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A composer, Sandeep is also defined as a “poet, teacher, researcher, media artist, chef, stage director and theater director” by the SMCQ. Many people also consider him as a friend, like Cléo and Terri, who wanted to honour him in a personal way.

An old acquaintance

While holding the Canada Research Chair in Inter-X Art at Concordia University, Sandeep moved to Montreal with his family in 2006. Cléo met him during his first days in Quebec, at an informal dinner at the Bozzini home: “He knew Clemens Merkel well, and they had met in Germany”. This meeting gave rise to a friendship and numerous musical, artistic and research collaborations over 15 years.

The two artists recognize themselves in Sandeep's sound and intellectual universe. They share common reflections and interests around the concept of compromise he has developed, giving performers the freedom to participate in the decision-making and musical creation process with the composer.

Several Canadian premieres of works from his repertoire are presented by Cléo. Terri and Sandeep collaborate on the international Technologies of Notation and Representation in Music Network (he as principal investigator and she as coordinator) and on the research-creation group Sensing Places, Changing Times.

An inside look at a character

“A man close to his musicians and attentive to the well-being of those around him”, is how Cléo first defines her friend. The partnership chose works in chamber music format, rarely presented in concert, to create an intimate atmosphere, in the image of Sandeep. These include Sutra, recorded by the two performers a few years ago, and Archipelago, composed during the pandemic, which they will perform for the first time.

Cléo also remembered Nirgun Bhajan (wind, voice and percussion): “I immediately thought of this piece and I absolutely wanted it to be part of the program, so I contacted these two artists again (Sarah Albu and Ben Duinker) to do the concert with us”.

Inspirations that bring people together

The composer seems to draw his inspiration from sometimes dark events, representative of a reality and uncertainty that make up this world. Miyagi Haikus, a suite of short pieces, pays tribute to the victims of the 2011 earthquake in Japan, for example. “It also calls for us to see the bright side of things, to have hope. In that respect, I find Sandeep's work very humanist,” confides Cléo.

On a happier, more personal note, he has also instituted a tradition that he honors every year: “Since I've known him, I've received canons to sing with family and friends on New Year's Day”. Usually performed in the private sphere, the program includes two canons (at the beginning and end of the concert) revealing yet another aspect of Sandeep's personality. The audience will be invited to sing.

A creation inspired by Sandeep's work

The homage doesn't stop there! Inspired by the man she describes as an “intellectual collaborator”, the “unusual score formats” he imagined and certain works, Terri has composed stars behind stars, presented as a premiere at the concert.

This creation consists of “a musical game of 26 cards” with rules for each use and a guide sheet for each card. It also links up with Sandeep through themes such as “the matter of space, of the cosmos, and ruptures in it in the form of supernovae”, explains Terri.

Grab your tickets and embark on a musical cruise to discover a singular archipelago, that of Sandeep Bhagwati. Stroll from island to island, exploring the facets of a unique composer, accompanied by four talented performers. Ticketing

 *As a reminder, Sandeep defines the concept of comprovisation as “an artistic concept, a collective way of making music, a way of working and a training model”. More precisely, it “proposes a new formulation of the tasks and roles of the participants in the idea of a collaborative piece, a formulation consistent in the rehearsal process of a staged work.” (Circuit). 

Article written by Typhaine Allain