UPCOMING PROGRAM
Winter 2026
Indian Ragas with Michael Harrison
January 14 - March 18 | 10-week Virtual Program
About The Program
Classes: Wednesdays 11:00 am – 12:15 pm ET
January 14, 21, 28
February 4, 11, 18, 25
March 4, 11, 18
(10 classes)
Supplementary Classes & Practice Sessions: Mondays 11:00 am – 12:15 pm ET
January 19, 26
February 2, 9, 16, 23
March 2, 9, 16, 23
(10 sessions)
Classes and practice sessions will be recorded and sent to everyone shortly after they end.
About The Program Director
Composer and pianist Michael Harrison occupies a unique place in the world of music. His works are a blend of European musical traditions and those of North Indian classical music, forging an entirely new approach to composition through tunings and methodologies that employ and extend the ancient concept of “just intonation.”
Harrison earned international recognition when Revelation, his 75-minute work for piano in his own “just intonation” tuning, was selected as one of the Best Classical Recordings of the Year by The New York Times, Boston Globe and TimeOut New York, and Time Loops, with cellist Maya Beiser, was selected in NPR’s Top 10 Classical Albums of 2012.
Equally at home writing for voices (Roomful of Teeth), chamber orchestra (Alarm Will Sound), and Indian classical musicians, his music defies classification; yet many composers and critics confer that he is one of the most innovative artists of his generation, including Philip Glass, who called him an “American Maverick.” Inspired by both the Beatles and Bach, post-modern and jazz, Harrison blends Renaissance beauty with minimalist methodology, Eastern aesthetics with modern technology. The result is a body of concert music, interdisciplinary collaborations, and acclaimed solo albums.
"For there is nothing in this world which can help one spiritually more than music. Meditation prepares, but music is the highest for touching perfection." – Hazrat Inayat Khan
Musicians in any genre, at any level from amateur to professional, are invited to join this welcoming community where we’ll learn by doing. Join in with your voice or your instrument (and feel free to mute your own singing/playing) as Michael Harrison shares the Kirana lineage of Khayal singing, which he learned from his gurus Pandit Pran Nath, Ustad Mashkoor Ali Khan, Terry Riley, and La Monte Young. Together, we’ll experience the basics of raga, from structural principles to the building blocks of basic rhythmic cycles, improvisation, and ways of combining raga with Western musical approaches. In addition to the weekly class, supplementary workshops and practice sessions on various topics and techniques will be shared by LatifaNoor Elizabeth Anderson, Elliot Cole, Sasha Bogdanowitsch, Irene Kurka, Mir Naqibul Islam, Raya Chatterjee, and David Gersten.
This winter we will be singing Raga Shuddha Sarang, arguably the most important early afternoon raga.
10 Classes led by Michael Harrison
January 14 – March 18
Wednesdays, 11:00am – 12:15pm ET
10 Supplementary Classes
January 19 – March 23
Mondays, 11:00am – 12:15pm ET
1/19 Sasha Bogdanowitsch: Overview of Raga & Tala
1/26 Sasha Bogdanowitsch: Review, Alap and Merukhand
2/2 Raya Chatterjee: Paltas
2/9 Irene Kurka: Singing in a Relaxed and Smart Way
2/16 Mir Naqibul Islam: Tabla & Indian Rhythm Practices
2/23 Listening Non Critique with David Gersten & Michael Harrison
3/2 Michael Harrison: Introduction to Just Intonation
3/9 Elliot Cole: Review and Taans
3/16 LatifaNoor Elizabeth Anderson: The Mysticism of Sound: Shuddha Sarang
3/23 Elliot Cole: Review and Improvisation
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Enrollment in this program is open until the beginning of the program.
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This virtual program will be using Zoom for the classes. Reliable internet access is required for participation in the program.
Participants can choose if they want to participate through singing or if they would want to play their instruments.
Everyone participating in an Arts Letters & Numbers program is expected to treat each other with care and consideration as well as be mindful of each other’s time and space.
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Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis until the deadline. Any questions regarding the application can be sent to: programs@artslettersandnumbers.com
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Limited scholarships are available. Scholarships are only considered for applicants for whom this is crucial for their participation in the program, and require a separate application (link below).
The scholarship application should be submitted once the program application has been submitted.
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The fee covers the following:
• 10 classes led by Michael Harrison
• 10 supplementary classes led by co-facilitators
Indian Ragas with Michael Harrison (10 classes + 10 supplementary classes)……………. $385