Wed 4/4 – Sun 4/15
Did you know the Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival is the largest Indian classical music festival outside of India? It is. For real. This 11-day event is going on its 35th year, having started in a church basement with under 50 attendees to its current location at Cleveland State University where thousands of people attend the event.
The spirit of the fest is to promote South Indian classical music and, besides classical music, the fest consists of dance, a children’s music competition that brings over 600 kids from all over North America, and a dance competition that has attracted aspiring young dancers from the US, Canada, India and the Middle East. The fest was going to include a performance by Pandit Ravi Shankar, who — interesting fact! — actually approached the organizers and said he had heard so much about the Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival and wanted to perform there. (Unfortunately his performance is cancelled due to ill health.)
Come be one of the estimated 8,000 attendees getting themselves a taste of authentic India. This is a fest you don’t want to miss. Check the website for full schedule & locations.