Then we can finally release this year's MelaKlassisk program, which this year includes both concerts and poetry! You can only look forward to traditional music from Madagascar, Indian grooves and electronic textures with Seheno , Trayee Trio offers harmonious interaction and female rule, Rohini Sahajpal, Rupak Kulkarni and Niti Ranjan Biswas pay tribute to the essence of Indian classical music and at Trilog flamenco, jazz and Hindustani music meet in a spontaneous and lively conversation. Reshail Mansoor and Imran Khan invite you to a playful exploration of raga music, Harshan Balaji is a young singing talent within the Carnatic music tradition, at Mushaira seven poets from Norway and Germany perform their poetry and there will also be a launch of the dictation anthology Bad Women – a dictation anthology with feminist poetry with Astri Ghosh , Sanskriti Shrestha and Tejaswinee Kelkar.
The concerts at MelaKlassisk take place on Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 August at the Nobel Peace Center . Admission to Oslo Mela is free.
Seheno
– Traditional music with grooves and electronic textures
With a musical landscape characterized by Malagasy roots, Indian grooves and electro vibes, Seheno's music invites contemplation and reflection.
Singer, songwriter and producer Seheno was born into a musical family in Madagascar, her father is one of the founders of the famous pop band "Ny Railovy", and today she has made her own mark on the local contemporary music scene. Together with tabla virtuoso Prabhu Edouard, she has created a poetic soundscape that reflects Madagascar's crossroads between the Indian Ocean and Africa, and which is enhanced on stage by cello, percussion and electronic textures.
In September, their latest release "Dance in Resilience" will be released, where they continue to explore new tones and rhythms in contemporary Malagasy music, and which at the same time pays tribute to the existing and the new.
On stage:
Seheno – vocals
Prabhu Edouard – tabla, percussion, electronics
Shankar Kirpalani – cello, e.g
Nahr – background vocals
Trayee Trio
– Harmonious interaction
An experience of community, female strength and improvisation seamlessly intertwine when the Trayee Trio meets in an outstanding musical interaction.
The three musicians Smitha Srikiran on flute, Aditi Krishnaprakash on violin and Deepika Sreenivasan on mridangam and konnakol make up the instrumental ensemble Trayee Trio. They all had professional careers spanning two decades as performers; each with a niche in classical music, but since 2019 they have come together as a trio. The result has been a harmonious fusion of their musical talents and the audience can look forward to being presented with masterful renditions and improvisation from three musicians who have mastered the Indian classical music tradition to their fingertips.
On stage:
Smitha Srikiran – flute
Aditi Krishnaprakash – violin
Deepikaa Sreenivasan – mridangam & konnakol
Rohini Sahajpal + Rupak Kulkarni + Niti Ranjan Biswas
– A playful and exploratory musical encounter
The essence of classical Indian music is celebrated as bansuri player Rupak Kulkarni, sitarist Rohini Sahajpal and tabla player Niti Ranjan Biswas unite and convey their musical heritage.
What the three musicians have in common is their relationship with Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia. Rupak Kulkarni is one of the most renowned bansuri maestros and he is also one of Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia's senior students. Rohini Sahajpal is one of Scandinavia's foremost Indian sitar players and a student of Charuasia, while the sought-after tabla player Niti Ranjan Biswas has played with Chaurasia on several occasions.
The three played together at Melehuset in December and the audience at Oslo Mela can look forward to a musical encounter characterized by an experimental, playful and creative approach to Indian classical music.
On stage:
Rupak Kulkarni – bansuri
Rohini Sahajpal – sitar
Niti Ranjan Biswas – tabla
Book launch: Usømmelige kvinner
– Voices from the margins
Book release of Bad Women – a dictation anthology of feminist poetry , published by Eksistenz forlag. This performance brings forth the words of women who refuse to be silent – feminists, Dalit poets and Adivasi voices from India and Pakistan. They take the floor back from those who have always defined them. Feminists Kishwar Naheed, Fahmida Riaz and Zehra Nigah, who fought in the movements of the 70s and 80s, say out loud what was tried to be silenced. Dalit women like Sushila Takbhaure and Hira Bansode speak directly against the caste hierarchy, which says they have no right to have a voice, a body or a story. Adivasi poet Jacinta Kerketta refuses to let colonial and national narratives overwrite her own cosmology and landscape.
A poetic end to the day at Melaklassisk, where words and music intertwine. Poems in Norwegian, Urdu, Hindi and Marathi, written by Fahmida Riaz, Kishwar Naheed, Nighat Sahiba, Hira Bansode and Jacinta Kerkatta, re-written and read by Astri Ghosh, accompanied by Tejaswinee Kelkar and Sanskriti Shrestha.
Trilog
– Exploratory journey from India to the Mediterranean
In the music of Trilog, flamenco, jazz and Hindustani music meet in a spontaneous and lively conversation. Trilog consists of flutist and bansuri player Lara Wong, guitarist Melón Jiménez and tabla player Chaitanya Natu, and together they follow the nomadic path of flamenco music from India to the Mediterranean, and together they build cultural bridges through improvisation and tradition. The group was formed in Spain in 2025 after the three musicians, with backgrounds from Canada, Spain and India, came together in a common fascination for the intertwined roots of flamenco and Indian musical traditions.
Trilog has in a short time aroused curiosity among a music-loving audience, and the audience can look forward to a captivating improvisation trilogy at this year's Oslo Mela.
On stage:
Lara Wong – bansuri, flute
Melón Jiménez – flamenco guitar and vocals
Chaitanya Natu – tabla, percussion
Reshail Mansoor + Imran Khan
– Playful exploration of raga music
Raga compositions, vocal ornamentations and playful rhythms spanning from the 18th century to the present day take centre stage when Reshail Mansoor (vocals) and Imran Khan (tabla) meet in a unique improvisation-based interaction.
Reshail Mansoor has been captivating audiences for years with his vocal prowess and his musical vision of building bridges between raga music and other musical styles. Imran Khan is a traditional tabla player trained in the Delhi style of playing, but who has developed a modern approach to the musical tradition.
Both Reshail Mansoor and Imran Khan performed together at the Oslo Mela in 2024 and we look forward to experiencing their musical encounter again where they explore and merge raga music together.
Harshan Balaji
– Young singing talent
Harshan Balaji is in 4th grade and started his education in Carnatic music at the age of 4.5 years. He has performed at various events in Chennai and Oslo where he has been able to share his love for music through concerts. We had the pleasure of experiencing Harshan Balaji MelaKlassisk at Melahuset , and are very happy to be able to present this young singing talent here at the festival as well.
Mushaira
– A tribute to Urdu poetry
Mushaira is a traditional poetic gathering where poets meet to read and perform their poems in front of an audience. The tradition originates from India and Pakistan, and is an important part of South Asian culture and literature. Here, poets express thoughts about love, society, philosophy and emotions through poetry, and the audience actively participates and shows their enthusiasm for beautiful and meaningful verses. Thus, Mushaira, which in Norwegian means poetry performance, functions as a forum for free expression and creativity. At Mushaira at MelaKlassisk you get to experience how emotions, stories and experiences are expressed through language, rhythms and voices. You don't have to understand all the words to be touched, the poetry also lives in the sound, rhythm and presence.
On stage:
Masood Munawer (Norway)
Jamshed Masroor (Norway)
Saima Zaidi (Germany)
Faisal Hashmi (Norway)
Rabia Seemab Roohi (Norway)
Idris Lahori (Norway)
Aftab Warriach (Norway)
