Penn Masala: Indian A Capella
Penn Masala, the world’s first and premier Hindi a cappella group, was formed by a group of students at the University of Pennsylvania. They have been featured in the soundtrack of American Desi and have released six full-length albums. Penn Masala’s music has been influenced by the Eastern and Western cultures that represent the group’s membership and it continues to inspire the South-Asian American population.
Formed in 1996 as an a capella group at the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Masala stood out as the only a cappella group in the world that sang Hindi music. This defining characteristic of the group brought it immediate attention as members fused Hindi and English tunes in original song formats.
Over the last decade, Penn Masala has spread the popularity of Hindi a cappella music abroad by performing in Toronto, London, and at the 2002 Star Screen Awards in Mumbai, where they performed alongside Sunidhi Chauhan. In 2003, the group was invited to perform at the Zee Bollywood Awards in New York and was honored by receiving the Project IMPACT Award for Outstanding Contribution to the South Asian-American Community. Penn Masala completed its first tour of India in the January 2006 by performing for thousands in Mumbai and Kolkata. During this trip, the group was featured on the hit Zee TV Show, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2005 as well as on multiple TV and radio talk shows. In September 2007, the group had the opportunity to perform with legendary musician A.R. Rahman at The Kennedy Center for Performing Arts.
When: November 13, 2009
Where: LBJ Auditorium, UT-Austin Campus
When: December 5, 2009
Where: University of Maryland – U.S. Route 1, College Park, Maryland, 20742
