The International Music Series, an event showcasing four different artists who specialize in international music, has finalized their Fall duration with the concert done by Pooja Goswami Pavan, A. Pavan and Praful Kelkar focusing on Hindustani music, classical music of northern regions of India.

Aaron Lohmeyer, a professor of music education at WSU was able to give more information about the event. He was able to talk about his role and duration of the event.

“I oversee the International Music Series, which has been around Winona State for probably over 20 years,” Lohmeyer said.

One of the main doubts raised to professor Lohmeyer was how the organization for this event is done, and if it’s under any institution. He answered, “International Friendship through the performing arts…it’s run by composer Paul Dice, who writes poems pulling from all these different global music traditions.”

An important fact about this event is that all artists, even though they are showcasing music from other countries, are based in Minnesota, but have been able to grow into professional careers, performing in many other states and countries around the world.

The performance done on Nov. 2 was especially different from the other three artists, as it was completely improvised by the artists.

“It is grounded in their religious practice. It goes back thousands of years,” Lohmeyer mentioned.

The pieces showed in the performance were of varying duration, but mostly around the 15 to 20 minutes mark, focusing on the vocals improvised by Pooja Goswami Pavan with the addition of traditional Indian instruments such as a harmonium and table.

The audience was able to enjoy three different pieces, each one of them showcasing history from India such as classical poetry about festivals, and a piece dedicated to the embrace of a guru, considered a mentor in India.

The performers explained their instruments and some of the classical Indian aspects of the music, such as the concepts of “raga,” which is the set of rules about the rhythm used in these improvisations, or concepts like the delicate gentle movements in the way Pooja Goswami sings.

The importance of showcasing these types of events to WSU, as professor Lohmeyer mentioned, is that music is culture. Allowing students and audiences to enjoy these performances live, in front of their eyes, opens another side of appreciation and understanding of the music.

“Culture is the people and without contact with the culture bearers, I think it remains foreign and distant,” said professor Lohmeyer.

Second year student Elysia Beynon, who is in the class of global music cultures class, was able to give some insight on the concert.

“Events showcasing and educating about different cultures help develop inclusivity and representation which is really important, especially in educational contexts” Beynon said.

The attendees of the international music series have given positive feedback and showcase it as one of most exciting parts of the global music cultures class, mentioning it as a completely different experience from anything they seen before, as well as being one of the most long lasting events in WSU.