AR Rahman, Kaushiki Chakraborty To Headline Carnegie Hall's Inaugural Naad Festival In 2027
Tickets for all Naad 2027 performances will go on sale to the general public beginning August 10
Events
Carnegie Hall has unveiled the line-up for the inaugural edition of Naad: A Festival of Indian Music, set to take place from May 21 to 23, 2027, bringing together some of India's most celebrated classical and contemporary musicians.
Academy Award-winning composer A.R. Rahman will make his Carnegie Hall debut as the festival's centrepiece on May 22, performing at the iconic Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage. Additional artists joining Rahman's performance will be announced at a later date.
The three-day festival will open on May 21 with a performance by Grammy-winning bansuri maestro Rakesh Chaurasia, accompanied by tabla player Ishaan Ghosh, while Ritik Chaurasia will also feature on bansuri.
The closing concert on May 23 will present SIFAR, a Hindustani classical music performance led by acclaimed vocalist Kaushiki Chakraborty at Zankel Hall. The ensemble will include Anantha R. Krishnan on mridangam and konnakol, Ambi Subramaniam on violin, Ishaan Ghosh on tabla and percussion, and Soumik Datta on sarod.
According to Carnegie Hall, Naad has been conceived as an annual celebration of Indian music, highlighting both centuries-old traditions and contemporary artistic voices. Beyond live performances, future editions of the festival will also feature educational programmes and community initiatives. The festival has been developed in consultation with New York-based vocalist, composer and philanthropist Ila Paliwal, with lead support from The Ila & Dinesh Paliwal Foundation.
Announcing the festival, Clive Gillinson, Executive and Artistic Director of Carnegie Hall, said the inaugural edition reflects the diversity and richness of Indian music while creating a new annual destination for audiences to experience one of the world's great musical traditions. He also acknowledged Ila Paliwal's contribution in bringing the initiative to life.
Tickets for all Naad 2027 performances will go on sale to the general public beginning August 10.