Rahul Vanamali on Pioneering Percussion, Premieres, and Building a Community in India

Rahul Vanamali is a Chennai-born percussionist whose journey has taken him from the KM Music Conservatory to the Schulich School of Music at McGill University, Montréal. Specialising in mallet percussion and drum set, he is one of the very few Indian musicians to champion instruments such as the marimba and vibraphone on concert stages. Over the past fifteen years, Rahul has performed with ensembles ranging from symphony orchestras to progressive rock bands, collaborated with legendary artists including A. R. Rahman and Louiz Banks, and recently founded the India Chapter of the Percussive Arts Society to nurture a community of percussionists nationwide. His forthcoming solo concert, Many Studies, One Summary, marks a significant milestone: presenting the Indian premieres of contemporary works for percussion, and showcasing instruments never before heard live in the country. In this interview, he reflects on his musical journey, the challenges of pioneering new sounds in India, and the creative possibilities that lie ahead.

Serenade Team: You’re introducing solo percussion instruments such as the marimba and vibraphone to Indian concert stages for the very first time. What drew you to these instruments, and what do you hope Indian audiences will experience through them?

Rahul Vanamali: When I was learning drum kit in Dubai, tuned percussion was part of the curriculum, which is how I was introduced to marimba and vibraphone. A few early ensemble performances on these instruments furthered my interest, and the discovery of music written specifically for them deepened my passion even more.

Given that most people haven’t had the opportunity to see and hear live performances of these instruments, I hope to convey to audiences the versatility and sheer breadth of sonic possibilities that percussion can create, across different styles and genres of music.

ST: Your training has taken you from Chennai to Montréal and back again. How has studying abroad shaped your musical identity and the way you now approach performance in India?

RV: It’s hard to overstate the impact that my musical training in Montréal had on my tastes and perception of performance. On a technical level, there were the many hours spent in the practice room refining my approach to my instruments. In the concert hall, having the opportunity to learn and perform diverse pieces of music, from chamber ensemble settings to full symphony orchestras, massively broadened my musical vocabulary and knowledge base.

On a creative level, developing the ability and confidence to apply this performance experience along with the rest of my musical education, to understand, interpret, and present music to audiences in an engaging and personal manner, has been an invaluable takeaway from my time at university.

ST: You’ve collaborated with legendary figures such as A. R. Rahman and Louiz Banks. What did you take away from working with such towering musical personalities?

RV: I’ve had some great opportunities to play mallet percussion with them, and it all came about because they were interested in experimenting and trying something new! Playing Bollywood songs on vibes and marimba with a chamber ensemble, and jazz on vibraphone with a band at the NCPA, were both completely new experiences for me, and I enjoyed every moment of them.

One of my big takeaways from my interactions with them was the enthusiasm and humility that I saw in their approach to every performance. I’m very grateful for those opportunities, and in part due to those experiences, I constantly remind myself of the value of being open to new possibilities and finding ways to step outside my comfort zone.

ST: Mallet percussion is still relatively unknown in India. What have been the challenges and opportunities of carving out a space for it here?

RV: Having my primary instruments weigh fifty and a hundred kilos respectively means that transportation is certainly a challenge when attempting to introduce them to new places, and requires a little advance planning. Given the rarity of these instruments across the country, finding alternate instruments to use in most cities is quite difficult too.

However, on the flip side, since marimba and vibraphone have almost never been historically used in music here, I see a huge opportunity to present the new sounds they have to offer, and hopefully enrich and enliven Indian music.

ST: With the launch of the India Chapter of the Percussive Arts Society, you’re building a community for percussionists nationwide. What vision do you have for its growth and impact?

RV: I’m really excited about this initiative, because some of my fondest memories in Montréal were at PAS events where I had the chance to meet and engage with percussionists from other backgrounds.

With this Chapter, I’m excited to create a space for percussionists across all genres of music to interact, and grow a community that can further encourage collaboration both locally and globally through the PAS network.

ST: Your upcoming programme, Many Studies, One Summary, features Indian premieres of contemporary percussion works. How did you go about curating this repertoire?

RV: My goal with this concert is to create a solo percussion programme that encapsulates my musical journey and presents a diverse array of works to the audience. This aim is reflected in the concert’s title, which comes from John Psathas’ composition One Study, One Summary, a virtuosic marimba solo that is the centrepiece of my programme.

Given how rare Western classical percussion itself is in India, I’m quite sure that this is the first time a solo percussion programme has been put together in this way. It will also feature the Indian premieres of many of these works, selected to showcase the diversity of percussion, both in terms of instrument choice and stylistic influences. I’ve also curated them in a way that I hope will be engaging for first-time listeners.

ST: You straddle multiple musical worlds, from orchestral percussion to progressive rock. How do you balance these varied influences, and what excites you most about this versatility?

RV: I grew up listening to many different genres of music, from Baroque to progressive rock to video game music, and the music I listened to was often quite different from what I was studying and performing. This diversity has helped keep me musically flexible and able to adapt to different styles.

Perhaps the most gratifying part of this experience is being able to incorporate my learnings from one style into another, such as reinterpreting classical and contemporary mallet percussion music through the lens of progressive rock guitar technique on vibraphone.

As I mentioned earlier, since my instruments are so new to India, I’m excited by the endless possibilities and opportunities that await me in my musical journey.