Reena Esmail

" Reena Esmail…related elements of classical Indian music to the symphonic tradition, utiliz[ing] advanced Western compositional techniques, all with an orchestra and chorus versed in the stylistic and technical demands of the Baroque era. The results were extremely successful. This Love Between Us: Prayers for Unity is a powerful work of music. " -Opera News " This theme is so catchy that I heard someone whistling it during intermission. When’s the last time that happened at a modern music concert? " -San Mateo Daily Journal " …an engaging new piece by the young Street Symphony composer-in-residence, Reena Esmail, “Take What You Need,” that sounded like Sondheim at his most lyric and without the cynicism. " -Los Angeles Times " Reena Esmail’s Hindustani-inspired Clarinet Concerto with the estimable clarinetist Shankar Tucker, was a floral summer night with exotic perfumes coupled with a free-flowing fast movement of scales passed around from soloist to orchestra. " -The Daily Gazette " When Esmail sang, the inmates spontaneously joined the orchestra, clapping along, and they shot up out of their seats to cheer her encore. " -Los Angeles Times