Reena Esmail’s music weaves together the traditions of Hindustani and Western classical music, drawing musicians from many perspectives into shared creative spaces. Bringing together one’s own culture into Western art music has been a way composers for nearly a century have brought their identity into music. Dr. Reena Esmail is an Indian-American composer who does just that through using Hindustani songs and blends them with Western art music compositional techniques.

Jhula Jhule is a piece originally written for violin and piano, but has been transcribed for many ensemble settings including flute and piano. Jhula Jhule is based on a lullaby sung to Dr. Esmail as a child by her mother. “Jhula Jhule, Jhula Jhule/Reena Rani Jhula Jhule” translates to, “Back and forth, back and forth/Reena the Queen swings back and forth.” Additionally, the piece is based on another song: “Ankhon vina andharon re.” These songs incorporate elements of raga within the music, and this is reflected within this piece through use of colours, extended technique and the free-form compositional style.