The arts and cultural heritage of London's Asian communities is no where better represented than in the collections of the capital's museums which encompass centuries of interaction between the communities that represent the vibrancy and multi-culturalism of present day London.

As in previous years, the Heritage Maidaan will showcase these collections alongside performances from some of the country’s most established and respected Classical Indian musicians.

Visitors to the Maidaan will have the opportunity to discover about the evolution of the sub continents musical traditions through its instruments; the history of the partition of 1947 as reflected in maps and records; the role of Asian pioneers in London's transport systems; get new insights into the Indian mutiny of 1857; see the contribution of commonwealth troops to the world wars, or to simply to come and discover how the Heritage Lottery Fund has supported many projects across London and the South East.

In the unique setting of Gunnersbury Park, we present the very best classical music in a concert hall setting. Featuring Tarang, Samyo, Haji Ameer Khan Qawwal, Gurdev Singh and the Surnaad Academy.
 
HAJI ARMEER KHAN QAWWAL
 Ustad Haji Ameer Khan and his brothers come from one of the Indian subcontinent’s most ancient and respected musical families. Since coming to Britain in 1991, they have run one of the few groups in Britain singing traditional Qawwali, the intense devotional style associated with Sufi Muslims, now well known in the west due to the success of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. The term Qawwali itself applies both to the musical genre and the occasion of its performance.
 
TARANG
The UK’s based Indian Classical Music Ensemble presents Four Seasons, a new composition by Dr Rajeeb Chakraborty, Composer of the Year 2008. Tarang is a dynamic young ensemble of ‘maestros in the making made up of the most talented young artists from around the UK who perform a unique blend of Indian classical, folk and contemporary compositions, North and South Indian music styles and instruments together with newly commissioned pieces and arrangements.
 
SURNAAD MUSIC ACADEMY
Surnaad was setup in 1985 to promote and provide training for Indian classical music. As a training provider Surnaad holds regular classes at all levels but specialises in the master class format.
 
GURDEV SINGH
Gurdev Singh is one of the world’s foremost exponents of the Sarod. He is a disciple of Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and is well known internationally through his performances in the USA, Canada, India and UK. The Sarod is an extremely demanding instrument to handle, partly because it is fretless. It is capable of an extraordinary range of sounds, from haunting sweetness to dazzling speed and power.
 
SAMYO SOUTH ASIAN YOUTH ORCHESTRA
Presenting an exciting blend of new compositions and traditional Indian music featuring the country’s best young musicians. Samyo was created by Milapfest in 2002 to showcase the country’s most talented young musicians in a revival of the Indian orchestral format. Samyo concerts feature a combination of instruments and musical works rarely seen in the world today. The young musicians of Samyo are aged between 12 and 18 years and represents traditional Indian instruments like Santoor, Sitar, Bansuri, Veena, Violin, Tabla, Mridangam, Morsing, Ghatam, Tavil and vocals. All of Samyo’s repertoire is newly commissioned or arranged, and is based in North and South Indian Classical Music. Sanju Sahai (Tabla maestro) is Music Director and Gaurav Mazumdar (Sitar Maestro) is Music Composer.
 
COMPANY FZ
Company FZ are Flick Ferdinando and John-Paul Zaccarini. The company develops ideas of visual theatre that are continually moving forward, harnessing what they believe to be a theatrical experience for a contemporary world. The work is human and compelling to watch. It is a true synthesis of Design, Theatre, Physicality and Circus