Mandala Makers Festival & Constellation Presents: Jugalbandhi + V.V.S. Murari, Ashwani Shankar & Sai Giridar
2026-04-15 15:30 - 18:30 (America/Chicago) | Constellation, 3111 N Western Ave, Chicago, IL, 60618, United States
Mandala Makers Festival Presents: Jugalbandhi + V.V.S. Murari, Ashwani Shankar & Sai Giridar
A very special evening featuring three of the top touring artists from India who will be showcasing the rare improvisational instrumental music of South Indian carnatic violin and North Indian Hindustani shehnai (reeded Indian folk instrument). The two instruments come together for a musical conversation and accompanied by South Indian mridangam (barrel shaped drum).
Purchase tickets Here: https://wl.eventim.us/event/mandala-makers-festival-presents/684422?afflky=ConstellationChicago

Purush: when power becomes poetry
2026-05-02 14:30 - 15:30 | Visceral theater, 3121 N Rockwell St,, Chicago, IL, 60618, United States
Mandala Ensemble Presents, “Purush: When Power Becomes Poetry” featuring an evening-length performance that explores improvisation across classical Indian dance traditions by male dancers. Dancers trained in Bharatanatyam, Kathak, and Odissi interpret shared musical compositions through their distinct movement vocabularies and rhythmic sensibilities. As each artist responds spontaneously to the music, the performance reveals how different classical forms approach improvisation—through unique body language, rhythmic dialogue, and expressive interpretation—creating a dynamic conversation between tradition, individuality, and creativity.
Purchase tickets here: https://www.eventcombo.com/e/Purush-When-Power-Becomes-Poetry-78620
Artists:
Colin Mascarenhas is an Odissi artist and founding member of the Aikyam Odissi Dance Collective in Chicago. Trained in Mumbai under Guru Jhelum Paranjape, he has over 20 years of experience in the Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra style of Odissi. His aesthetic draws inspiration from classical temple architecture, reflecting Odissi’s sculptural and spiritual roots. Colin has performed at major venues across India, including NCPA Mumbai and the US Embassy in Delhi, as well as the Consulate of India in Chicago. He is dedicated to preserving traditional Odissi and teaching it in the Chicago area.

Rajagopalan Kiran James is a Chicago-based dancer, choreographer, educator, and nonprofit leader whose performances and embodied practice are rooted in poetic storytelling and social justice. With 35 years of training in Bharatanatyam, Kiran creates bold, educative productions bridging South Asian classical and ritual dance with other world dance forms. He is the co-founder of Daya Arts, a nonprofit highlighting South Asian and West African arts, and Off the Beat, a podcast imagining new futures for South Asian dance. He has performed internationally, participated in artist residencies at Snug Harbor and Catwalk Institute, and formerly served as Executive Director of Kalapriya.

Asian American Heritage Month
2026-05-16 06:00 - 2026-05-17 12:00 | IL
In honor of Asian Heritage Month, Pan-Asian artists gather across three Forest Preserves of Cook County to bring cultural memories of nature to life. Through live interviews collected by Mandala team, musicians, dancers, and narrators transform these stories into a vibrant, immersive performance experience.
Set within the natural beauty of the forest preserves, audiences will journey through Asian dance, music, and storytelling that reflect deep cultural connections to land, memory, and community. This unique event invites participants to experience the forest through the sounds, movements, and voices of diverse Asian traditions.
Artists Include: Chethan Anant, Tzu-Tsen Wu, Bob Garrett, Tatsu Aoki, Saraswathi Nanganathan, Pak Ngurah Ensemble, and more!
May 16th, 2026, 11am-12pm
Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center
9800 Willow Springs Rd, Willow Springs, IL 60480
May 16th, 2026 2pm-3pm
Caldwell Wellness Center
6350 W Devon Ave, Chicago, IL 60646
May 17th, 2026 1:30 pm
River Trail Nature Center
3120 Milwaukee Ave, Northbrook, IL 60062

