Shropshire: Classical

Sunday 11 January 2026

3:00pm

Festival Drayton Centre

Eleanor Turner: harp
Mendi Singh: tabla

The dynamic pairing of tabla maestro Mendi Singh and harp virtuoso Eleanor Turner creates an electrifying fusion of rhythmic grooves and intricate melodies.

Tāla Tarang embody a special chemistry, through a subtle yin-yang of two halves creating a whole. Their repertoire includes original music, folk tunes, classic pop, Bollywood, Western Classical and World music; it is a truly unique sound experience. Tāla Tarang, meaning 'Rhythm Waves', is aptly named as each performance takes both audience and the artists on a journey, like the oscillations of a wave.

Eleanor met Mendi in 2014 after hearing him at a concert with other world music artists. Since then, their friendship has grown through not only their shared love of music, but also their passion for nature, food, travelling, family and their spiritual lives. All of these shared experiences, together with a mutual desire to create healing music, deeply influence their original compositions.

Mendi Singh, one of the UK's most celebrated tabla specialists today has collaborated with artists such as Pundit Shalil Shankar, Peter Gabriel, Take That, Akram Khan and Courtney Pine. In 2015 he composed the world's first Tabla Tarang Concerto. Eleanor Turner is likewise one of the UK's most cherished harp talents, forging a unique and varied path through her life in music. They have performed concerts in London, Birmingham, Lincoln, at Sentmenat Harp Festival near Barcelona and all over the UK.

Tāla Tarang enjoy giving workshops over Zoom and in real life, on Bollywood music and rhythm and ragas. In 2022, the duo received an Arts Council 'Develop Your Creative Practice' award, which enabled them to meet regularly to delve into unknown creative territories, mentored by composer Liz Dilnot Johnson.

From intimate jazz clubs to grand concert halls, Tāla Tarang has graced stages from Birmingham to Barcelona, earning a dedicated following along the way. They creatively weave strands of traditional, contemporary, folk, and classical music into a musical tapestry reflecting world cultures and celebrating humanity said Dr. Bob Ramdhanie MBE of Rupununi Festival (Guyana). Tāla Tarang shine especially brightly in their breathtaking improvisations, where they reveal the trust and synergy that have blossomed over the ten years they have written, performed and recorded music together.

Tickets: £16.00 (Friends of Festival Drayton Centre £13.50, u18 £5.00) from Festival Drayton Centre box office HERE