Raagaverse + Strings

Venue: ANNEX

Vancouver Independent Music Centre Society and the Raagaverse Cultural Society present Raagaverse + Strings

Raagaverse + Strings reimagines the music of Raagaverse through the rich and expressive sound world of string quartet. Raagaverse has long been inspired by the depth, warmth, and cinematic possibilities that strings bring, expanding the palette of its music while deepening the dialogue between Hindustani classical traditions, jazz harmony, and improvisation.

The inspiration for this project began with Naina featured on Raagaverse’s debut album Jaya, where Western cinematic strings composition combined with Hindustani melodic language and jazz quartet textures to reveal a compelling new direction for the ensemble. That experience showed how naturally these musical worlds could come together and sparked the vision for a full-length strings project.

The program will feature newly imagined arrangements of some of the defining works from Jaya, alongside brand-new compositions that will be part of an upcoming second release. All of the string arrangements and new works are being created collaboratively by Noah and Shruti, building on the musical language developed as they explore new sonic possibilities for Raagaverse.

2025 Juno Nominee for Best Jazz Album of the Year (Group), Raagaverse, led by vocalist Shruti Ramani, is a creative Indo-Jazz fusion band that pays homage to the two deeply historical and culturally-significant genres: classical Hindustani music and Jazz. Shruti brings her expertise in Hindustani music together with the quartet’s appreciation, knowledge, affinity and experience of the Jazz and other musical artforms. Raagaverse retains the authenticity of both traditions, melding them seamlessly into one cohesive sound that is both dynamic and explosive with immense respect, depth and beauty.

Shruti’s musical fluency originates from her rigorous Hindustani training and degree under Dr. Ritu Johri in Mumbai, India, and her studies leading to a degree in Jazz from Capilano University. Her original compositions use melodies ornamented with traditional Hindustani nuances, with underlying modern Jazz harmonies and rhythms.