IN Series will present the world premiere of SONG OF SAKUNTALA, composed by IN Series Artistic Director Timothy Nelson, this June. Conceived as a 90-minute, uninterrupted concert in the spirit of Indian classical musical performances, Song of Sakuntala is drawn from Kalidasa’s 5th century play Shakuntala—a deeply important text of South Asian literature, often compared in importance to Shakespeare’s Hamlet—and from poetry by three landmark Indian poets: Rabindranath Tagore, Sarojini Naidu, and Vidyapati, as well as sacred Mahabharata words. The work unfolds across seven acts built on a palindromic structure, performed over a single continuous drone, for an ensemble of oboe, viola da gamba, violin, sitar, and tabla. The production will feature singers Aryssa Leigh Burrs, Teresa Ferrara, Marvin Wayne Allen. The instrumental ensemble is led by acclaimed sitarist Rajib Karmakar.