Heritage and Thanksgiving festival at Patan Museum’s courtyard

By Mannu Shahi

Sometimes convenient Nepali music appears rather one-dimensional and bland which enables the listener to either turn towards a non-Nepali alternative or consciously make a decision to burrow deep and retrieve furthermore. This quest to detect alluring music can seem a bit of an outstretch, but the grass is greener on the other side.

Quirky Nepali musicians not only exist but also accumulate as the most noteworthy group of creatives amidst industry insiders. While their contributions may or may not surface on the trending charts but their relentless passion for music, authenticity, vision and thirst to push the creative envelopes is undoubtedly laudable and inspiring.

One such platform of dedicated artists is Namlo Music Hub, co-founded by the musical couple: guitarist Ganga Thapa and cellist Eileen O’Neall-Thapa. With their combined years of expertise in the global folk scene, the duo established this enterprise in early 2022 “to learn, share and create music together.” Fabricated from 5 spokes: production, education, events, research and community; NMH values community, creativity and originality and celebrates the power of music to cross rigid boundaries.

Aside from his euphonious guitar skills, Ganga Thapa is also one of the most sought-after arrangers, producers and composers in the contemporary folk scene. Some of his prominent mainstream productions include ‘Tinpatey’, ‘Baaf’ and ‘Gumi Gumi’. Thapa released his debut album ‘Namlo’ in 2017 when he was residing in the UK pursuing a postgraduate degree in Ethnomusicology from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). Following his fascination for Nepali, Indian classical and West African music, the doyen guitarist has bestowed his music at some prestigious global stages such as the Southbank Centre, Liberty Festival, BT River Music Festival, London Jazz Festival and also has been featured on Official BBC Radio, UK.

Similarly, cellist Eileen O’Neall-Thapa is also a pianist, vocalist and educator originating from California, USA currently based in Kathmandu. Her teaching journey began in 2005 and since then she has been associated with esteemed programs like COPPA in Los Angeles, AG School in Darjeeling, The Pascale String Institute in Pasadena and Woodstock School in Mussoorie. O’Neall is also the founder of Creative Hope International, a non-profit organization focusing on building music programs for underprivileged schools in the Himalayas.       

Under the third wing of NMH various events were held in the past starting from the New Year's Day of 2022, the concerts with time have grown larger; encompassing an incredible line-up of local and global musicians, and building an open-minded community of avid music listeners and creators.   

Thus, the fourth instalment of the concert series ‘Heritage and Thanksgiving’, an Art and Music Festival is happening this coming Saturday, November 12, at Patan Museum. Sponsored by Balloon Nepal, E-cab Nepal, Milan Milano Interior and Sound World; supported by Patan Museum; the event will display art pieces by RitiRituals, Drawing Room KTM, Music Art Gallery Café and Ullens Art Students.

The performing musical acts are NMH Music Students and Ullens Music Students in the opening slot; Fret (Bhaktapur), Naresh Prajapati (Kathmandu), SunMi, Niva & Tilasmi (Korea/ Nepal), Manaslu Blue (America/ Nepal), Gabi & Aarya (Brazil/ America/ Nepal), Namlo Nepal (America/ Nepal) and Raithane (Kathmandu/ Lalitpur) as the main features. The pre-sales tickets available in Fonepay have priced Rs. 500 and the door sales are claimed to be Rs. 800. So, be there to support this incredible venture.