FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jenni Shrum,
Director of Marketing & Public Relations
(405) 231-0145 jenni@okcphil.org
“Verma shares his cultural heritage in a manner that is fresh, modern, and relevant.”
Oklahoma City – With over three decades of performance experience, Arjun Verma has emerged with a unique voice on the sitar – both within the tradition of North Indian Classical Music and through his innovative cross-genre collaborations. The son of internationally performing sitarist Roop Verma, who was a disciple of Ali Akbar Khan and Ravi Shankar, Verma began learning sitar from his father at age five. Verma studied with Ali Akbar Khan for eight years and has continued training under the guidance of Ali Akbar Khan’s son, Alam Khan. The combination of these influences results in a style encompassing the deeply contemplative as well as the exhilarating elements of Indian Music.
Verma’s performance repertoire has stretched the limits of the sitar as an instrument, and his recording and composing work has applied Indian classical music effectively for TV, opera, and documentary film. He will be featured in Symphony by Ravi Shankar, an Indian classical work for a full Western orchestra. This is the same Ravi Shankar, the sitar virtuoso who performed with the Beatles.
As a composer, Arjun has written commissioned works for documentary film, opera, and live performing arts, and has arranged numerous works of Indian classical music for ensembles of both Indian and non-Indian instrumentation.
“I’m excited to present a special evening featuring the most important American symphony ever written, Copland’s Symphony No. 3. This work has never been performed by the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, making this a historic occasion,” said Music Director Alexander Mickelthwate. “We’ll pair it with music from India with our soloist, Arjun Verma. This will be a unique evening of musical exploration!”
Experience Symphonies East & West at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 22, 2025 at the Civic Center Music Hall. Tickets are available now at okcphil.org or by calling (405) 842-5387.
Symphonies East & West is sponsored by NvYa.
About OKC Philharmonic
OKC Philharmonic was founded in 1988 and celebrates over 30 years of beautiful music in Oklahoma City. Under the direction of Alexander Mickelthwate, the orchestra performs Classics, Orchestral Pops, and Discovery Family concerts, as well as a variety of community engagements. Our mission exists to provide inspiration and joy for the community through orchestral music. For more information contact us at okcphil.org 424 Colcord Drive, Suite B, Oklahoma City, OK 73102
###