Ranjana Ghatak Quartet
Ranjana Ghatak Quartet
Ranjana Ghatak - vocals
Céline Saout - harp
Kirpal Panesar - esraj
Harkiret Singh Bahra - tabla
Drawing upon the emotive vocal forms of both Thumri and Bhajan in addition to the musical ideologies of Mystic Poet Mirabai, Scarlatti and Hildegard de Bingen, Indian vocalist Ranjana Ghatak explores the lyrical and expressive potential of these sound worlds with a quartet of master musicians. Together they explore classical, semi-classical and original compositions, blending Ragas, improvisation, intricate rhythm and rich textures.
At the heart of the project are new arrangements of traditional and original Indian semi-classical songs, in which the poetry has a focus and is explored through improvised phrases of each line. Through collaborating and researching the works of Hildegard von Bingen, Scarlatti and the semi-classical vocal forms, Ranjana discovered a striking kinship: melodies and rhythms rooted in a connection to the land, a search for meaning and a similar delight in rhythmic play and ornamentation. These parallel musical ideologies became a guiding thread for the ensemble, inviting a genuine dialogue between traditions rather than a simple fusion of them.
After discovering that the Harp was played in 200 CE India, Ranjana was excited to collaborate and explore ideas with Céline Saout and bring Kirpal Panesar's deeply stirring playing on the Esraj and Harkiret Singh Bahra's dynamic tabla playing together. The result is a fresh, genre-defying sound that is both intimate and expansive.
Following an acclaimed debut performance at St George's Bristol Festival of the Voice, the quartet will record and release an album in early 2027, and are available for concerts and festivals on request year-round in 2027/8.
Biographies
Ranjana Ghatak is a British-Indian vocalist, composer and educator specialising in North Indian classical, semi-classical and devotional music. Inspired as a teenager by Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty, she subsequently trained at his Shrutinandan school in Kolkata. Her collaborators include the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Nitin Sawhney, James Yorkston, Jason Singh and Jon Thorne. She performed in the opening song of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games ceremony and has presented work at Yale University, the Royal Festival Hall and Royal Opera House. Her 2020 album The Butterfly Effect was created with Mercury-nominated musicians and producers Liran Donin and Jack Ross.
Paris-born Céline Saout is principal harpist with the Orchestra of Opera North and a longstanding member of Birmingham Contemporary Music Group. She studied at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama and Royal Academy of Music, graduating with honours, and was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy in 2011. Her career spans orchestral, contemporary and collaborative music, including performances with the Philharmonia, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, CBSO and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House on international stages. Saout played harp in Opera North and South Asian Arts-uk’s original staging of Jasdeep Singh Degun and Claudio Monteverdi’s acclaimed Orpheus.
Kirpal Singh Panesar is one of the UK’s leading exponents of the esraj, dilruba and tar-shehnai. He began studying with Ustad Surjeet Singh, a disciple of Pandit Ram Narayan, and later trained with legendary shehnai master Ustad Bismillah Khan. Known for deeply expressive sound and finely shaped improvisation, Panesar has performed throughout the UK, Europe and India and appeared regularly at Darbar Festival since 2014. He played esraj and portrayed Apollo in Opera North and South Asian Arts-uk’s original staging of Orpheus, later joining composer Jasdeep Singh Degun’s touring ensemble for his acclaimed Real World Records album Anomaly in 2023.
Harkiret Singh Bahra is a UK-based tabla player, collaborator and teacher with a deep grounding in Indian classical rhythm. A frequent Darbar Festival performer since 2013, he works extensively with sitarist and composer Jasdeep Singh Degun as a duo partner, touring musician and recording collaborator. Bahra has performed in Degun’s Anomaly ensemble and accompanies him on Jogkauns, a live Real World Records album devoted to the long-form tradition of Indian classical raga. He also contributed to Degun’s Orpheus project with Opera North and South Asian Arts-uk. His playing combines classical precision, responsiveness, sensitivity and an energetic approach to musical dialogue.