With intricate, almost imperceptible flicks of his fingers, santoor maestro Shivkumar Sharma created music that was nothing short of magic.

The santoor might look like the unusual love child of a harp and xylophone, but in the hands of India’s most revered composer and player it became the source of a sound that was complex, beautiful and hypnotic.

Shivkumar Sharma has spent a lifetime mastering the santoor, in the process transforming it from an obscure folk device to a virtuoso instrument – its rhythms and melodies gracing the likes of Carnegie Hall.

With Yogesh Samsi on tabla and Takahiro Arai on tanpura, each a master of his chosen instrument, this was a very special evening of Indian music, set within a deeply spiritual space.

By arrangement with the Nataraj Cultural Centre Melbourne: assisted by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations