Woodstock Global Music Festival

Festival Launch: August 2025

“Sandeep transcends his instrument– when he plays the Tabla he is a creator of myths, a master communicator and an orchestra, all in one. In my decades of collaboration around the world, he is easily one of the greatest artists I have ever met. He gives everything of himself to every encounter, musical or otherwise. Sandeep’s work reminds us that when we listen to one another, we create something profoundly beautiful and entirely new.”

Yo-Yo Ma

Festival Concept

The Woodstock Global Music Festival seeks to build a year-round incubator for world-class music, performing arts, and culture in Woodstock, CT. Guided by the artistic vision of Guggenheim Fellow and Grammy-winning Tabla maestro Sandeep Das, the festival will serve as a hub of global artistry and exchange, immersive education, and community engagement. Launching in August 2025​​, the inaugural Festival is the first step toward realizing a new arts hub in Northeast Connecticut.

Mission & Vision

To create a vibrant, inclusive platform for global music and the performing arts that nurtures creative excellence, fosters intercultural dialogue, and connects artists and communities through education, performance, and innovation.

Our Long-Term Vision includes:

  • Concerts featuring world-renowned artists and regional talent

  • Artistic residencies and camps for schools and universities

  • Innovative lecture series 

  • A Community recording studio

  • Commissioning of new work

  • A Young Artist Initiative and mentorship platform

  • Interdisciplinary and experimental performance labs blending tradition with innovation

The Woodstock Global Music Festival is an initiative of Layālaya, a nonprofit organization* that creates arts experiences connecting people across time, place, and culture. Through resonant stories, inspiring performances, and community-rooted programs, Layālaya deepens understanding, nurtures belonging, and ensures the arts thrive for generations.

*Layālaya is currently in the process of obtaining 501(c)(3) status.


Year 1

  • Launch of the Woodstock Global Music Festival: 1 public concert + 1 lake concert

  • Partner with local schools for workshops and masterclasses

Year 2

  • Multi-concert festival weekend

  • Pilot artist residencies in schools and communities

  • Launch IL-Logical Minds (Intelligent Learning=IL) Arts & Ideas Lecture Series

  • Begin planning community recording studio

Year 3

  • Full-scale artist-in-residence program

  • Launch Young Artist Initiative

  • Commission original interdisciplinary works
     

Year 4

  • Start summer intensives and camps

  • Open Community recording studio

  • Host youth festival and local artist showcase

Year 5

  • Year-round events: seasonal festivals, residencies, regional artists showcase & youth festival, and tours

  • Festival becomes anchor site for Layālaya’s Vasudhaiva Kutambakam initiative

  • Accredited programs through partnerships with schools and colleges


5 Year Plan

About Sandeep Das

Sandeep Das is a Grammy-winning tabla virtuoso, composer, educator, and cultural ambassador with a career spanning 30+ years of performing globally with luminaries such as Yo-Yo Ma, Paquito D’Rivera, and Bobby McFerrin. His cross-genre collaborations span five continents, from the BBC Proms to Carnegie Hall. He has performed for Pope John Paul II, Queen Elizabeth II, and the UN General Assembly. As a committed educator, Das has led learning initiatives at Harvard, Juilliard, Berklee, and beyond. He is also a founding member of the Silkroad Ensemble in the United States and Harmony and Universality through Music nonprofit in India.