The fall 2021 Interdisciplinary Arts Residency with Arun Luthra was presented by the University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of the Arts and hosted by the Mead Witter School of Music with Professor Johannes Wallmann as lead faculty. Co-sponsors include the Center for South Asia, the Department of Anthropology, and the Wisconsin Union Theater along with the Arts + Literature Laboratory and the Wisconsin Science Festival.
Saxophonist, composer, and konnakol artist Arun Luthra is an American musician of Indian heritage who fuses modern post-bop Black American Music with elements of Indian classical music – especially konnakol (South Indian classical music vocal percussion). He connects a wide range of modern and classic musical influences to create a vibrant new sound and style. While in residence, he taught the course “The Universal Language of Rhythm: Explorations Through Konnakol and Black American Music.” Students learned konnakol and explored the universality of rhythm through science, history, politics, and other disciplines. At the end of the semester, students presented works that incorporated konnakol concepts into creative projects ranging from music to poetry, prose, dance, scholarly papers, and beyond.
Videography credit: Aaron Granat
additional videography by Gracie Wallner
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