Round Robin Performance Part 1

Round Robin Improv Jam Session

Featuring musicians Rahul Sharma, bass, sitar (Funkadesi); Lucia Thomas, violin (Ochin Pakhi); Krissy Bergmark, tabla (Sprig of That); Sonny Patel, bansuri flute (Do The Needful); w/ Special Guest Dancer Raji Venkat.

Join us for a unique, one time only night of improvisational music and dance by some of Chicago's most creative musicians working in the field, not only within the South Asian music genres, but each are members of different bands that are moving the Chicago cultural landscape forward. Each guest performer is a noted and acclaimed musician in their own right and are all masters of their instruments. For this special Mandala Makers Festival Round Robin Jam Session event at i/O Improv Olympics, which aligns perfectly with the 2026 Mandala Makers Festival overall theme, ‘Live Composition & Improvisation', the musicians will be seated on stage together in a semicircle and will all performing together for the very first time as a collective. They will each showcase their own solo musical talents, but will also share and create something brand new from this first time gathering, be it in solos, duos, trios and quartet combinations. The musicians will be on the edge of their seats the whole time along with the audience members who are lucky enough to be along for the musical journey.

Lucia Thomas : Violin
Lucia Thomas is a violinist and multi-instrumentalist in many genres of traditional and classical music. She is a two time Fulbright award recipient, with which she traveled to West Bengal, India to document songs of the Bengali mystics called Baul or Fakir. She hosts a podcast called ‘Banyan Roots’, where these field recordings and discussions on Baul history, philosophy and music can be heard. She studies Hindustani classical violin under the guidance of her teacher/guru and master violinist, Indradeep Ghosh. Lucia plays with the band Ochin Pakhi, devoted to Bengali traditional folk music. She has released three albums entitled Praner Alap: Meeting of Hearts, Baba Yaga’s Stew, and The World in Chicago. Lucia has performed at many festivals, performing arts centers in the USA and India.

Rahul Sharma, Psy.D. : Bass & Sitar 

Dr. Rahul Sharma is founder and bassist/sitarist for the award-winning intercultural music group Funkadesi, a 10-member band that is composed of diverse members (Indian-American, African-American, Jamaican, Latino, and European American) who are musicians, advocates, educators, & healers. In 2026, Funkadesi is celebrating its 30th Anniversary. In 2017, Dr. Sharma was the recipient of the Joyce Foundation Award, where he was commissioned to co-compose a musical piece, “Quantum Englewood,” to provide arts opportunities for youth in high-risk environments. The piece was performed by hundreds of musicians in late 2018. More recently Dr. Sharma led a healing guided visualization for TEDx Chicago in their first in-person event since the pandemic, set to improvised music.  As a Clinical Psychologist, Dr. Sharma is passionate about integrating mental health, music and more, focusing on healthy communication, wellness and belonging.  He founded Strategic Inclusion Consulting, an agency that transforms work cultures and provides effective and lasting solutions to common workplace challenges.  Awarded 2025 Mental Health Champion by Brown Man Therapy for his innovative approach applying arts to healing and growth, Dr. Sharma is passionate about curating transformative experiences in a variety of contexts -- keynotes, experiential plenaries, retreats and more. In addition to these pursuits, Dr. Sharma maintains a small private practice. He resides with his family in Evanston, Illinois.

Krissy Bergmark : Tabla
Krissy Bergmark is a tabla player, percussionist, improviser, and educator whose work expands the tabla’s role across contemporary, freely improvised, experimental, and American folk traditions. Rooted in her study with world-renowned tabla artist Pandit Yogesh Samsi of the Punjab Gharana, Bergmark brings tabla into new sonic contexts through improvisation, composition, and collaboration. 

Her work has been supported by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), the Jerome Foundation, the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, and the Minnesota State Arts Board, among others. She is a founding member of the progressive folk trio Sprig of That, whose debut album bloom (2023) was produced by Wes Corbett (Sam Bush Band) and engineered by Grammy-winner Dave Sinko (Punch Brothers). Bergmark is a Professor of Music at Oakton College. She performs in the improvising trios Decollage (Simone Baron, Adi Meyerson) and Quilted (Melissa Almaguer, Samantha Kochis). Her ongoing solo project Body of Water explores sound and rhythm as a vessel for memory, lineage, transformation, and possibility. Her in-studio improvised album Everything’s Glacial Shine, created with Anthony Cox, was released on December 31st, 2025. You can stay updated on her latest recordings, projects, and performances via www.krissybergmark.com,  Facebook, and Instagram. 

Sonny Patel: Bansuri Flute
Dr. Sonny Patel is an up-and-coming bansuri (bamboo flute) player in the North Indian classical style. Sonny studies bansuri flute under Manjari Vaishampayan and Chicagoan Lyon Leifer, whose guru was the late Devendra Murdeshwar, senior disciple of the legendary flute player Pannalal Ghosh. Sonny plays the 7-hole style of bansuri originally developed by Pannalal Ghosh. Sonny has performed alongside Rev. Father M.P. George (Director of the Shruti School of Liturgical Music in Kottayam, Kerala, India), the Akshaya Music Academy in Chicago, the South Asian Music Ensemble of the University of Chicago, and Randall Jamrock. Sonny also plays Hindi filmi music from the golden era, in a surf-punk Bollywood cover band called, Do The Needful. Sonny has performed at venues such as Harvard University, Old Town School of Folk Music, The Logan Center for the Arts, UChicago’s The International House and Rockefeller Chapel, Mandel Hall, The Hideout, Empty Bottle, Subterranean, Chicagoland temples, among others and has performed at festivals including World Music Festival Chicago and Chicago’s World Dumpling Festival. Sonny is also an accomplished competitive debate coach, and currently directs Chicago Debates, bringing high caliber extra-curricular activities to students of Chicago Public Schools. He has also served on the Harvard Debate Council. Sonny received his medical doctorate from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Outside of music, Sonny enjoys gardening and hiking with his dog.

Dancer : Raji Venkat

Indian-American soprano, Raji Venkat, is a graduate of New England Conservatory, where she studied with Carole Haber. Her stage performance includes opera, concert works, Indian classical dance, Ballet and lyrical, Jazz, and Carnatic music. Alongside studying opera, Raji has a passion for Painting, Classical Indian dance and music, as well as non-profits and world peace movements. https://www.rajivenkat.com/about