Kunal Gunjal & Praveen Narayan

In 2013, Chicago’s World Music Festival opted to level up with the kind of performance that barely existed otherwise in the United States—a 14-hour marathon of both Carnatic and Hindustani classical music, with the sun setting and rising again through the world’s largest Tiffany dome. The event, Ragamala, has since become a mainstay of World Music Festival, drawing several thousand people each year. Many ragas are intended to be played during certain parts of the day, meaning they often cannot be included during concerts in more traditional settings. Ragamala’s design allows it to feature a greater repertoire of works, both because of its expansive timeframe and its mix of Hindustani and Carnatic musicians. For the first time, in a special eight-hour presentation that runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Ragamala comes to Knoxville.

From Pune, India, but now based in Boston, Kunal Ganjal is one of the world’s most promising young santoor players. The santoor is a 72-stringed dulcimer, played with light hammers that make the notes shimmer. Ganjal studied with Shivkumar Sharma, known for helping usher the santoor into Indian classical music. Ganjal has worked to bring the instrument into new contexts, too, even playing it alongside Western film music. At Ragamala, though, he will open the day with a 90-minute set of Hindustani morning ragas alongside tabla player Praveen Narayan.

Kunal Gunjal (santoor) w/ Praveen Narayan (tabla) (Hindustani Morning Raga set) (90 min)