Estimated reading time: 10 minutes
Sŭnāō’- Listen to this
Carnegie Hall, New York, May 15, was the recent setting for ‘Sŭnāō’ – a set of 3 songs by Indian-American composer Reena Esmail – designed to introduce young Western choirs to the Hindi language and Hindustani raag. Esmail created the songs in collaboration with linguist and lyricist Reena Bhansali, who wrote bespoke text for the project.
With uniquely South Asian music and language concepts, these songs, published by Oxford University Press, the publishing house of the University of Oxford, have also been performed at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in the UK.
According to Reena Bhansali, the word “sunaao” literally translates as “have me listen”, but is closer in meaning to “tell me” or “sing for me”. It is the act of engaging someone in a sonic experience by listening to others, of sharing and hearing sounds that are meaningful to us with others. Each song is designed to teach linguistic concepts of Hindi, musical concepts of Hindustani music, alongside dynamic and supportive piano accompaniment, remind us to approach new ideas from a place of curiosity instead of judgment.
Aao beckons us to share our musical traditions, exploring changing open vowels. Khattar Pattar uses a distinctive style of Hindi/Urdu onomatopoeia to describe how we sometimes let our thoughts run out of control. Behta Jaa invites us to lean into ease and levity, to not be too hard on ourselves, as it contrasts dark and light sounds.
Reena Esmail
Reena Esmail is the Artistic Director of Shastra, a non-profit organization that promotes cross-cultural music connecting musical traditions of India and the West. She is also the 2020-25 Swan Family Artist in Residence with Los Angeles Master Chorale, and was the 2020–21 Composer in Residence with Seattle Symphony.
Her music, such as ‘This Love Between Us’ (which explores the 7 major religions of India) has been performed by major orchestras, choirs, and chamber groups all over the world, including the Los Angeles Master Chorale and BBC Singers.
Esmail holds degrees from The Juilliard School and the Yale School of Music, and has studied Hindustani music with Lakshmi Shankar and senior disciples of Ravi Shankar and Ashwini Bhide Deshpande. She was the subject of a PBS documentary series, “New American Voices.”
In an interview with Anuj Chakrapani for India Currents, Reena Esmail talks about her journey in music and collaboration with her Reena Bhansali for Sŭnāō.’
An Interview with India Currents
Anuj Chakrapani: Hello, and thank you for speaking with India Currents. It is a pleasure to talk to you today.
Reena Esmail: Thank you for having me!
AC: Your work is well known among music lovers as one that stands out uniquely in how it blends Indian and Western Classical music. Could you tell us more about it?
RE: I have been a Western classical music fan for over twenty-five years, and I’ve studied Hindustani music for the last fifteen years. I absolutely love finding the places where these traditions meet and can speak to one another.
Imagine if I were to speak a sentence where, if you spoke English, you could understand it in English, but if you spoke French, you could understand it in French. While that isn’t technically possible in language, I do think it’s possible in music — and that concept is the foundation of my work.
I like to describe my work as ‘musically bilingual’ — it functions both through the lens of Hindustani and Western classical music, and it creates a pathway from both traditions into a mutual space, where both cultures interact.
AC: You recently publicly launched ‘Sŭnāō’ – a set of 3 songs, designed to introduce young Western choirs to the Hindi language and Hindustani raag. Could you tell us what inspired you to do it?
RE: Western choirs are a fundamental part of most music education systems in America. Many schools with music programs have choirs, and children of all ages often get introduced to different kinds of music through song.
I am seeing two very important trends taking place simultaneously: First, choirs are becoming increasingly open to singing in different languages. And second, there are an increasing number of Desi students joining their school choirs, many of whom speak Indian languages at home.
What better way to introduce people to Indian culture than through language? When you learn a language, you embody that culture. And embodiment is the beginning of empathy. If I can sing a few words in your language, then I’ve walked a couple of steps in your shoes. And maybe that makes me approach your culture with curiosity and excitement, rather than fear or discomfort.
Everything about these songs comes from the words. My collaborator, Reena Bhansali, wrote an incredible, bespoke text for this project, aimed towards young people. She has built her professional life around teaching Hindi to young people in an intuitive and engaging way. Practically, she chose the words very carefully to make them uniquely accessible to singers encountering Hindi for the first time. She leads them, step by step, through the challenges of the language.
