"mesmerising - it filled my heart with joy!"
Sandhu Simran, Senior Partnerships and Programming Officer National Trust
Tāla Tarang is a once-in-a-lifetime synergy of two master musicians, the duo of tabla maestro Mendi Singh and harp virtuoso Eleanor Turner. These artists have both received worldwide acclaim as soloists before sparking a new sonic adventure when they met in 2014 and became Tāla Tarang, meaning Rhythm Waves. As a duo, they have honed a uniquely beautiful and expressive palette of sounds, encompassing virtuosity that speaks of tutelage that began before the age of five. They have ignited stages from jazz clubs such as Peggy's Skylight in Nottingham to concert halls such as Symphony Hall Birmingham, telling their stories through East-meets-West music that celebrates nature and humanity. In 2025, Tāla Tarang performed at the Edinburgh International Harp Festival and in 2022 they headlined the 11th Sentmenat International Harp Festival, Barcelona. They have given concerts for MishMash Productions and the Midlands World Music Consortium, Rupunumi Music and Arts Festival in Guyana, and look forward to recording an original EP in 2027, celebrating their 12th year as a duo.
To book Tāla Tarang for your festival, venue or music society, please contact Eleanor by emailing info@eleanorturner.com
Tāla Tarang, pic above by Juan Antonio Castro, live in concert at the Festival Internacional d'Arpa Sentmenat
"Tāla Tarang’s combination of harp and tabla gave the Festival Centre audience a musical treat that was nothing short of sensational."
John Hargreaves, author, Market Drayton
Tāla Tarang perform around the UK and abroad, setting theatres alight with their interpretations Western and Indian classical music, improvisations, traditional music from Eleanor's native Scotland, and folk and pop music from around the world. They take well known music such as Ravel's Bolero, capture the spirit and flow of the music and use it as a vehicle for their musical imaginations to take flight. Their inspiration comes from travel, connections, food and culture, religion, musical virtuosity and lifelong discipline, and a mutual fascination with the natural world.
Tāla Tarang's latest review, by author John Hargreaves at Festival Drayton Centre, Market Drayton, Shropshire: "Tāla Tarang’s combination of harp and tabla, recreating music that originated in different cultures across five continents, gave the Festival Centre audience a musical treat that was nothing short of sensational. Though Mendi Singh has played on recordings by Peter Gabriel, Courtney Pine, and many others, hearing the tabla live was a new and captivating experience for many. With his three differently-pitched hand drums, each with uniquely layered heads, Mendi created ever-varied streams of complex, expressive, resonant tones. Eleanor Turner’s experience as both performer and composer has taken the harp on musical adventures to new and exciting places. She clearly revelled in every aspect of her instrument and its capacity, in her hands, for making sounds both rich and nuanced, familiar and surprising. Playing together, Eleanor and Mendi call themselves Tāla Tarang which means ‘rhythm waves’. They made these waves with a joy that was infectious and created magic."
Read the whole review here: Tāla Tarang | John Hargreaves, author
Please click here for Tāla Tarang's biographies:
A little more about the duo
Tāla Tarang embody a special chemistry, through a subtle yin-yang of two halves creating a whole. Their repertoire includes folk tunes, classic pop, Bollywood, Western Classical and Indian Classical as well as their original compositions. Since Eleanor and Mendi met at a concert in 2014, their friendship has grown through a shared appreciation of nature, food, travelling, family and their spiritual lives. In 2022, the duo received an Arts Council 'Develop Your Creative Practice' award, which enabled them to meet regularly to delve into unknown creative territories, mentored by composer Liz Dilnot Johnson.
Mendi Singh, one of the UK's most celebrated tabla specialists today has collaborated with artists such as Pundit Shalil Shankar, Peter Gabriel, Take That, Akram Khan and Courtney Pine. In 2015 he composed the world's first Tabla Tarang Concerto. Tāla Tarang enjoy giving 'Rhythm and Raag, and 'Bollywood Harp', workshops over Zoom and in real life. They gave their first 'hybrid' real life and online workshop in 2024, hosted by Pilgrim Harps and funded by the UKHA Creative Bursary, making it a free event for UKHA (United Kingdom Harp Association) members. The video of the workshop along with workshop materials are available for UKHA Members via the Members Area on the website: www.ukharp.net
Mendi and Eleanor are delighted to be able to offer this Bollywood Workshop online, hybrid, or 'in real life', for groups of harpists or as a corporate offering for up to 12 people at a time. Contact Eleanor info@eleanorturner.com for more information.
To book Tāla Tarang: info@eleanorturner.com
© Eleanor Turner 2026