Lichter der Kulturen 2024 | Cologne Light Festival

The onset of winter, with the darkest day of the year, is also seen by the most diverse cultures and religions around the world as the first glimmer of hope: people come closer together, reflect on shared traditions, and organize encounters attentively and lovingly. During the dark season, numerous festivals of light around the world emphasize community solidarity and human togetherness: the Christian Christmas, the Jewish Hanuka, the Thai Loy Krathong, the Chinese Tangyuan lantern festival, the Hindu Divali. We celebrate the festival of lights and encounters in the Luther Church with musical representatives of the three major religions.

This year we are particularly looking forward to two award-winning musicians from Calcutta. The tabla virtuoso and winner of this year’s Global Music Awards Abhirup Roy with the equally renowned sitar player Deepsankar Bhattacharjee . The evening will be accompanied by songs in a variety of Middle Eastern languages. With his extraordinary gift of improvisation and his versatile, often operatic voice, Mehmet Akbaş succeeds in combining the mystical atmosphere, the cultural diversity and the rich musical heritage with very different musical poles. He will be accompanied by the choir Interkultur eV from Mülheim. In keeping with the occasion, Hans Mörtter , a restless pastor, will present thoughts on important current topics. The violinist Christoph Broll will interpret the words simultaneously musically and a Sufi whirling performance by LUSNIKA will visually round off the atmospheric evening.

1. INTERCULTURAL CHOIR, conducted by MEHMET AKBAS
The choir, under the direction of Mehmet Akbaş, sings Turkish, Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Azerbaijani and Zazaki songs that promote greater international understanding. The choir consists of Cologne residents across three generations, from different faiths with diverse cultural roots. 

Mehmet Akbaş is an artist who speaks the universal language of music, nourished by his roots and mixed with the influences of the time in which he lives. The Cologne singer and composer Mehmet Akbaş is one of the pioneers of modern Kurdish music and is known for his broad repertoire, which ranges from traditional songs to modern compositions. With his extraordinary gift for improvisation and his versatile, often operatic voice, he succeeds in combining the mystical atmosphere, cultural diversity and rich musical heritage of the Middle East with very different musical poles.

Nure Dlovani, violin
Epaminondas Ladas, guitar
Thomas Sauerborn, drums
Chor Interkultur eV

2. HANS MÖRTTER & CHRISTOPH BROLL
In keeping with the occasion, Hans Mörtter, a restless pastor, will present thoughts on current important topics. Violinist Christoph Broll will simultaneously interpret the words musically.

3. ABHIRUP ROY (Winner of the Global Music Awards 2024) & DEEPSANKAR BHATTACHARJEE
Abhirup Roy is a very versatile and highly talented young tabla virtuoso from Calcutta, India. He belongs to a gharana (a special way of representing the musicology of a particular performance style that includes aesthetics, taste and a touch of tradition) that is inherently royal and extremely rich in fundamentals, namely the Benaras Gharana. He is one of the exponents of the new genre of the instrument Tabla and is committed to taking the popularity of the instrument along with the traditional style of playing to new and greater heights.
Roy’s musical journey began at the age of two and a half years with his father and when he was 6 years old, he completed his advanced Taalim in Tabla with Pandit Kumar Bose. Over the years, he learnt the various dynamics and philosophy of the Benaras Gharana. Abhirup has mastered the distinct style of playing, especially the ‘Baayan’, of his Guru Pandit Kumar Bose with great grace. He not only had to earn the compositions but also prove that he could play in concerts of his Guru. Along with his Taalim processes, he also assisted Pandit Bose in his various compositions, researches and concerts.

Deepsankar Bhattacharjee
“Sur-Moni” Deepsankar is the fourth generation sitarist from an enlightened family of musicians. He started his musical journey at a tender age under the tutelage of his father, Pandit Hara Shankar Bhattacharya. He was also trained under the watchful guidance of his Dadaguru, Padmabhusahan Ustad Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan Saheb. He is the torch bearer of JAFFERKHANI BAAJ, a unique style of sitar playing invented and perfected by Ustad Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan Saheb.
Deepsankar is an “A-GRADE” sitarist of ALL INDIA RADIO. His performances at many places in India, in New York and in many different cities in almost all countries of Europe have been highly appreciated by connoisseurs and laymen alike. Deepsankar has been awarded several gold medals and titles by various organizations around the world such as NCPA, Mumbai, All BENGAL MUSIC FESTIVAL, GERMAN FILM FESTIVAL and many more.

https://www.lutherkirche-suedstadt.de/veranstaltungen/lichter-der-kulturen-3/