Celebrate Diwali at the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra's free Visions of India festival, which is held just prior to the orchestra’s Delta Classical concert: Celestial Illuminations featuring The Planets, Thursday and Saturday, October 23 and 25, at the Woodruff Arts Center.

The free Visions of India Festival precedes the concerts from 6 to 8pm in the lobby of the Memorial Arts Building, and features henna tattoo artists, Indian food vendors, traditional dancers, music, and more.

Directly after the festival at 8pm, the orchestra takes the stage under the direction of guest conductor Vinay Parameswaran, who opens the evenings’ celebrations of light with a recent work by Nina Shekhar, Lumina.

Then, Hindustani violinist Kala Ramnath joins the orchestra for her interpretations of Reena Esmail’s Concerto for Hindustani Violin, a genre-bending work of the ancient elements of space, air, water, fire, and earth. Ramnath’s technique, dubbed the “Singing Violin,” derives from a patchwork of sound, including Western Classical, Jazz, Flamenco, and traditional African music.

The ASO Chorus Women’s Ensemble joins the Orchestra as the concert comes to an epic finale in Holst’s The Planets—music that influenced rock bands like Led Zeppelin and futuristic cinematic scores.