The Boîte presents Saraswati-Benzaiten Quartet
Fri, 20 June
|Mark St Hall
The Saraswati-Benzaiten Quartet is an instrumental collaboration of classical music from India and Japan. The ensemble consists of the South Indian veena and the Japanese Koto and Shakuhachi. Featuring Brandon Lee on koto, Ramnath and Gopinath Iyer on veena and Adrian Sherriff on shakuhachi.
Time & Location
20 June 2025, 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Mark St Hall, 1 Mark St, Fitzroy North VIC 3068, Australia
About the Event
The Saraswati-Benzaiten Quartet is an instrumental collaboration of classical music from India and Japan. The ensemble consists of the South Indian veena and the Japanese Koto and Shakuhachi. Iyer brothers, Ramnath Iyer and Gopinath Iyer, on the veena, Brandon Lee on koto and Adrian Sheriff on shakuhachi will come together to present common melodies of both systems showcasing the strong musical and spiritual connection between India and Japan while highlighting the differences in the musical approach.
The name of the ensemble denotes the two musical Goddesses from India and Japan who both play a musical instrument. Saraswati plays the veena (now called Saraswati veena) while Benzaiten plays the Japanese zither.
The ensemble’s artistic vision is to produce sounds that are unique and never before heard, connecting the musical and spiritual ethos of both musical systems.
