
2 0 1 9 / 2 0 2 0 S E A S O N Robert and Helene Browning celebrate 43+ years of presenting world music & dance. "Their work set into motion nothing less than a seismic shift in the cultural terrain of New York City and beyond. " - The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage |
Support RBA by making a tax-deductible contribution to Roulette, our not-for-profit partner. Be sure to specify in the Special Notes box that your donation is to support RBA programming. Or, you may send a check to: Jim Staley, Director Roulette Intermedium, Inc., 228 West Broadway, FL 2 NY, NY 10013-2456 |
IN MEMORIAM

Kadri Gopalnath 12/5/1949 – 10/11/2019
Kadri Gopalnath was one of the great innovators of South Indian (Carnatic) music. Tutored by his father on the nadhaswarama large oboe-like instrument favored for temple ceremonies, he fell in love as a young man with the saxophone. Over a period of some 20 years he mastered the instrument (alto saxophone) and introduced it to the repertoire of classical South Indian Music. He first visited the US in 1987 and performed at Washington Sq. Church, NYC for the World Music Institute. The concert was reviewed by Robert Palmer for the New York Times. He performed again for WMI in 1995, this time at Merkin Concert Hall. Kadri Gopalnath continued to perform at concerts and festivals throughout the world often experimenting across genres as in his 2008 tour with jazz saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa. Read more...
Kadri Gopalnath was one of the great innovators of South Indian (Carnatic) music. Tutored by his father on the nadhaswarama large oboe-like instrument favored for temple ceremonies, he fell in love as a young man with the saxophone. Over a period of some 20 years he mastered the instrument (alto saxophone) and introduced it to the repertoire of classical South Indian Music. He first visited the US in 1987 and performed at Washington Sq. Church, NYC for the World Music Institute. The concert was reviewed by Robert Palmer for the New York Times. He performed again for WMI in 1995, this time at Merkin Concert Hall. Kadri Gopalnath continued to perform at concerts and festivals throughout the world often experimenting across genres as in his 2008 tour with jazz saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa. Read more...

Ramakant Gundecha 11/24/62- 11/8/2019
Ramakant Gundecha, one of the Gundecha brothers, the leading exponents of the ancient Indian art of Dhrupad, an austere vocal style of classical North Indian music that predates the more commonly performed Khayal.The Gundecha Brothers, Ramakant and Umakant, with their younger brother pakhawajplayer Akhilesh performed at Roulette as part of our World In Trance Festival in 2016 to great acclaim. The Gundecha’s studied under the tutelage of two members of the renowned Dagar family, vocalist Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar and rudra vinamaster Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar. Over the past thirty years they have traversed the world performing in festivals and major concert venues to rapturous audiences and have taught their art to students throughout Asia, Europe and the Americas.
Ramakant Gundecha, one of the Gundecha brothers, the leading exponents of the ancient Indian art of Dhrupad, an austere vocal style of classical North Indian music that predates the more commonly performed Khayal.The Gundecha Brothers, Ramakant and Umakant, with their younger brother pakhawajplayer Akhilesh performed at Roulette as part of our World In Trance Festival in 2016 to great acclaim. The Gundecha’s studied under the tutelage of two members of the renowned Dagar family, vocalist Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar and rudra vinamaster Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar. Over the past thirty years they have traversed the world performing in festivals and major concert venues to rapturous audiences and have taught their art to students throughout Asia, Europe and the Americas.
UP NEXT

Robert Browning Associates presents
Saturday, December 7, 2019 at 8:00pm
GAMELAN KUSUMA LARAS with I.M. HARJITO
Guest Vocalist: HENI SAVITRI
Guest Dancer: ANANG TOTOK DWIANTORO
Music & Dance of Java
Roulette, 509 Atlantic Avenue at 3rd Avenue, Downtown Brooklyn | 917-267-0363
Since its formation over 30 years ago, Gamelan Kusuma Laras has entranced American and Indonesian audiences with its mesmerizing renditions of traditional Javanese performances on instruments created for the Indonesian Pavilion at the 1964-5 World’s Fair... MORE INFO
Saturday, December 7, 2019 at 8:00pm
GAMELAN KUSUMA LARAS with I.M. HARJITO
Guest Vocalist: HENI SAVITRI
Guest Dancer: ANANG TOTOK DWIANTORO
Music & Dance of Java
Roulette, 509 Atlantic Avenue at 3rd Avenue, Downtown Brooklyn | 917-267-0363
Since its formation over 30 years ago, Gamelan Kusuma Laras has entranced American and Indonesian audiences with its mesmerizing renditions of traditional Javanese performances on instruments created for the Indonesian Pavilion at the 1964-5 World’s Fair... MORE INFO
WORLD VIEWS