Artist Lineup & Bios:
Chethan Anant: Chicago-based Indian classical musician, multi-instrumentalist, and educator blending Hindustani classical music with jazz, Carnatic, blues, and electronic collaborations. Founder of The Bansurist LLC.
Tzu Tsen Wu: Taiwanese musician specializing in zhongruan and liuqin, also playing ukulele, guitar, piano, banjo, and jakhee. Performs internationally and teaches while pursuing a master’s in World Music at Northern Illinois University.
Bob Garrett: Chicago-based musician and composer with extensive experience in theater, dance, and international music collaborations. Performed in Hamilton (Chicago), Sting’s The Last Ship, and The Lion King national tour. Co-founder of Posterchild Art.
Saraswathi Ranganathan: Chicago-based Carnatic veena artist and cross-cultural collaborator. Chicago Music Award winner who has performed with Disney’s Jungle Book and received Logan Foundation support. Over three decades of performing and teaching.
Tatsu Aoki: Chicago-based composer, filmmaker, educator, and performer. Founder of the Chicago Asian American Jazz Festival and Executive Director of Asian Improv aRts Midwest, advancing cross-cultural collaboration and Japanese traditional arts.
Habib: Sarod musician. More information coming soon!
Pak Ngurah Ensemble: Gusti Ngurah Kertayda, Lead, is a graduate of the National Performing Arts Institute (KOKAR) in Denpasar, Indonesia. He is now the director of Indonesian Dance of Illinois, a non-profit organization in the greater Chicago area promoting Indonesian culture through dance and music.

This is a free event. Please Register Here!

Red Line Jazz Project
2026-05-21 11:00 - 2026-10-16 12:00 | IL
Mandala Arts Red Line Project
The Mandala Arts Red Line Project is a Chicago-based public arts initiative that brings live jazz performances into spaces along the Chicago ‘L’ Red Line, transforming everyday transit environments into vibrant sites of cultural exchange and musical encounter. Organized by Mandala South Asian Performing Arts, the project uses the concept of the mandala—a symbol of unity, rhythm, and interconnectedness—as a guiding metaphor for collaborative musical expression.
Through a series of curated performances, local jazz musicians and ensembles present short live sets at or near Red Line stations, creating spontaneous moments of connection for commuters and neighborhood residents. The performances blend jazz improvisation with global musical influences, reflecting Chicago’s rich musical heritage and its diverse communities.
The project aims to:

Activate public transit spaces with live music and cultural programming
Celebrate Chicago’s jazz legacy and the city’s vibrant community of musicians
Create accessible performance opportunities for artists in everyday public settings
Encourage moments of reflection, joy, and connection for commuters and passersby

By placing live jazz within one of Chicago’s busiest transit corridors, the Mandala Arts Red Line Project transforms routine travel into an immersive cultural experience—where rhythm, improvisation, and community converge.
In essence: the project uses live jazz performance in public transit spaces to embody the spirit of the mandala—interconnected voices creating a shared, evolving musical experience.
Dates for performances and venues
Thursday, May 21, 4–6 p.m., Howard Station, 7519 N. Paulina St.
Thursday, May 21, 6–8 p.m., Pottawattomie Park, 7340 N. Rogers Ave.
Thursday, June 25, 6–8 p.m., Mahalia Jackson Court, 1 E. 79th St.
Thursday, July 2, 4–6 p.m., Sox-35th Station (Rate Field), 142 E. 35th St.
Thursday, July 30, 4–6 p.m., Cermak-Chinatown Station, 138 W. Cermak Rd.
Thursday, July 30, 5–7 p.m., Chinatown Visitor Center, 2189 S. Wentworth Ave.
Thursday, August 13, 4–6 p.m., Argyle Station, 1118 W. Argyle St.
Thursday, August 27, 6–8 p.m., Taylor Park, 39 W. 47th St.
Thursday, September 10, 4–6 p.m., 95th /Dan Ryan Station, 14 W. 95th St.
Friday, October 16, time TBD, Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph St.: Fareed Haque, guitar, and more

