The Amithias Project to debut in Bengaluru this month

A decade-long Indo-German friendship has translated into a musical collaboration, called The Amithias Project. The ensemble — led by Indian flautist Amith Nadig and Germany’s Matthias Schriefl, who plays the trumpet and flugal horn — is ready for its first-ever concert in Bengaluru later this month. The other members of the band are Vinod Shyam Anoor (on mridangam), Sunaad Anoor (on kanjira) and Bharatanatyam dancer Nivedita Sharma.
Amith first met Matthias in Bengaluru, in 2009. The latter used to visit India annually to learn the nuances of Carnatic music. Eventually, the two artistes connected over their passion for Indian classical music. “I was happy to meet a person who understood our country’s music so well. Matthias also made an effort to know me as a musician. This bond, in turn, helped us work together. From being inspired by Indian classical music to working on German folk music and jazz elements, we felt like we were breaking barriers through our music,” says Amith.
The duo worked together for a long time before deciding to collaborate. “Most of our original compositions are based on the kind of experiences we share. For example, we have a song, titled Roaming Bangalore, which was conceived when Matthias and I were enjoying some local street food in the city. The spicy food, walking around the city streets and interacting with local people inspired Matthias to write the song,” says Amith.
Explaining about the Bharatanatyam element in the collaboration, Amith says, “It all began when my wife Niveditha danced along when we were jamming. The way her dance steps matched our tunes without any practice enabled us to add this new dimension to our project. And the rest of the elements fell in place almost immediately. We both agree that percussion played a big role in bringing our music together,” Amith sums up.