of England, to the north west of London and part of the Greater London Urban Area. The population at the 2001 Census was 81,143 ....
, its office and museum are based in West London. A registered charity funded by Arts Council England
Arts Council England
Arts Council England was formed in 1994 when the Arts Council of Great Britain was divided into three separate bodies for England, Scotland and Wales. It is a non-departmental public body of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport...
, the organisation celebrates twenty years since its incorporation in 2011, though it was initially founded in 1989. It is regarded as a leading promoter of pan-Asian music in England.
Concerts and touring
Touring is the main activity of the AMC. Most prominent Asian performers have worked with the Asian Music Circuit, including Pandit Ravi ShankarRavi Shankar
Ravi Shankar , often referred to by the title Pandit, is an Indian musician and composer who plays the plucked string instrument sitar. He has been described as the best known contemporary Indian musician by Hans Neuhoff in Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart.Shankar was born in Varanasi and spent...
, Anuradha Paudwal
Anuradha Paudwal
Anuradha Paudwal is a popular playback singer in Bollywood in India.She has sung songs in Hindi, Marathi and Nepali.- Biography :She studied at Xavier's College in Mumbai. She was married to the late Arun Paudwal, who worked with music director S. D. Burman as his assistant...
, The Kamkars, Fun-da-mental
Fun-Da-Mental
Fun-Da-Mental is a British-based multi-ethnic hip-hop–ethno-techno–world fusion music group formed in 1991. The group is notable for its energetic fusion of Eastern and Western musical forms, for its outspoken political stance, and for its strong Islamic affiliation and advocacy. Fun-Da-Mental's...
, the Naxi musicians of China and Asha Bhosle
Asha Bhosle
Asha Bhosle is an Indian singer. She is one of the best-known and most highly-regarded Hindi playback singers in India, although she has a wider repertoire. Bhosle's career started in 1943 and has spanned over six decades. She has done playback singing for over a thousand Bollywood movies...
. The AMC has produced concerts in London's Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
as part of the BBC Proms, Royal Festival Hall
Royal Festival Hall
The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,900-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge. It is a Grade I listed building - the first post-war building to become so protected...
and Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena is an indoor arena, at Wembley, in the London Borough of Brent. The building is opposite Wembley Stadium.-History:...
, and also in the Sage Gateshead
Sage Gateshead
The Sage Gateshead is a centre for musical education, performance and conferences, located in Gateshead on the south bank of the River Tyne, in the northeast of England...
and at Manchester International Festival
Manchester International Festival
The Manchester International Festival is an international cultural festival of original new work, held in the English city of Manchester. It is a biennial event, first taking place in June–July 2007, and subsequently recurring in the summers of 2009 and 2011...
. It occasionally brings tours to Europe, the USA and Asia.
The AMC brought Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
stars Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy are an Indian musical trio consisting of Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonsa. Record producers, musicians and multi-instrumentalists, they have composed music for over fifty soundtrack across four languages...
to the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
in September 2011 - the group's first-ever performance in the UK.
Education and outreach projects
Every year, the AMC hosts a variety of workshops and courses for singers and instrumentalists, including khyalKhyal
Khyal is the modern genre of classical singing in North India. Its name comes from an Arabic word meaning "imagination". It is thought to have developed out of the qawwali singing style. It appeared more recently than dhrupad, is a more free and flexible form, and it provides greater scope for...
, tabla
Tabla
The tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional music of the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres...
, dhrupad
Dhrupad
Dhrupad is a vocal genre in Hindustani classical music, said to be the oldest still in use in that musical tradition. Its name is derived from the words "dhruva" and "pada"...
and ghazal
Ghazal
The ghazal is a poetic form consisting of rhyming couplets and a refrain, with each line sharing the same meter. A ghazal may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or separation and the beauty of love in spite of that pain. The form is ancient, originating in 6th century...
. In partnership with the UK IMR
IMR
IMR is a three-letter abbreviation with multiple meanings, including:*In-Mold Decoration by Roller, the technology developed for surface decoration of plastic products.*Ideo motor response, the original neuro-psychological theory of hypnotic suggestion...
s, the AMC sends artists to lead performance days with detainees. Working with local schools in West London, the AMC invites teachers to bring classes into its Museum, or sends teachers to classrooms directly. Its foci have included the music of Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and poetry events.
Museum of Asian Music
Main article: Museum of Asian MusicMuseum of Asian Music
The Museum of Asian Music is a ethnological museum near Acton, west London.Officially opened by HRH The Prince of Wales in 2008, the Museum features permanent displays of Asian musical instruments and occasional temporary exhibitions focusing on different countries and regions of Asia...
The AMC is based in its Museum in Acton
Acton, London
Acton is a district of west London, England, located in the London Borough of Ealing. It is situated west of Charing Cross.At the time of the 2001 census, Acton, comprising the wards of East Acton, Acton Central, South Acton and Southfield, had a population of 53,689 people...
was officially opened by HRH The Prince of Wales in 2008. It features permanent displays of Asian musical instruments and temporary exhibitions focusing on different countries and regions of Asia. An extensive audio-visual archive is based here and can be accessed on dedicated computer terminals.