Sabir Khan with Hindole Majumdar
2026-06-03 19:30 - 21:00 | Old Town School of Folk Music, 4544 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL, 60625, United States
Sabir Sultan Khan, master of the sarangi (an ancient bowed folk instrument from India), is the son of legendary sarangi player and vocalist Ustad Sultan Khan. He belongs to the Sikar gharana (school) of music, which has produced several stalwarts to Indian classical music. Khan was born in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. Exposed to music when he was six years old through his grandfather, Ustad Gulab Khan, he trained under his father, grandfather, and his uncle Ustad Nasir Khan. He is the tenth generation of his family to play the sarangi. Khan’s great-grandfather Ustad Azim Khan Sahab was a court musician at Sikar, Rajasthan.
He will be accompanied in Chicago by tabla player Hindole Majumdar.
Register for tickets

Round Robin Performance
2026-07-12 18:00 - 21:00 | iO Theatre, 1501 N Kingsbury St, Chicago, IL, 60642, United States
6PM
Tickets $20

1501 N Kingsbury St. Ave. Chicago, IL 60642

Join us for a special night of improvisational music and dance by some of Chicago’s most creative musicians working in the field of South Asian music, both individually and as members of bands pushing the Chicago cultural landscape forward.
In line with the 2026 Makers Festival theme of ‘Live Composition and Improvisation’, the musicians will be seated on stage together in a semicircle, performing together for the very first time as a collective. They will each showcase their musical talents solo, but also share and create something brand new as duos, trios, and a full quartet. The performers and audience alike will be on the edge of their seats for this singular musical journey.
Featuring:
Rahul Sharma (Funkadesi) on bass and sitar
Lucia Thomas (Ochin Pakhi) on violin
Krissy Bergmark (Sprig of That) on tabla
Sonny Patel (Do the Needful) on bansuri flute
Siddharth Devarajan on mridanham
Raji Venkat as special guest dancer

SummerDance at Spirit of Music Garden: Raji Venkat and Do The Needful
2026-08-20 18:00 | Grant Park, 601 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL, United States
Another ALL FREE Mandala Makers Festival event! Super fun, retro Bollywood, spaghetti-western, punk rock-a-billy band, Do The Needful play at Chicago SummerDance on Thursday, August 20th with dance lessons by Raji Venkat from Mandala Ensemble starting at 6PM. It’s going to be an Asha Bhosle Tribute night at the Spirit of Music Garden on Michigan Ave. Tell everyone and come on out and share. Presented by DCASE and The Chicago Park District and supported by Mandala Arts.

Arushi Mudgal, Carlito Catalano, Colin Mascarenhas, Sigma Satabdhi
2026-09-11 18:30 - 20:00 | Comrade, 3111 N Western Ave, Chicago, IL, 60618, United States
6:30PM
Purchase $20 Tickets Here

3111 N Western Ave. Chicago, IL 60618

Featuring:
Arushi Mudgal Odissi Classical Dance
Born into a family of musicians, Arushi Mudgal was exposed to music and dance through the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, an institute started by her grandfather, Pt. Vinaya Chandra Maudgalya, and led currently by her father, Shri Madhup Mudgal. She started learning Odissi dance formally at the age of five from her Guru, Smt. Madhavi Mudgal, graduating in 2007. She has performed extensively as a soloist at prestigious festivals, including the Musee Guimet Festival in Paris, Joan Weill Dance Center in New York, Internationales Tanz Festival in Dusseldorf with Pina Bausch, and the Dance India Asia Pacific Showcase in Singapore.

