Dr. Paolo Pacciolla is an ethnomusicologist (PhD, Durham University, UK) and musician (Diploma of Pianoforte). He is an Associate Professor in the Department of Performing Arts/Western Music at Christ University, Bengaluru. He was a Tagore National Fellow with the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (2019?2021) and an ICCR Senior Fellow with the International Centre for Kerala Studies, University of Kerala, Trivandrum (2017?2018). Dr. Pacciolla has authored numerous articles in prestigious international journals. His recent works include The Indian Drum of the King-God and the Pakhavaj of Nathdwara (2020, SOAS?Routledge) and Enlivening Rhythms. Drums and Drumming in Ritual Performances of Contemporary Kerala (2024, IGNCA). As a performer, he has excelled in solo performances and collaborations across genres like jazz, Persian music, and folk traditions. His improvisational style spans instruments such as the piano, frame drums, Iranian daire and tombak, Indian pakhāvaj, and African musical bows. He also designs unique instruments like the axis and explores sound through unconventional objects. Dr. Pacciolla?s contributions to music reflect his diverse expertise and commitment to enriching global musical traditions.