Carnegie Hall in partnership with Robert Browning Associates presents
Friday, January 24, 2020 at 8:30pm
LE VENT DU NORD & DE TEMPS ANTAN
QuebecFest!
Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, 57th Street & 7th Avenue, NYC | 212-247-7800
The two most popular groups from Quebec join together in an exuberant celebration of traditional and contemporary dance tunes and earthy, often hilarious, ballads of French-Canadian culture... MORE INFO
Friday, January 24, 2020 at 8:30pm
LE VENT DU NORD & DE TEMPS ANTAN
QuebecFest!
Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, 57th Street & 7th Avenue, NYC | 212-247-7800
The two most popular groups from Quebec join together in an exuberant celebration of traditional and contemporary dance tunes and earthy, often hilarious, ballads of French-Canadian culture... MORE INFO

Carnegie Hall in partnership with Robert Browning Associates presents
Friday, March 27, 2020 at 8:30pm
GAMIN & NANGYE GUGAK
Court & Folk Music of Korea
Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, 57th Street & 7th Avenue, NYC | 212-247-7800
Gugak, the ancient court and folk music of Korea, is characterized by a huge range of sounds from piercing oboes and bombastic percussion to the dulcet tones of reed flutes, zithers, and fiddles. The Nangye Gugak orchestra takes its name from a legendary MORE INFO...
Friday, March 27, 2020 at 8:30pm
GAMIN & NANGYE GUGAK
Court & Folk Music of Korea
Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, 57th Street & 7th Avenue, NYC | 212-247-7800
Gugak, the ancient court and folk music of Korea, is characterized by a huge range of sounds from piercing oboes and bombastic percussion to the dulcet tones of reed flutes, zithers, and fiddles. The Nangye Gugak orchestra takes its name from a legendary MORE INFO...

Robert Browning Associates in partnership with Flamenco Festival presents
Saturday, March 28, 2020 at 8:00pm
FLAMENCO FESTIVAL
Flamenco Eñe: RANCAPINO CHICO
Cante Flamenco: “Por mi amor al arte”
Roulette, 509 Atlantic Avenue at 3rd Avenue, Downtown Brooklyn | 917-267-0363
One of the most remarkable singers of the new generation, Rancapino Chico is a torchbearer of flamenco puro and heir to the cantes of Cadiz. He is the son of the great singer Alonso Núñez "Rancapino," and was raised in Chiclana de la Frontera in a family with deep Gypsy flamenco roots. MORE INFO...
Saturday, March 28, 2020 at 8:00pm
FLAMENCO FESTIVAL
Flamenco Eñe: RANCAPINO CHICO
Cante Flamenco: “Por mi amor al arte”
Roulette, 509 Atlantic Avenue at 3rd Avenue, Downtown Brooklyn | 917-267-0363
One of the most remarkable singers of the new generation, Rancapino Chico is a torchbearer of flamenco puro and heir to the cantes of Cadiz. He is the son of the great singer Alonso Núñez "Rancapino," and was raised in Chiclana de la Frontera in a family with deep Gypsy flamenco roots. MORE INFO...

Robert Browning Associates presents
Saturday, April 4, 2020 at 8:00pm
ABDULRAHMAN AL-AKHFASH
with ZAFER TAWIL / AMAL WAQAR with TAREQ RANTISI
A Night In Arabia: Music from Yemen & Oman
Roulette, 509 Atlantic Avenue at 3rd Avenue, Downtown Brooklyn | 917-267-0363
The music of the Arabian peninsula is far less documented and more rarely heard than that of the Levant and of Egypt. On the southern edge of the peninsula lies Yemen, a country with an ancient history, remarkable architecture, and a rich musical culture that is steeped in the classic Arabic tradition of sung poetry. Both Yemen and its neighbor Oman are MORE INFO...
Saturday, April 4, 2020 at 8:00pm
ABDULRAHMAN AL-AKHFASH
with ZAFER TAWIL / AMAL WAQAR with TAREQ RANTISI
A Night In Arabia: Music from Yemen & Oman
Roulette, 509 Atlantic Avenue at 3rd Avenue, Downtown Brooklyn | 917-267-0363
The music of the Arabian peninsula is far less documented and more rarely heard than that of the Levant and of Egypt. On the southern edge of the peninsula lies Yemen, a country with an ancient history, remarkable architecture, and a rich musical culture that is steeped in the classic Arabic tradition of sung poetry. Both Yemen and its neighbor Oman are MORE INFO...

