INA FILIP

Known for her emotionally resonant voice and genre-defying versatility, Ina Filip draws from years of rigorous study in Indian classical music, her Brazilian musical heritage, and an exploratory improvisational practice to shape a vocal language that is both deeply personal and creatively expansive.

She undertook intensive training in Dhrupad — the most microtonally refined and contemplative tradition of North Indian classical music — under the guidance of the Gundecha Brothers, widely regarded as the foremost living exponents of the form. Filip lived and studied for several years in their residential gurukul in India within the strict Guru–Shishya Parampara system, a traditional pedagogical lineage grounded in daily, long-term transmission between teacher and disciple. This rigorous formation immersed her in the raga system — India’s ancient modal framework — while cultivating advanced microtonal precision, sustained resonance, breath control, and structural awareness through the voice.

In parallel, her improvisational practice has been profoundly shaped by Bobby McFerrin’s vocal approach, which she has explored, studied, and embodied through years of playful experimentation and deep listening. Filip has developed a distinctive compositional approach that brings traditional vocal practice into contemporary contexts. Her work integrates layered vocal architectures, contrapuntal interplay, and electroacoustic textures, expanding the expressive possibilities of voice in contemporary contexts.
Filip is currently co-creating three albums within Raga Cycle, an eight-album arc conceived by composer and pianist Michael Harrison, exploring the intersection of Indian raga and just-intonation piano. She serves as co-composer and lead vocalist. The first installment, Evening Light: Raga Cycle I (Cantaloupe Music, 2026), is complete; the second and third albums are in production.

Her collaborative scope extends into interdisciplinary creation. She co-created the music for 24 Hours at Once, an installation with Harrison and filmmaker Bill Morrison, presented by Art Letters & Numbers (New York), and contributed to Passage, presented at the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts (North Carolina).
Filip’s voice has appeared in projects spanning ambient electroacoustic composition and raga-based vocal polyphony. Her discography includes Cantos de Ma, a solo album centered on voice and silence, and Polyphonic Malkauns, a contemporary raga reinterpretation created with composer Payton MacDonald. She has also contributed to the international electronic music scene through collaborations with producers including Soohan and Adham Shaikh, whose releases featuring her vocals reached global audiences.

Filip’s projects have been supported by the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ) and the Canada Council for the Arts (CAC) through grants for composition, production and performance. She has also participated in artist residencies including Avaloch Farm Music Institute (New Hampshire, USA) and Art Letters & Numbers (New York, USA).

Across all her projects, Ina’s voice carries the discipline of long-dedicated practice and the freedom of improvisation, inviting listeners into a space of resonance, presence, and expanded perception.