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PROFESSOR ATUL K. SHAH www.atulkshah.co.uk

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Vivek Haria is a British Indian composer whose work explores listening, ritual, and encounters between cultures and philosophical traditions. His music often draws together literature, landscape, and contemplative practice, creating spaces where different ways of understanding the world can coexist without losing their distinctiveness.

In 2026, Vivek was appointed a Royal Philharmonic Society Composer and commissioned to write SANGAM: Songs of the River for Swaledale Festival. The work brings together texts by Ted Hughes and Rabindranath Tagore, using the image of the river as a meeting place between landscapes, languages, and spiritual traditions.

Although SANGAM is not explicitly a Jain work, Vivek’s Jain upbringing has quietly shaped many of its underlying ideas, including attentive listening, non-violence, humility before the natural world, and an understanding of interconnectedness. Rather than presenting these principles directly, the music seeks to embody them through stillness, flow, and careful attention to sound.

I was really touched by the music and the blend of nature, wilderness and poetry in shaping the composition. Jains have always carried their culture wherever they have travelled, and their Anekant philosophy has helped them embrace and adapt to changing cultures and environments. Art and Music are beautiful languages to explore this transformation, and Vivek’s youthful energy and dynamism shows through this composition. Throughout history, Jains have moved and adapted, without losing their inner spirit of reverence for all life.

Following its premiere at Swaledale Festival, the project was featured on BBC Radio 4’s Sunday, where Vivek spoke about the philosophical ideas behind the work and the influence of Jain thought on his wider artistic practice.

Alongside composing, Vivek writes and speaks about listening, creativity, and intercultural dialogue, and is increasingly interested in how music can create spaces for reflection, encounter, and shared humanity.

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