Robert Browning Associates presents
Saturday, May 2, 2020 at 8:30pm
KAIVALYA KUMAR GURAV with SUBHEN CHATTERJEE
Songs of Dharwad - Vocal Music of North India
Peter Norton Symphony Space's Leonard Nimoy Thalia
Kaivalya Kumar Gurav, a leading vocalist of India making a rare NY appearance, hails from Dharwad, the region admired as a mecca for North Indian classical vocal music where such luminaries as Bhimsen Joshi and Mallikarjun Mansoor lived. With his rich multigenerational lineage, he is a major exponent of the Kirana gharana (tradition): his grandfather, MORE INFO...
Saturday, May 2, 2020 at 8:30pm
KAIVALYA KUMAR GURAV with SUBHEN CHATTERJEE
Songs of Dharwad - Vocal Music of North India
Peter Norton Symphony Space's Leonard Nimoy Thalia
Kaivalya Kumar Gurav, a leading vocalist of India making a rare NY appearance, hails from Dharwad, the region admired as a mecca for North Indian classical vocal music where such luminaries as Bhimsen Joshi and Mallikarjun Mansoor lived. With his rich multigenerational lineage, he is a major exponent of the Kirana gharana (tradition): his grandfather, MORE INFO...
6th Annual A World in Trance Festival
A World in Trance, now in its sixth edition, has been host to some of the world’s most captivating music, bringing people together in search of enlightenment and spirituality.
Saturday, April 18, 2020 at 8:00pm
ALI AKBAR MORADI & PEJMAN HADADI Sacred Trance Music of Kurdistan More info... |
Friday, April 24, 2020 at 8:00pm
DEBAPRIYA & SAMANWAYA with SAMAR SAHA tabla Music of North India: Vocal/Sitar Duet More Info... |
Saturday, April 25, 2020 at 8:00pm
HASSAN HAKMOUN with special guest BRAHIM FRIBGANE Gnawa Soul of Morocco More Info... |
Roulette, 509 Atlantic Avenue at 3rd Avenue, Downtown Brooklyn | tel. 917-267-0363
MORE INFO + TICKET LINKS COMING SOON
RECENT PERFORMANCES

Robert Browning Associates & Lotus Music & Dance in partnership with Brooklyn Maqam present
Saturday, September 28, 2019 at 8:00pm
WAJDE AYUB
Wasla - Soul Music of Syria
Roulette, 509 Atlantic Avenue at 3rd Avenue, Downtown Brooklyn | 917-267-0363
Wajde Ayub, born in Aleppo, is a classically trained Syrian mutrib (principal vocalist) who has been acclaimed for his exquisite and commanding renderings of wasla, an Arab musical suite that incorporates composed and improvised forms. His performances, which include ... MORE INFO
Saturday, September 28, 2019 at 8:00pm
WAJDE AYUB
Wasla - Soul Music of Syria
Roulette, 509 Atlantic Avenue at 3rd Avenue, Downtown Brooklyn | 917-267-0363
Wajde Ayub, born in Aleppo, is a classically trained Syrian mutrib (principal vocalist) who has been acclaimed for his exquisite and commanding renderings of wasla, an Arab musical suite that incorporates composed and improvised forms. His performances, which include ... MORE INFO

