This morning we celebrated the launch of the Milapfest Institute for Indian Arts with a breakfast reception and inauguration ceremony at Liverpool Hope University. Many colleagues and friends had travelled from across the North West to be with us, and following the introductions and ceremony they explored the archives and heard a few words from Vice Chancellor of Liverpool Hope University, Professor Gerald Pillay, our Patron, Mr Chari, and Milapfest Directors.

The Institute was inaugurated by Professor Pillay, who said: “Being able to house such an extensive resource at our university is a privilege. It is a unique and inspiring resource for students of dance and performance, cultural and social history and a number of other disciplines. We are sure that it will also attract researchers and practitioners from around the world.  The excellent department of western classical music, composition and performance, through the partnership with Milap, offers students the possibility to study another profound and much older classical tradition.”

The Institute has been built through a series of donations from a group of philanthropists in India, as well as Milapfest’s large archive of live and studio music and dance recordings.