North-Indian
classical music

The bansuri is an ancient woodwind instrument from Northern India: a transverse flute crafted from hollow bamboo and pierced with eight holes — a mouthpiece, six finger holes, and a tuning hole. Closely associated with Lord Krishna, the shepherd and the lover, the bansuri is celebrated for its deep, warm timbre and its close resemblance to the human voice. This vocal quality gives it a central place in the Indian classical instrumentarium, from instrumental music to vocal traditions such as Dhrupad, Khayal, Thumri, as well as folk music. Breath finds its own voice as it is blown through the flute, revealing a subtle, spellbinding song.

A disciple of the renowned maestro Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, Guillaume Barraud has become one of Europe’s leading exponents of the bansuri flute recital. After years of immersion and practice in India, he has made himself the spokesman for North-Indian classical music, guiding his audiences on a refreshing and soulful journey. Whether performing solo or alongside other virtuosos, he has appeared in both prestigious venues and intimate music circles. Since 2010, his work as a permanent staff artist at the Philharmonie de Paris has allowed him to share the bansuri’s heritage with new audiences through educational and outreach programs.

Among his memorable performances, one stands out: during the monsoon of 2004, Guillaume gave an early-morning recital at the foot of Kinner Kailash, a sacred Himalayan peak, from the Reckong Peo Military Base in Himachal Pradesh. As the first rays of dawn illuminated the mountain, the atmosphere was nothing short of mystical.

While in Mumbai, he has also performed on several occasions with Pandit Chaurasia during Krishna Janmashtami, a 24-hour musical marathon and ritual gathering of the city’s finest musicians.

More recently, in 2015, Guillaume played before thousands from the Indian diaspora at the Carrousel du Louvre in Paris, opening for a speech by the Prime Minister of India.

“Guillaume ushers in a potent challenge to the prevalent negative notions about the competence of non-native performers of Indian classical music. He belongs to an elite minority of foreign musicians who have absorbed the essence of this music and are able to reflect this in performance.”

— Arnab Chakrabarty