Friday 20th November 2026, 8pm
The Glasshouse International Centre for Music, Gateshead
Tickets - Adult £22.50 / 16 & under £11.30 / Family tickets £45
Book via The Glasshouse / 0191 4434661

This show is an immersive "ear cinema" experience layering biological soundscapes, field recordings, and new Indian music. 

Winner of the Aga Khan Music Award, Soumik Datta merges his 19-stringed sarod with the hidden rhythms of the earth, decoding the secret languages of the natural world. From the choir of cicadas to underground mycelial networks, this show translates microscopic biological movements into a cinematic, slow-motion journey, underscored by a band of virtuosos on violin, mridangam, and tabla beats. 

This urgent, colourful performance bridges the divide between human art and biological intelligence. Drawing on his role as an Earth Day Network Ambassador, Soumik's work serves as a powerful reflection of our place within the living world, driven by deep climate action. 


Soumik Datta

Soumik Datta is an internationally acclaimed sarod virtuoso, composer, and cultural director recognised for redefining the reach of Indian music through immersive technology and global collaboration. A student of the legendary maestro Pandit Buddhadev Das Gupta, Datta is the recipient of the Aga Khan Music Award and serves as the Artistic Director of Soumik Datta Arts (SDA), a National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) supported by Arts Council England. Led by Soumik and a UK-India team, SDA operates as a high-impact cultural production house, blending creative innovation with systemic social advocacy. 

Awarded the Eastern Eye ACTA Award for Music and the Indian Global IGF Award for Distinctive Contribution to Music, Soumik's creative portfolio spans major commissions from the BBC Singers, Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Albert Hall, BBC Proms, and Southbank Centre. His landmark production trilogy includes Mone Rekho, an exploration of music and memory; Travellers, a sonic study of migration; and Melodies in Slow Motion, a British Council commission responding to the global environmental crisis. Beyond the stage, he is a BBC broadcaster and filmmaker, utilising a vast archive of field recordings to address - in his role as Earth Day Ambassador - issues of climate justice and displacement. 

By integrating the ancient resonance of the sarod with contemporary sound design, Soumik creates a unique Longpath for cultural heritage, ensuring its relevance within the modern landscape. Navigating the bridge between preserving a demanding, ancient classicism and leading SDA, Soumik continues to forge global partnerships that ensure traditional mastery and radical change coexist as a singular, inclusive force. 


Sayee Rakshith S 

Sayee Rakshith S is a violinist, composer, music producer, and arranger from Chennai, India. Trained under Sangeetha Kalanidhi Padmashree Kumari A. Kanyakumari, he has performed extensively across India and abroad, accompanying leading Carnatic musicians and collaborating across diverse musical genres. As a member of the band Staccato, he has contributed to innovative concert productions and interdisciplinary artistic projects. Sayee has also worked on over 30 feature films with acclaimed composers including M.M. Keeravani and G.V. Prakash. A recipient of several prestigious honours, including the Shri Shanmukhananda Bharat Ratna Dr. M.S. Subbulakshmi Fellowship and awards from the Music Academy, Madras, his work bridges classical tradition with contemporary musical expression.   


Debjit Patitundi 

Debjit started his musical journey as a child prodigy, who was placed under the tutelage of his father, Shri Amal Patitundi. He then continued to nurture his passion with Pandit Sankha Chatterjee for several years, before continuing his lessons with the legendary tabla maestro Pandit Subhankar Banerjee. At present, Debjit is under the guidance of eminent Tabla Maestro, Pandit Yogesh Samsi. 

Debjit is a regular performer in major music festivals across India and abroad. He has performed at the London Jazz Festival, Darbar Festival amd Coast Roads World Music Festival here in the UK, as well as at festivals around the world, including Sacrees Jourees World Music Festival in Strasbourg, World Music Festival in Madrid, and India By The Bay Festival in Hong Kong - to name but a few! He's also performed in Spain, Israel and Qatar, on tours conducted by the Government of India's Ministry of External Affairs.

Debjit is the youngest A-graded artist of All India Radio and Doordashan He has also been the recipient of many prestigious awards, including the President Gold Medal from the Government of India, the State Academy Award from the Government of West Bengal, the Pandit Nikhil Ghosh Award from I.T.C. Mumbai, and the Pandit Prasun Banerjee Award.  


Sumesh Narayanan

One of the most gifted and sought after Carnatic percussionists of the current generation, Sumesh Narayanan has trained with Mridangam Maestro Sangita Kalanidhi Dr Thiruvaarur Bakthavathsalam for two decades and continues to learn from him. Sumesh is a rare combination of a musician who aspires to master the rich traditions of the mridangam oeuvre in the Carnatic style, while retaining an open and larger world view which allows him to be part of many innovative and cross-disciplinary ventures to which he is a vital contributor and much admired for his ideas and energetic playing. 


Melodies in Slow Motion is commissioned by the British Council and co-produced by Soumik Datta Arts and G5A Warehouse Mumbai, with support from Pratham Creativity Club and Earth Day Network. 

Presented by GemArts and The Glasshouse International Centre for Music. 

​ 

Nearest Metro: Gateshead
 

< all events