Melbourne Tabla Ensemble
The power and drama of multiple tabla players playing fast and complex music together is something to behold.

For over a decade Sam Evans has been bringing together some of Melbourne's finest musicians to show-case the virtuosic tabla drumming of North India. The Melbourne Tabla Ensemble is the professional performing arm of the Melbourne Tabla School who regularly perform and run workshops at music festivals, cultural events, universities, schools and celebrations. The ensemble recently performed in front of over 20,000 people at the Diwali celebrations in Melbourne.

In its current incarnation, The Melbourne Tabla Ensemble features tabla players Sam Evans, Rithvik Chand and Sachin Iyer. Joining them to create diverse and colourful performances are sitarist and vocalist Dr Sarita McHarg and bansuri player Subramanya Sastry. The ensemble is open for bookings via the request link below.

Recent Performances

FUSION BOTANICAL Festival, N.S.W.
15th October, 2022

Join us in celebrating cultural diversity in regional New South Wales. FUSION BOTANICAL combines live music, street food and culture in a playfully curated program of entertainment. Melbourne Tabla Ensemble will present three 30-minute performances at 4:30pm, 5:30pm and 6:30pm. The program will include performances and education about the tabla and Indian music as well as some hands-on tabla playing. Come and join us for the fun

15th October, 2022 - 4:30pm, 5:30pm and 6:30pm
Botanic Gardens, Wagga Wagga, NSW.

Sam Evans PhD - TABLA
Following many years of training in India, Sam Evans  is a regular international performer of both traditional Indian music and contemporary world music. He composes music for film and documentaries and is the founding director of the Melbourne Tabla School.

Rithvik Chand - TABLA
Rithvik began his tabla studies at the age of 9 with the renowned Ashok Chavali. He later studied with Dr Sam Evans and became the first tabla player to achieve a perfect score in the V.C.E. examinations. He has been performing professionally for over 7 years and is a teacher at the Melbourne Tabla School.

Sachin Iyer - TABLA
Sachin Iyer began playing tabla in early childhood, training with renowned tabla player Ashok Chavali and later studying with senior disciple of Pandit Anindo Chatterjee, Dr Sam Evans. He teaches tabla at the Melbourne Tabla School and regularly performs at Indian cultural festivals and devotional music offerings.

Subramanya Sastry - BANSURI
Subramanya Sastry is a passionate Bansuri flautist from India. He has performed in over 500 concerts in India and around the world including Singapore, Malaysia, Mauritius and Australia, where he has been living since 2017.

Dr Sarita McHarg - SITAR
Performer, educator and writer, Dr Sarita McHarg has been performing sitar and vocal music for over 35 years in India and Australia. She is equally adept in classical, light classical, devotional and contemporary music.

Melbourne Tabla Ensemble
The size of performance troupe of the Melbourne Tabla Ensemble can be adjusted to suit each event. From large ensembles of ten people to smaller two player duets or our standard five musician troupe.

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Media Downloads
Extended Biographies
Promotional Images: Melbourne Tabla Ensemble - Image 1, Image 2, Image 3
Individual: Dr Sam Evans, Dr Sarita McHarg, Subramanya Sastry, Rithvik Chand, Sachin Iyer