Indian-Baroque Fusion Captivates New Listeners

On the day before the Indian holiday Diwali last year, an audience gathered at the Downtown United Presbyterian Church for an unusual concert: a fusion of European baroque and Indian classical music. The program, by Pegasus Early Music and Indian vocalist Vidita Kanniks, was designed to help us see how differences can coexist with an understanding of how much we have in common.  

Lutes shared the stage with Indian hand drums. A French aria followed ancient Sanskrit mantras. A set of duets explored longing and love: one featuring medieval French composition, the other Hindi poetry. The collaboration, entitled “Darpana,” literally means “mirror” in Sanskrit, reflecting the project’s ambition to mirror two distinct musical traditions, showcasing both contrast and commonalities.   

Both musical traditions emphasize expression, ornamentation, and flexibility. When brought together, the listening experience was beautiful and dramatic. In the crowd that night were more than 200 listeners — members of Rochester’s large and diverse Indian community, early music aficionados, and other concertgoers drawn in by the promise of something utterly new. 

Pegasus Early Music was one of the 43 nonprofits supported by Arts & Culture grants in 2025. 

Listen to an excerpt from the series here. 

Strengthening the Creative Ecosystem: 2026 Arts & Culture Grants

In the spring of 2026, the Community Foundation awarded $688,000 in grants to 64 nonprofits arts organizations, investing in creative potential across every one of the eight counties we serve. Nearly $160,000 of that total was provided by donor-advised funds, where fundholders chose to expand the dollars available for grantmaking in response to applications that aligned with their interests. 

Learn more about aligning your philanthropy with creative impact.