Delhi, Aug 18: The line-up and three-day agenda for Soundscapes of India 2026 have been unveiled, bringing together musicians, festival directors, cultural institutions, international programmers, industry leaders, and policymakers for a global showcase of India’s diverse music ecosystem.
An IPRS initiative in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, India, Soundscapes, scheduled from August 29th to 31st, 2026, at the Dr Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi, the Showcase Festival & Music Market will combine live performances with conferences, workshops, mentoring sessions, international networking, and music industry discussions.
The programme is designed to examine India’s growing role in the global music economy while creating practical pathways for Indian artists to access international festivals, touring opportunities, grants, collaborations, and markets.
Three days of music, ideas, and international exchange
Day 1: The opening day will set the tone with an inaugural ceremony featuring the launch of the EY study, “India’s Music Creator Economy – It’s the Best Time to be in Music,” followed by an opening keynote on India’s Music Moment: From Cultural Heritage to Global Power by Shri Vivek Aggarwal, Secretary, Ministry of Culture.
The first day will also feature discussions on cultural exports, India’s global music presence and the creator economy, alongside a UK-focused session examining the live music industry and opportunities for Indian artists.
A key component will be the SOI Music Exchange, offering one-on-one speed meetings between artists and festival programmers, bookers, agents, labels, publishers, and talent managers from India and overseas. Workshops will address international career readiness, while a roundtable will explore how festivals can become long-term instruments of cultural diplomacy.
The first evening will feature the SOI Day 1 Showcase, with performances spanning devotional folk fusion, indigenous music, Hindustani classical, Carnatic music, jazz, rock, and contemporary global sounds. The line-up includes Abhijeet Pohankar’s The Global Varkari, Da-La-Riti, Anuradha Pal, Isheeta Chakravarty Collective, Ngartini Huang, Lakkshya and Dobom Doji Collective.
Day 2: Will focus on taking artists from showcase to global success
The second day will turn its focus towards the practical challenges of internationalisation, with workshops on developing projects for international grants and residencies and understanding how festival programmers select artists.
An invited lecture by Dr Sandhya Purecha, Chairman, Sangeet Natak Academy, will examine music as an instrument of cultural diplomacy, while a panel titled From Showcase to Success: Building Global Futures for Independent Artists will explore how artists can convert showcase appearances into touring, bookings, collaborations and sustained international careers.
The programme will also look beyond Europe and North America through “Export Lessons from Africa,” bringing perspectives from Tanzania, Eswatini, Egypt and South Africa on artist export, audience development, and international partnerships.
The second day’s Music Exchange will feature representatives from organisations including Universal Music Publishing, Mahindra, WISE, CAPASSO and the Global Music Institute.
The evening showcase will present Dipannita Acharya, Seyie Intrepid, Jhuma Limbu, Kapil Seshasayee, Street Stories, Tamil Jazz Collective, Tribemama Marykali and Param, reflecting SOI’s emphasis on musical diversity and genre-crossing contemporary practices.
Indigenous traditions, tourism, and India’s global sound
Day 3: The final day will place particular emphasis on indigenous heritage, cultural tourism, and the international programming of Indian music.
An invited lecture by Mrs Ranjana Chopra, Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, will spotlight India’s indigenous musical traditions and government initiatives supporting indigenous artists.
A panel on Music Festivals as Engines of Place: Tourism, Local Economies & Cultural Identity will examine how festivals can stimulate tourism, hospitality, local businesses, and destination development.
The conversation will continue with India’s Many Sounds- Programming India for Global Stages, featuring international curators Bozena Szota and Riju Tuladhar, examining how India’s musical diversity can become a strength on international stages rather than something artists are expected to dilute or standardise.
The final day will also feature mentoring on Ministry of Culture grants, scholarships and fellowships and a roundtable on music tourism and the festival economy.
A special curated live session, “Journey through the Living Roots of India,” will bring together musical traditions from Coorg, Jharkhand, Nagaland, and West Bengal, offering delegates an opportunity to encounter living indigenous musical traditions through listening and storytelling.
Final showcase brings together folk, classical and contemporary sounds
The three-day festival will conclude with a diverse evening showcase featuring Desert Kats, Da Shugs, Noha Fekri, The Ravi Iyer Fusion Experience, Wahane Sisters, Varijashree Venugopal and Jatayu.
The closing act will feature acclaimed sitar virtuoso, Purbayan Chatterjee.
From Rajasthan’s desert folk traditions and Ladakh’s tribal rock to Egyptian jazz, Hindustani-Carnatic fusion, Hindustani classical, Carnatic-rooted jazz and contemporary experimental sounds, the closing line-up reflects the festival’s central proposition: that India’s musical identity is both deeply rooted and increasingly global.
With its combination of performance, professional development, policy dialogue and international networking, SOI 2026 aims to position the showcase not simply as a festival, but as a platform connecting India’s music creators with the wider global music ecosystem.
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