The Hindi in this work is modern — we felt it was important for the Hindi to be practical and useful, as well as lyrical and beautiful. The meaning of the words is also significant — these songs are about being grounded in your own strength, and finding what feels meaningful and joyful to you. It is about sharing your unique perspective with others, and listening to theirs. We both work extensively with young people, and we felt these words would resonate with them as they navigate the challenges of the world today.
AC: Tell us about your early childhood and what drew you to this art form
RE: I grew up studying Western classical music — my mother is Goan, and my grandfather (her father) had been a lover of Western classical music, so that is where my mom started me — guitar lessons, piano lessons, etc. While I did hear Indian music in my home growing up, it wasn’t until I was in my mid-20s, when I was already through an undergraduate degree in music composition at Juilliard, that I began to explore Indian classical music. I lived in New York, and started meeting people who were Carnatic and Hindustani musicians, and it was these incredible musicians who led me into my love of the music itself.
AC: We all know a “Guru” plays the most important role in an artist’s life. Could you tell us about your Guru(s) and what their influence has been on you, your music, and your performances?
RE: I’ve had the privilege of studying with incredible gurus in both Western and Hindustani classical music.
In Western classical music, some of my most influential teachers have been Aaron Jay Kernis, Susan Botti, and Chris Theofanidis. Aaron always asked me the most thoughtful questions, which led me to learn how to ask those same questions in my music for years to come. Chris taught me so much of what I know about orchestration (how music fits into different instruments in an orchestra) — his sense of color and texture is infused in everything I write. And Susan taught me the power of voice — in every sense. She is an incredibly versatile singer as well as a composer, and she helped me to trust my own voice early in my career. All three of these teachers were so open-minded — they each gave me a deep grounding in Western classical music, but also encouraged my exploration of Hindustani classical music. It meant everything to me.
In Hindustani classical music, I credit so many people for my early training: Gaurav Mazumdar, Priya Kanungo, Mosami Shah, and Shobana Raghavan (who is a Carnatic vocalist) — all of these wonderful musicians helped me learn the basics and fall in love with the music. I was so privileged to study with Smt. Lakshmi Shankar in the last few years of her life. Her joy and her faith in me, even at the very beginning of my studies, have stayed with me long after her passing.
The majority of my Hindustani classical training has been with Saili Oak, a senior disciple of Dr. Ashwini Bhide Deshpande. Saili and I have taught one another over the years — she guides me through Hindustani classical music, and I guide her through Western classical music, and together, we’ve found so many entry points into one another’s musical worlds. I absolutely would not be doing this work if it weren’t for Saili’s authentic guidance and amazing creativity.
AC: You have a doctorate in music composition from Yale, and your music has been studied in a growing body of academic work. Could you tell us what this means to you?
RE: It has been incredible to see so much academic writing about my work, whether in doctoral dissertations or papers that have appeared in music journals. Because this music references two musical cultures that are rarely taught at the same institutions, context is so important.
One of my favorites is Lindsay Pope Gregory’s dissertation about my work for choir. It gives choral conductors guidance on how to work with Hindustani and Western musicians together, especially in the context of my work, This Love Between Us. If conductors feel comfortable, they are able to make the musicians comfortable. And if the musicians are comfortable, they can open up and share their music with one another. That is how authentic relationships across cultures form — when we are able to show our best selves to one another, that is where the real dialogue can begin.
AC: As a highly creative person yourself, what is your take on the growing movement of Indian Americans in creative fields? I ask because this country is traditionally viewed as a place for people to make a career in high tech.
RE: I’m so proud to see Indians at high levels in any field. I’m as proud to see an Indian CEO of a tech company as I am to see an Indian actor star in a film that becomes a box office hit. Indians are incredibly versatile, and I love that we are seeing examples of that everywhere.
Indians are only about three generations into our presence in America — many other groups have a much longer history in this country. But as we become increasingly established, I think we are able to think more broadly about what success looks like.
Artists are storytellers, and part of the beauty of having more Indians in the arts is that we are able to see ourselves in new ways. Producers like Mindy Kaling shine a light on the tensions of diaspora culture with a sense of humor. Comedians like Zarna Garg help us laugh at the unique dynamics in Indian American families. Authors like Jhumpa Lahiri and Abraham Verghese allow us to explore some of the more painful connections between Indian and Western culture through their beautiful, lyrical writing. I think knowing ourselves in this way, and seeing our culture reflected back to us is so important as we continue to establish this space between cultures.