Ravindra Deo

Ravi Deo is a composer, tabla artist, and educator whose art explores the relationship between sound, place, and collective memory. Drawing from South Asian and Western musical traditions, he works across interdisciplinary projects that connect artistic traditions, communities, and generations. His music has been presented through collaborations with the United Nations, Nickelodeon Television, and international arts initiatives.

A disciple of the late Pt. Rameshji Kumar, Deo holds degrees from UCLA and CalArts, where he received multiple honors and studied under Professor Abhiman Kaushal and Pt. Swapan Chaudhari. His musicality is further enriched by the influences of late Dr. Gopal Marathe, Smt. Anjani Ambegaonkar, and Ud. Aashish Khan.

The Festival of Tabla has featured Deo as both a soloist and accompanist in previous years. His appearances at FOT have highlighted his sensitivity, range, and artistry, contributing to the festival’s mission of showcasing excellence in tabla performance across styles and generations.

Workshop: Qaida: Demystifying Tabla Improvisation

Qaida is one of the central compositional and improvisational forms of the tabla solo tradition. Built from a simple theme, a qaida unfolds through a series of variations that balance creativity with adherence to established musical rules. This workshop explores how tabla players develop, organize, and present these variations in performance, revealing the artistic and structural principles that make qaida a cornerstone of Hindustani percussion repertoire.

Through live demonstrations and guided listening, participants will gain insight into the relationship between composition and improvisation, and learn how a single musical idea can generate an entire performance.

Workshop Highlights:

What is a qaida, and why is it central to tabla solo performance?
Understanding the relationship between theme (mukh) and variation (palta)
Rules, constraints, and creativity in the improvisational process
How tabla soloists develop and organize a qaida presentation
Listening strategies for recognizing structure in performance
Live demonstrations illustrating the evolution of a qaida from simple theme to complex variations
Questions and discussion