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Surtaal - pitch and rhythm - the two elements that form the foundation of all music. Together, Nicholas Williams (bansuri) and Shawn Mativetsky (tabla) weave a rich tapestry of sound, improvised according to the ancient musical traditions of Northern India. Each brings to the mix his own world of musical influences, sonorities, and intuition, taking the listener on an emotional journey through sound.
Surtaal is based in Montréal, Québec, Canada. If you would like to book Surtaal for a concert, please feel free to contact us.
Nicholas Williams studied North Indian classical music in Mumbai, with
the renowned bansuri master Pt. Hariprasaad Chaurasia. Nicholas
graduated form at York University in 1999, where he studied world
music, composition, and improvisation, and has since combined his
studies of the bansuri with a performance and recording career in the
celtic music idiom.
Nicholas has composed music for dance, film, and the concert stage. He has recently released his second solo CD, 'The Whispering Woods', which features 14 of his own original compositions.
A versatile percussionist, Shawn Mativetsky performs regularly in a variety of settings, including Western classical and contemporary/new music, Indian classical music, and world music. He also composes and performs music for dance and theatre. He is active in the promotion of the tabla and North Indian classical music through lectures, workshops, and performances across Canada and the United States. Based in Montreal, Shawn teaches tabla and percussion, both privately and at McGill University.
Shawn Mativetsky is a ganda-band disciple of Pandit Sharda Sahai of the Benares tabla gharana and has also studied tabla with Bob Becker. Shawn holds a Master's degree in music from McGill University and has received grants from the Canada Council for the Arts and the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec.