It is a universally accepted fact that a connoisseur of classical music would be looking forward to a house concert during Margazhi. The musical giants, the torch bearers of the season, take over large auditoriums, attracting audiences in the thousands. But Chennai never stops here.
Throughout the city, musicians, singers, dancers and artists come to gatherings large and small, and committed listeners follow one through traffic and time. melody after another. However, this year, an unconventional set of classical music concerts will be held not at a gathering, but next to softly whirring coffee machines at Beechville Coffee Roasters in Alwarpet.
This change was driven less by innovation and more by a shared sense of possibility. “We’re trying to create more community-oriented events in the café,” says Beachville founder Divya Jaishankar. “Margaazhi is a season that revolves entirely around music and dance,” she says. Aalaap organized a 13-day concert series for its 13th anniversary earlier this year, after which it felt like that format could be adapted to fit inside a café – more Intimate, for short periods.”
Srinidhi Pennathur | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
For Akhila Krishnamurthy, founder of Aalaap Concepts, the logic of the café is also about timing. She says, “In Chennai, a few hours after lunch, people instinctively want a cup of coffee. So we scheduled the concert at 3 pm.” She further says that this format reflects the Margazhi routine without any replication. “People come, listen, and drink coffee. The music remains completely classical. What changes is how close you are to it, and how naturally it fits into the rhythm of the day.”
Singer Girijashankar Sundaresan, who will perform with Kanjira artiste Sundar Kumar, sees the café format as a way of bringing Carnatic music back to its emotional essentials. “Classical music shouldn’t be confined to auditoriums,” he says. “It can exist as an intimate conversation between a small group of people.”
His musical program, Viraha, is entirely based on the idea of longing. Accompanied only by Kanjira, he performs without any melodious supporting instruments. “Without a violin or a harp, the sound becomes very close, very present,” he says. “You don’t need to understand everything that’s happening. Just being with the music is enough.”
Vignesh Ishwar Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Vignesh Ishwar considers the café setting as a prompt to rethink musical structure rather than atmosphere. “Alternative venues force us to rethink how we present concerts,” he says. “Expectations are different, and that changes how both artists and listeners engage with music.”
His performance has been envisioned as an hour-long continuous immersion in Ragam Kambhoji, consisting of Thavil and Kanjira played by Sunil Kumar. He explains, “Thavil is not just rhythmic, it is also melodic. It comes with alapana, improvisation, everything.” The set unfolds without interruption, one idea flowing into another. “If someone listens, feels curious, and wants to know more about the music,” he adds, “that curiosity is success.”
At 21, Srinidhi Pennathur, the youngest artist in the series, sees Café Concert as a gentle entry point rather than a gap. “For someone unfamiliar with classical music, this kind of setting can pique curiosity,” she says. “It makes you wonder what else the music can offer.”
Girijashankar Sundaresan Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Her performance is a violin-ghatam concert with percussionist Ranganathan, a pairing she describes as intimate and sensitive. “The ghatam gives the violin a gentle push. It allows the music to breathe,” she says. Beyond the format, the independence of the series matters to him. “It gives artists space to think about presentation, to explore ideas and emotions within a classical framework, but in ways that feel personal.”
Together, the concerts offer a cool parallel to Margazzi’s familiar circuits, trading scale for closeness and formality for focus. In a season defined by abundance, these performances make for an opportunity for close listening.
A Carnatic Shot, the classical music concert series is organized by Beechville Coffee Roasters from 22 to 28 December. For tickets, visit @beachvillecoffee on Instagram.
published – December 17, 2025 04:35 PM IST