WCS
devissaro
composer
cross-cultural collaborator
stage & light designer
​creative & technical director

music collaborations -
asima ensemble      energetic. eclectic. experimental. 

asima ensemble
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asima is a boundary-breaking vocal and percussion ensemble from Trivandrum, Kerala.  The word “asima” in sanskrit means "beyond boundaries", and the ensemble combines elements from India's rhythmic and melodic systems with harmonic traditions of western music.  The Indian influences in Asima's music include ancient vedic chant, hindustani and carnatic classical music, as well as folk and ritual music.  Western influences range from classical music to jazz.

The music of asima is composed by Devissaro, an Australian born musician who has lived in India since 1980. Trained initially as a classical pianist, Devissaro subsequently studied Hindustani vocal music of the ancient Dhrupad tradition under the renowned Dagar family, as well as pakhawaj and bansuri. The music of the asima is a reflection of Devissaro's background in both western and Indian classical music.

Asima has been enthusiastically received by a wide range of audiences both in India and abroad, and has performed in a number of highly prestigious venues.  Asima won warm praise in the UK where it toured in 2007 and again when it performed for the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in 2009.  In 2011 Asima performed at the Kennedy Center for the Arts, Washington, USA as part of the Maximum Indian Festival.  In 2012 Asima collaborated with the great US sax player George Brooks for shows in Trivandrum and Bangalore, and returned to London in April 2013 for 3 knock-out peformances in the Alchemy Festival at the Southbank Centre. In August 2013 Asima toured to 6 cities in China.

samatma   
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cross cultural ensemble

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Samatma is the result of a cross-cultural musical collaboration that brought together 4 exceptional musicians, with me serving as music director;  the multifaceted English cellist (baritone, actor and performance live-wire) Matthew Sharp, Indian bansuri player Sameer Rao, Australian percussionist Tao Issaro and Indian keyboardist Yakzan Pereira.  With the support of the British Council, Matthew toured India presenting his uniquely wicked, wild and wonderful one-man opera, "Johnny's Midnight Goggles". The music collaboration over a period of 5 days held at Natyashram, Kerala, and the subsequent world-music performances, provided an extra and exciting outcome to Matthews trip to India.  



dance collaborations -
daksha sheth dance company

theatre collaborations
a midsummer night's dream

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see the review here
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