INDIAN MUSIC & IMPROVISATION
FEBRUARY 21 TO 25, 2026
INDIA – NEW DELHI
In parallel, independent masterclasses will also be held:
Kathak – North Indian dance with Sharmila Sharma;
Rhythms and improvisation in Persian and Indian modality with
Keyvan Chemirani.
These masterclasses will take place simultaneously with the training program Music of India and improvisation.
A final presentation bringing together all three masterclasses is planned at the end of the program.
GENERAL CONTENT
Indian Music & Improvisation — exploring how to build one’s improvisational practice through the lens of musical elements from Indian tradition.
This course begins with an introduction to the fundamental concepts of Indian music:
-
The Northern system, known as Hindustani music
-
The Southern system, known as Carnatic music
-
Key concepts such as Raga (melodic universe) and Tala (rhythmic universe, cycles)
Participants will then explore, through vocal and instrumental practice, the unique approaches to variation and improvisation in Hindustani music:
-
The art of constructing a prelude (alap, jor, jhala)
-
How to ornament a composition (gat, bandish) and improvise around it within a given rhythmic cycle
-
How to enrich improvisation with syncopated rhythmic elements (layakari) and conclusive rhythmic phrases(tihai)
The training culminates with a creative reflection on how to integrate these elements into one’s own vocabulary as an improviser or composer.
The course also includes a reflection on oral tradition in teaching, its pedagogical value, and a sharing of experience with the instructor—a musician deeply shaped by both Western classical/contemporary music and North Indian classical music and improvisation.
A detailed program will be available soon
PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS
Open to all professional-level musicians, artists, and educators, or students nearing the end of their studies, regardless of instrument or musical background (classical, baroque, jazz, traditional, contemporary, etc.), and regardless of age.
Participants must bring their own instruments (applications will be reviewed).
REGISTER NOW
>> ONLINE REGISTRATION <<
>> FEES AND REGISTRATION DETAILS <<
BIOGRAPHY
Bansuri flutes, flutes, octobass
One of the leading Western specialists of the bansuri flute, Henri Tournier is among those musicians who, deeply fascinated by Indian music, have become its passionate ambassadors after many years of dedicated study. For decades, he has explored the full range of this instrument’s possibilities—both within its traditional context, North Indian classical music, and in world music and Western contemporary music.
It was the legendary flutist Roger Bourdin, soloist of the Western transverse flute, who first passed on to him a passion for improvisation—a path that eventually led him to Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia. Henri became his student, later his assistant, and for over twenty-seven years, a guest professor at the Rotterdam Codarts Conservatory.
Henri Tournier has developed his own unique language as an improviser and composer, shaped by both the bansuri fluteand Western concert flutes. He has taken part in numerous musical projects, collaborations, and recordings on the international stage.
From 2016 to 2022, he taught modal improvisation and Indian music at the Paris National Conservatory of Music (CNSMDP). As a committed soloist and educator, he places a strong emphasis on sharing his artistic and pedagogical experience.
Henri Tournier is also the author of the seminal work
“Hariprasad Chaurasia & the Art of Improvisation” – book with 2 CDs, published by Accords Croisés/Rotterdam-Codarts.