
BY DEVIKA C.MEHTA
Reena Esmail, a full-time composer, who writes for choirs, orchestras and chamber groups all around the country, dreams of creating an equitable space through music while bringing communities into dialogue with one another. Born to a Catholic mother from Goa and a Dawoodi Bohra father from Surat in India, Reena moved to the...
Reena Esmail, a full-time composer, who writes for choirs, orchestras and chamber groups all around the country, dreams of creating an equitable space through music while bringing communities into dialogue with one another. Born to a Catholic mother from Goa and a Dawoodi Bohra father from Surat in India, Reena moved to the...

city of Angels with her parents in the 1970s and it was here that her musical journey began. “While growing up, I realized that being one of the very few Indians in my field, I hardly ever got to work with people who shared my cultural heritage. This is why I was drawn to Indian music .It’s what led me to India to study Hindustani music, and it is why I do the work I do today. I just want to find a place in music where I can be my most authentic self, not fully Indian or fully American, but somewhere in between,” Esmail recalled.
Talking to IJ about her interests, she further mentioned, “I was always a composer. I was always creating music, in whatever capacity I knew how. But I don’t think it occurred to anyone, least of all me or my parents, that a career as a composer was actually a possibility for me. It wasn’t until I attended the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts that a theory teacher identified my ability and placed me on the career track that led me to where I am today.”
Informing about her work, Esmail stated, “Many of my large works incorporate both Hindustani and Western musicians, and because I am trained in both styles, I understand how to write music that makes both groups of musicians feel comfortable and feel that they are able to express themselves within their own tradition. Imagine two people being able to speak their own languages and still somehow be able to understand and communicate with one another, that is what I do through music. I create spaces where cross-cultural dialogue can begin.”
However, dissatisfied with her reach and exposure, she pointed, “Because I am a minority in my field, I am not often able to reach the communities that I come from. I want to build audiences through the Indian community. Most Indians I know have never been to a Western classical music concert, and I hope to change that through my work.”
Struggles and setbacks are also part and parcel of life and Esmail has seen more than one in her musical journey. “Most composers don’t look like me. If you ask someone to name a classical composer, they will most likely say Mozart or Beethoven, likely someone who is male, European and, unfortunately, has been dead for hundreds of years. I fight against stereotypes every day. Our field is thriving, and people of all races and genders write incredible music all the time. Maybe we just need to get a little better at getting the word out!,” she commented.
Happily discussing more about her current work, music and compositions, she informed, “ Last year, I wrote a huge 40-minute piece of music for choir, orchestra, sitar and tabla. The work was called `This Love Between Us,’ and it took texts from seven different religious traditions, and was in eight languages. The sitar and tabla played with a choir from Yale University and an orchestra from the Juilliard School, and we took the entire 65-piece ensemble on tour to India. It was amazing to see the Indian and Western musicians come together and learn from one another, and also so gratifying to see how deeply the piece resonated with Indian audiences.”
“The same piece will be performed on November 18, in Los Angeles, by the LA Master Chorale, and I hope that many Indians will come to see this blending of cultures,” she added.
For now, she does not hold any Bollywood connections, but has an array of musicians who inspire her like Saili Oak, a senior disciple of Dr. Ashwini Bhide Deshpande and Lakshmi Shankar. “I do love Bollywood as well, and actually founded Yale’s Hindi Acappella group in 2010. I love songs like `O Re Piya’ (Aaja Nachle) and `Yeh Honsla’ (Dor), but I would be lying if I said I didn’t also have a soft spot for `Sheila Ki Jawani’ and `Munni Badnam.”
She has big plans for Indian and American kids. “Many of the Indian parents reach out to me all the time. This is why my organization, Shastra has been creating music that Indian and Western musicians can play together, even at an intermediate level. I’ve done many such collaborations with middle school students, and students should feel that whether they are Indian or Western trained, there is a way for them to connect to one another through music,” she said.
Finally, thanking Orchestra Collective of Orange County for their regular performances of her work, she concluded “I love working with the musicians of this orchestra because they play with passion and are always ready to dive into new cultures and music with such abundant joy. It is always a pleasure to work with them and am looking forward to more.”
Talking to IJ about her interests, she further mentioned, “I was always a composer. I was always creating music, in whatever capacity I knew how. But I don’t think it occurred to anyone, least of all me or my parents, that a career as a composer was actually a possibility for me. It wasn’t until I attended the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts that a theory teacher identified my ability and placed me on the career track that led me to where I am today.”
Informing about her work, Esmail stated, “Many of my large works incorporate both Hindustani and Western musicians, and because I am trained in both styles, I understand how to write music that makes both groups of musicians feel comfortable and feel that they are able to express themselves within their own tradition. Imagine two people being able to speak their own languages and still somehow be able to understand and communicate with one another, that is what I do through music. I create spaces where cross-cultural dialogue can begin.”
However, dissatisfied with her reach and exposure, she pointed, “Because I am a minority in my field, I am not often able to reach the communities that I come from. I want to build audiences through the Indian community. Most Indians I know have never been to a Western classical music concert, and I hope to change that through my work.”
Struggles and setbacks are also part and parcel of life and Esmail has seen more than one in her musical journey. “Most composers don’t look like me. If you ask someone to name a classical composer, they will most likely say Mozart or Beethoven, likely someone who is male, European and, unfortunately, has been dead for hundreds of years. I fight against stereotypes every day. Our field is thriving, and people of all races and genders write incredible music all the time. Maybe we just need to get a little better at getting the word out!,” she commented.
Happily discussing more about her current work, music and compositions, she informed, “ Last year, I wrote a huge 40-minute piece of music for choir, orchestra, sitar and tabla. The work was called `This Love Between Us,’ and it took texts from seven different religious traditions, and was in eight languages. The sitar and tabla played with a choir from Yale University and an orchestra from the Juilliard School, and we took the entire 65-piece ensemble on tour to India. It was amazing to see the Indian and Western musicians come together and learn from one another, and also so gratifying to see how deeply the piece resonated with Indian audiences.”
“The same piece will be performed on November 18, in Los Angeles, by the LA Master Chorale, and I hope that many Indians will come to see this blending of cultures,” she added.
For now, she does not hold any Bollywood connections, but has an array of musicians who inspire her like Saili Oak, a senior disciple of Dr. Ashwini Bhide Deshpande and Lakshmi Shankar. “I do love Bollywood as well, and actually founded Yale’s Hindi Acappella group in 2010. I love songs like `O Re Piya’ (Aaja Nachle) and `Yeh Honsla’ (Dor), but I would be lying if I said I didn’t also have a soft spot for `Sheila Ki Jawani’ and `Munni Badnam.”
She has big plans for Indian and American kids. “Many of the Indian parents reach out to me all the time. This is why my organization, Shastra has been creating music that Indian and Western musicians can play together, even at an intermediate level. I’ve done many such collaborations with middle school students, and students should feel that whether they are Indian or Western trained, there is a way for them to connect to one another through music,” she said.
Finally, thanking Orchestra Collective of Orange County for their regular performances of her work, she concluded “I love working with the musicians of this orchestra because they play with passion and are always ready to dive into new cultures and music with such abundant joy. It is always a pleasure to work with them and am looking forward to more.”