Classical and Contemporary Indian Music with All-Star Ensemble
May 17, 2026
5-7 p.m.
301 E. 8th St, Austin
Pandit Gourisankar, one of North America's virtuosos on the Indian tabla drum, will perform with a group of acclaimed Indian classical musicians on May 17 at World Music Encounters at St. David's. Gourisankar travels constantly, performing and teaching, from his base here in Austin as the founder and director the School of Indian Percussion & Music. These hand drums, with their goatskin heads, give Hindustani classical music its rhythmic power, flavor and complexity. Gourisankar has performed with India's eminent traditional artists, and he has earned a reputation as an innovator by reaching out to other genres. He has played with steelpan master Liam Teague from Trinidad and Grammy-winning kora player Mamadou Diabate from Burkina Faso.
For the St. David's concert, Gourisankar has assembled an all-star ensemble of musicians, each of whom is a recognized master on his instrument: Indrajit Banerjee on sitar, Indradeep Ghosh on violin, and Brajeswar Mukherjee on vocals and the Indian harp. The first set will feature this quartet playing traditional raga music. Then comes host John Burnett's interview with Gouri about his musical journey to Austin and the tradition of his music. During the second set, Gourisankar will invite onstage the renowned Cuban flamenco guitarist, Jose Manuel Tejeda, as well as drummer Jason Mackenzie. All artists are from Austin except for the singer, Brajeswar, who lives in Kolkata, India. The sextet will play Indian music in a more ambitious international, jazz and folk style.
This remarkable night of Indian classical and contemporary music will conclude the third season of World Music Encounters in our acoustically divine 175-year-old sanctuary in the heart of downtown Austin. Our 2025-26 season featured Rique Pantoja and the music of Brazil, Uganda-born singer/songwriter Jon Muq, the tango music and dance troupe TangoArte, and the fabulous 12-piece all-female mariachi from San Antonio, Mariachi Las Altenas. Yes, the music was so fantastic it wasn't uncommon to have the audience jumping out of their pews and dancing in the aisles.
Since its launch in September 2023, World Music Encounters has featured the music of foreign-born artists mainly living in the Austin area. Most of our artists have hailed from the southern hemisphere, such as West Africa, South America, Central America and Mexico. WME is a non-profit endeavor and a musical gift of St. David’s Episcopal Church to the community. It is produced by former NPR national correspondent and St Dave’s parishioner John Burnett, along with the hard-working church staff at St. David's Episcopal Church.
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