Teerath Majumder, an assistant professor at Columbia College Chicago, will guide audience members through a unique sound and visual experience on April 10 at the Elastic Arts Foundation in Chicago. The event is part of the CLEAT Listening and Performance Series and will feature Majumder’s new audiovisual piece that blends traditional tabla performance with digital sound processing and audio-reactive visuals.
The upcoming performance highlights the intersection of technology and art, offering attendees an immersive environment where they can move around the space to experience different perspectives. Majumder said, “The space that I’m performing in has 16 speakers overhead. I’m orienting the space to allow audience members to move around and experience the piece from different perspectives.”
Majumder’s work explores how technology influences both artistic creation and human interaction. He explained, “When you record this with microphones and then use that signal in various ways, you can make computers do things while I’m playing the tabla.” The tabla drums are central to his new piece, reflecting his background as a Bangladeshi composer and producer.
Majumder grew up in Bangladesh before moving abroad for education, eventually earning a doctorate in Integrated Composition, Improvisation and Technology from the University of California, Irvine. His journey has taken him through Bangladesh, India, the United Kingdom, and finally to the United States. “I had this Indian classical training which I did not utilize as much as I was getting trained in these other different types of music,” he said. “Now I’m seeing that it’s important for me to get back to my roots and find out what is valuable there.”
Since joining Columbia College Chicago two years ago, Majumder has coordinated the sound design program while teaching courses ranging from introductory sound design to Python programming for audio technology. He said his goal is to help students realize their creative ambitions: “I like the fact that I’m not purely an academic. I have invested a lot of my efforts into creating new works, which makes me uniquely aware of what the challenges are. When I interact with my students, they often have really ambitious ideas, and I want to support them in whatever way I can to make them a reality.”
For Majumder, this performance represents more than just another concert; it continues his personal journey bridging cultures through sound. “I’ve always been someone who likes to take the good things from whatever I’m exposed to,” he said. “I think that helps us create a more holistic and inclusive art practice.”
Tickets for the event are $15 or $10 with student ID.
