Raj Kapoor + Pawan Benjamin

Spiral Music presents acoustic music every Wednesday evening at the base of the museum’s spiral staircase. Artists who specialize in music from the Himalayas and South Asia are invited to forge a connection between their music and the art in the galleries.

Musical performances at the Rubin Museum are made possible by the Carlo and Micól Schejola Foundation.

About the Musicians

Raj Kapoor (madal) serves as the music and dance director of Dance Theater of Nepal. He performs and teaches in many institutions throughout the United States as well as in national and international folk arts festivals. He is an expert on all Eastern drums, and he mentors a variety of age groups in Nepali folk and film-style dance forms.

Pawan Benjamin is a saxophonist, flutist, and composer. He started his musical training at a young age in Madison, Wisconsin, receiving guidance and mentorship from jazz luminaries such as bassist Richard Davis, AACM founder Roscoe Mitchell, and many others in the Madison area. In 2006, he enrolled in the Manhattan School of Music, where he plunged headfirst into the diverse music scene of New York City, performing and recording with musicians from around the globe and across genres, including jazz, hip-hop, Nepali folk music, and Indian Classical music. Pawan has collaborated with artists such as Roscoe Mitchell, Ranjit Barot, Taufiq Qureshi, Rez Abbasi, Mike Stern, Candido Camero, Bill T. Jones, and many others. HIs performance credits stretch across the globe at venues including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Rose Theater, Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola at Lincoln Center, the National Center of Performing Arts in Mumbai, Goa International Jazz Festival, the Bimhuis and Blue Note in Amsterdam, and countless other venues. Pawan is an active member of Brooklyn Raga Massive.