Carlito Catalano
Bahamian dancer Carlito Catalano discovered Indian classical dance videos online as a teenager and taught himself Odissi and Bharatanatyam before studying with dancer Bijayini Satpathy, who became his guru through workshops and virtual training starting in 2019-2020. While working in insurance, he completed a professional development course at UNC Charlotte and a residency with San Francisco’s Nava Dance Theatre. He’s now sponsored by the Shirley Hall Bass Foundation for intensive Odissi residency programs in India through January 28. Catalano has also presented at local dance forums and debuted at the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas in 2024.
Colin Mascarenhas
Colin Mascarenhas is an Odissi artist and founding member of the Aikyam Odissi Dance Collective in Chicago. Trained in Mumbai under Guru Jhelum Paranjape, he has over 20 years of experience in the Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra style of Odissi. His aesthetic draws inspiration from classical temple architecture, reflecting Odissi’s sculptural and spiritual roots. Colin has performed at major venues across India, including NCPA Mumbai and the US Embassy in Delhi, as well as the Consulate of India in Chicago. He is dedicated to preserving traditional Odissi and teaching it in the Chicago area.
Sigma Satabdhi
Sigma Satabdhi Pradhan has been studying and performing Odissi dance under the mentorship of Guru Smt. Madhulita Mohapatra, who serves as Artistic Director and instructor at Nrityantar Academy of Performing Arts in Bangalore, India. Alongside this training, she has also developed skills in various other dance styles, including Jazz and Western Contemporary.
Sigma has appeared in a range of dance productions both in India and in the United States, and she continues to develop her artistry as a member of DXS, a five-person desi fusion dance group based in Chicago.

Vijay Iyer, Alam Khan, and Nitin Mitta
2026-09-12 19:00 - 21:00 | Epiphany Center For The Arts, 201 S Ashland Ave., Chicago, IL, 60607, United States
Mandala Makers Festival presents a rare night of music featuring an improvisational dialogue between piano, sarod, and tabla. This project began with a long-standing friendship and creative curiosity between pianist Vijay Iyer and sarod player Alam Khan, both of whom had worked independently with tabla player Nitin Mitta. When the three gathered in California for a two-day session, it unfolded as an unplanned yet deeply connected musical conversation. Born of spontaneity and mutual respect, this collaboration lives in the moment. Drawing from their shared fluency in improvisation, the trio recorded a series of intimate, exploratory pieces that became the foundation for their debut EP Sanctuary, released in December 2025. These recordings reflect the spirit of listening and discovery that guided their first encounter, and this live performance will expand on that musical conversation, offering audiences a rare and evolving listening experience.

About the Artists
Vijay Iyer is a celebrated composer and pianist whose work defies categorization. Known for his innovation and emotional depth, he has been named DownBeat’s Jazz Artist of the Year multiple times and is a MacArthur Fellow and a three-time Grammy Award nominated artist.
Alam Khan carries the lineage of his father, the legendary Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, and the Maihar Gharana of Indian classical music. A two-time Grammy Award nominated master of the sarod, Alam brings tradition into the present through boundary-crossing collaborations and soulful expression.
Nitin Mitta is an acclaimed tabla player whose versatility and sensitivity have made him a sought-after collaborator across Indian classical and contemporary music scenes.
Admission
$35, $55, $75 (VIP)
Tickets
Epiphany Center for the Arts
DICE.FM

Fareed Haque & Selvaganesh Vinayakram + Special Guests
2026-09-13 19:30 - 21:00 | iO Theatre, 1501 N Kingsbury St, Chicago, IL, 60642, United States
6PM
Tickets $35

