Stroud Sacred Music Festival
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Morning Raga

Morning Raga
​

Featuring Michael Griska,
K. Sridhar’s starring sitar student from the USA


ABOUT THE MUSIC


As the light gathered for a wonderful day of celebration and peace, the start of the Stroud Sacred Music Festival was an inspiring, luminous, early morning Indian raga. The slow, resonating ragas in the North Indian classical dhrupad tradition, allow the musician to bring all their improvisational skills and emotional senses to entrance the audience, pulling them in slowly, slowly through the simple structure of the form, beyond music, beyond sound and beyond.
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"Performing a raga is like painting on an open canvas...
​Gradually the colours make an image and create a mood. At a certain point, the painter forgets that he is painting on a canvas and begins unconsciously to choose the right colours. 
I invite people to come with an open heart. Don’t expect anything. Then you’ll go with something unexpected.”
K Sridhar.
ABOUT THE MUSICIAN

Bringing us to this place of delight was K. Sridhar’s disciple of the past 14 years, Michael Griska. Mike’s learning and discipline, his devotion to the music, teacher and sitar are all second to none. His playing of the sitar, a warm and loving instrument, brought joy to all.
​

For an hour we could all experience a truly enlightening start to the day.
"Sitar is one of the most highly developed instruments on planet Earth. It can mimic the human voice with melody and rhythm very beautifully. It evokes emotions - almost too easily - and allows for improvisation, vocal display and hypnotic efficets. The music can take you over so you lose yourself. You become immersed and don't know the beginning or the ending, but you can't deny the feeling."
Michael Griska
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CLICK HERE
​FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT MICHAEL GRISKA

​“Raga is an art form that brings people together for a kind of experience of awe that cuts across cultural boundaries in a very profound way.”

The Daily Tar Heel, USA
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Past Sponsors

Logo of Renishaw with link to their website
Logo of Ragged Moon with link to their website
Logo of Stroud Town Council with link to their website
Logo of St Laurence: The Future with link to their website
Image of Mosaic and Intrigue of Stroud
Logo of BBC Radio Gloucestershire with link to their website
Logo of Sacred Music Radio with link to their website
Logo of Sarah Holder Design with link to website
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Plus wonderful support from the following
​
St Laurence Parish Church; Stroud Centre for Peace & the Arts (SCPA); Revd Simon Howell; Stroud News and Journal; Good on Paper; Manny Massi, BBC Radio Gloucestershire; Ela Pathak-Sen Commotion UK; Mary Wells and Williams Kitchen Nailsworth; Peter Baxendale; Andy and Avril Evans; Katie Lloyd-Nunn; Girish and Sarah; Millie and Clay Sinclair; ​Trish Dickenson; Stroud Farmers Market; Chris Head - and many more!
​THANK YOU ALL
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Archive
    • SSMF 2015
    • SSMF 2016
    • SSMF 2017
    • SSMF 2018
    • SSMF 2019
    • SSMF 2020
    • SSMF 2021
    • SSMF 2022
    • SSMF 2023 >
      • Review
      • Gallery
      • Morning Raga
      • Chant Space
      • Sam Lee
      • Nigel Shaw & Carolyn Hillyer
      • Tagna Groove
      • HOhME
    • SSMF 2024 Midwinter >
      • Full Festival Programme
      • Soumik Datta Arts
      • Acapellies
      • PILGRIMAGE
      • CHANT SPACE
    • SSMF 2024
    • SSMF 2025
  • Sacred Sounds
  • Contact Us