Welcome to our Blog!

Laya of Berkeley is a unique South Asian music group, bringing together students and artists from various musical traditions, both Eastern and Western. Through our work, whether it’s performing or hosting events with professional artists, we’re trying to act as ambassadors to Indian classical music on campus, as well as the greater community. In addition to Carnatic and Hindustani art music, contemporary Indian film music, and regional musical traditions, our work is influenced by the rich, global heritage of the Bay Area. Our members’ experience with genres outside the South Asian canon ranges from Western chamber ensembles and opera to rock and acapella. 

As a result, Laya has been a space for many of us to explore new musical ideas and have insightful discussions with our peers, whether it’s about differences and similarities between our styles or connecting music to other areas of our life. With our unique position, we believe that many of these ideas are definitely worth sharing to our networks and beyond. We hope that our blog will bring to the community the little things that don’t make it into our performances or large events and flesh out ideas discussed walking home from practice, brought up as breaks from working together on our assignments, and spoken between sips from cups of chai and hot cocoa. Keep an eye out for posts about our events, our members, and their experience with music as a whole!