Toronto Indian classical singer Ramneek Singh describes her vocal style as versatile and expressive. She places strong emphasis on emotional depth and meaningful poetry.
“While my roots are firmly in Indian classical music, I try to bring a unique personal touch to every genre I perform,” Singh tells Pancouver.
On March 29, Singh will demonstrate her versatility at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts in Burnaby, B.C. in a concert called Basant Ke Rang. The phrase translates into English as “Colours of Spring”.
“Through a variety of genres and musical expressions, I will delicately unfold the beauty of spring with verses of love, longing, and colour, which is one of my artistic specialties,” Singh promises.
She will be accompanied by Mohan Bhide on harmonium and Sunny Matharu on tabla.
“It will be a bouquet of emotions, and I will also explain the poetry in English so that audiences can connect more deeply with the music and its meaning,” Singh continues. “My hope is that listeners will not only enjoy the performance, but also feel immersed in its emotional and spiritual essence.”
Her artistic journey has taken her to stages in India, America, Canada, and Europe. Singh earned a bachelor’s degree in vocal music at the Bhatkhande Sangeet Vidyapeeth in New Delhi, where she was born. She continued training under Ms. Amarjeet Kaur, a senior disciple of Ustad Amir Khan, who founded the Indore Gharana. Singh acknowledges that Khan had a profound influence on her overall approach.
“He brought a deeply meditative and introspective quality to his music, along with extraordinary sophistication in melodic development and rhythmic design.”
Ramneek Singh performs a Raag Bihag at Bazm e Khas in 2022.
Singh develops a unique style
She also studied under Pr. Vinayak Torvi and Pt. Baldev Raj Verma. Singh mentions that it took many years of disciplined practice and one-on-one training with her teachers in India to master the Indore Gharana.
“I spent a great deal of time listening to legendary maestros, both vocalists and instrumentalists, to understand different styles, techniques, and approaches to musical expression. Over time, through practice and experience, I worked to develop my own unique style,” Singh emphasizes.
After getting married, she moved to Boston, where she taught Indian classical music. To her, it was a totally different world because Singh often had to explain what Indian classical music is about. After four-and-a-half years, she and her husband moved to Canada, which has been home for the past 25 years.
Nowadays, she operates the Sur-Rang Music Academy in Toronto.
Over the years, Indian musicians such as Ali Akbar Khan, Zakir Hussein, and Ravi Shankar have popularized Indian classical music in the West. It’s reached the point where Singh sometimes feels there is as much curiosity about this artform in North America as in India.
“I actually have a student who’s a non-Indian and who is so interested in learning classical music,” she says. “He has a beautiful base of Western classical and he got really inspired listening to me.
“He’s also learning the language, Hindi,” Singh adds. “It’s a different expression for him because Western classical is so strict and straightforward whereas Indian classical is sort of improvised. So, you have to bring in a different kind of emotion.”
Lyrics retain a spiritual quality
Singh feels that the Indore Gharana’s meditative approach speaks to her most deeply. According to her, its emphasis on “an unhurried and contemplative elaboration of a raga” creates a peaceful and immersive atmosphere for the artists and the audience.
Moreover, she is drawn to the spiritual quality of its poetry.
“Since I write lyrics of a similar nature, this aesthetic resonates with me very naturally and blends beautifully with my own musical expression,” Singh declares.
She points out that her repertoire is quite varied due to the range of her influences. In addition to classical and semi-classical, Singh has also been affected by some music from Hindi cinema. In particular, she cites the great Indian playback singers of the 1950s and 1960s, such as Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, and Mohammed Rafi.
Singh has performed many times on television and composed title music for many shows. She also sang in Midnight’s Children, a 2012 movie directed by Deepa Mehta based on a Salman Rushdie novel.
“I enjoy performing genres such as Khayal, Tarana, Thumri, folk, and Sufiana music,” Singh states. “What audiences often appreciate is the range of moods and emotions I bring to a performance through this variety.”
Ramneek Singh will unfold the beauty of spring at Basant Ke Rang at 3 p.m. on Sunday (March 29) at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts (6450 Deer Lake Avenue) in Burnaby. Singh will be accompanied by Mohan Bhide on harmonium and Sunny Matharu on tabla. For tickets and more information, visit the Shadbolt Centre website.
The Shadbolt Centre developed this program in consultation with Nina Buddhdev of the Bandish Network. The Toronto Spark is on Bluesky @torontospark.bsky.social.