Robert Browning Associates presents
Saturday, October 19, 2019 at 8:00pm
NAMÂD TRIO: PEJMAN HADADI, SAEED KAMJOO & KOUROSH TAGHAVI
Ode to Hope: Persian Music
Roulette, 509 Atlantic Avenue at 3rd Avenue, Downtown Brooklyn | 917-267-0363
The Namâd Trio brings together three brilliant musicians in the world of Persian music. The internationally-renowned Pejman Hadadi, considered to be one of the most innovative Iranian percussionists today, is known for his work with the Dastan Ensemble ... MORE INFO
Saturday, October 19, 2019 at 8:00pm
NAMÂD TRIO: PEJMAN HADADI, SAEED KAMJOO & KOUROSH TAGHAVI
Ode to Hope: Persian Music
Roulette, 509 Atlantic Avenue at 3rd Avenue, Downtown Brooklyn | 917-267-0363
The Namâd Trio brings together three brilliant musicians in the world of Persian music. The internationally-renowned Pejman Hadadi, considered to be one of the most innovative Iranian percussionists today, is known for his work with the Dastan Ensemble ... MORE INFO

Lotus Music & Dance in partnership with Robert Browning Associates presents
Sunday, October 27, 2019 at 4:00pm
WORLD DANCE FESTIVAL: Dancing Across Cultural Borders
Dancing Crane Georgian Dance Theater |Sonali Skandan & Jiva Dance (South Indian)
Manhattan Movement & Arts Center (MMAC), 248 West 60th St., NYC | 212-627-1076
This exciting dance festival, now in its fourth year, features Georgian and South Indian dance accompanied by live music. Dancing Crane, noted for its thrilling feats of acrobatic dancing, presents traditional dance from Georgia. The dance forms from the Caucasus... MORE INFO
Sunday, October 27, 2019 at 4:00pm
WORLD DANCE FESTIVAL: Dancing Across Cultural Borders
Dancing Crane Georgian Dance Theater |Sonali Skandan & Jiva Dance (South Indian)
Manhattan Movement & Arts Center (MMAC), 248 West 60th St., NYC | 212-627-1076
This exciting dance festival, now in its fourth year, features Georgian and South Indian dance accompanied by live music. Dancing Crane, noted for its thrilling feats of acrobatic dancing, presents traditional dance from Georgia. The dance forms from the Caucasus... MORE INFO

Robert Browning Associates presents
Saturday, November 9, 2019 at 8:00pm
L. SHANKAR with NEEL AGRAWAL
with special guest SWAMINATHAN SELVAGANESH
Indian Masters
Roulette, 509 Atlantic Avenue at 3rd Avenue, Downtown Brooklyn | 917-267-0363
Master violinist and vocalist L. Shankar (aka Shenkar) is renowned for his deeply soulful performances of Indian classical music. Since playing his first solo concert at the age of seven, he has gone on to accompany many of South India’s leading vocalists... MORE INFO
Saturday, November 9, 2019 at 8:00pm
L. SHANKAR with NEEL AGRAWAL
with special guest SWAMINATHAN SELVAGANESH
Indian Masters
Roulette, 509 Atlantic Avenue at 3rd Avenue, Downtown Brooklyn | 917-267-0363
Master violinist and vocalist L. Shankar (aka Shenkar) is renowned for his deeply soulful performances of Indian classical music. Since playing his first solo concert at the age of seven, he has gone on to accompany many of South India’s leading vocalists... MORE INFO

Robert Browning Associates & Lotus Music & Dance in partnership with Brooklyn Maqam present
Saturday, November 23, 2019 at 8:00pm
HAMID AL-SAADI with SAFAAFIR
featuring AMIR ELSAFFAR, DENA EL SAFFAR & TIM MOORE
Journey to the Heart of the Iraqi Maqam
Roulette, 509 Atlantic Avenue at 3rd Avenue, Downtown Brooklyn | 917-267-0363
The Iraqi maqam (modal system), one of Iraq’s richest cultural offerings, features sophisticated melodies, infectious rhythms, and eloquent poetry. Hamid Al-Saadi, Iraq’s foremost exponent of this centuries-old tradition, is renowned for his powerful voice and MORE INFO...
Saturday, November 23, 2019 at 8:00pm
HAMID AL-SAADI with SAFAAFIR
featuring AMIR ELSAFFAR, DENA EL SAFFAR & TIM MOORE
Journey to the Heart of the Iraqi Maqam
Roulette, 509 Atlantic Avenue at 3rd Avenue, Downtown Brooklyn | 917-267-0363
The Iraqi maqam (modal system), one of Iraq’s richest cultural offerings, features sophisticated melodies, infectious rhythms, and eloquent poetry. Hamid Al-Saadi, Iraq’s foremost exponent of this centuries-old tradition, is renowned for his powerful voice and MORE INFO...