1501 N Kingsbury St. Ave.
Chicago, IL 60642

Join Mandala for a night of musical fireworks driven by two masters of their instruments. Two-time Grammy winner and Shakti member Selvaganesh Vinayakram on kanjira, mridangam, and percussion performs with two-time Grammy nominee Fareed Haque on acoustic guitar. In addition to a classic jazz standards and covers, the two will dive deep in the art of improvisational music and live composition.
Haque and Vinayakram are deeply intertwined in the international music scene through several high-profile collaborations; both are core members of Summit, an Indo-jazz fusion group founded by saxophonist George Brooks and the late tabla master Zakir Hussain. This ensemble blends Indian classical ragas with contemporary jazz harmony and complex percussion. The duo have also collaborated as part of the Fareed Haque Group, bringing together South Indian kanjira frame drums, the ghatam clay pot drum, and Haque’s eclectic, genre-bending guitar style.
Featuring:
Fareed Haque, a first generation Pakistani-Chilean and modern guitar virtuoso born in Chicago. Haque is celebrated for his command of both classical guitar, jazz and beyond. His heritage and extensive training allow him to effortlessly traverse jazz, rock, and world music.
Selvaganesh Vinayakram, the son of legendary ghatam master Vikku Vinayakram of Shakti and Planet Drum. Selvaganesh is a Grammy-winning percussionist as a member of Shakti, globally recognized as one of the finest kanjira players of his generation.

Nature and Narratives
2026-09-20 16:00 - 19:00 | Naper Settlement, 523 S Webster St, Naperville, IL, 60540, United States
An immersive production featuring rare traditional instruments, exploring themes of nature and belonging.
Featuring acclaimed artists from India, Taiwan, Indonesia, and Thailand.
Chethan Anant – Bansuri & Vocals
Tzu Tsen Wu – Plucked Instruments
Chamni Sripraram (Ajarn Chamni) – Thai Xylophone Solo (Ranad Ek)
Pak Ngurah Ensemble: Gusti Ngurah Kertayda
Artist Lineup & Bios:
Chethan Anant: Chicago-based Indian classical musician, multi-instrumentalist, and educator blending Hindustani classical music with jazz, Carnatic, blues, and electronic collaborations. Founder of The Bansurist LLC.
Tzu Tsen Wu: Taiwanese musician specializing in zhongruan and liuqin, also playing ukulele, guitar, piano, banjo, and jakhee. Performs internationally and teaches while pursuing a master’s in World Music at Northern Illinois University.
Chamni Sripraram (Ajarn Chamni) is a Thai music educator who teaches at Northern Illinois University and has led performances, workshops, and cultural outreach at institutions across the U.S. since starting his career at Chicago’s Thai Temple in 1996, while also serving as longtime artistic director of the Thai Cultural and Fine Arts Institute. His decades of cultural and community service have earned him honors including the Asian American Hall of Fame, the Asian Humanitarian Award, and the President’s Volunteer Service Award.
Pak Ngurah Ensemble: Gusti Ngurah Kertayda, Lead, is a graduate of the National Performing Arts Institute (KOKAR) in Denpasar, Indonesia. He is now the director of Indonesian Dance of Illinois, a non-profit organization in the greater Chicago area promoting Indonesian culture through dance and music.

Red Line Jazz Festival
2026-10-16 19:30 | Harris Theater, 205 E. Randolph, Chicago, IL, 60601, United States
7:30PM
Tickets $20
205 E Randolph, Chicago, IL, 60601
Curated by Fareed Haque, acclaimed guitarist and Mandala Artist-in-Residence, the Red Line Jazz Festival is the culminating performance of the Red Line Jazz Project, a five-month public arts initiative showcasing live music and cultural programming at CTA Red Line stations and community spaces across Chicago.
The festival features project artists Butter Chicken Brass Band, Luciano Antonio, The Windy City Ramblers, members of the Chicago Immigrant Orchestra, the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, and the Mandala Dance Ensemble, led by Raji Venkat and Greer Hutchinson.
Blending jazz improvisation, global musical influences, and dance, the performance celebrates Chicago’s rich cultural landscape and the communities connected by the Red Line corridor, from the North Side to the South Side, highlighting the city’s longstanding tradition of artistic innovation, cultural exchange, and community engagement.
