A Symphony of Scent and Sound: ATARATMA London Brings the Art of Fragrance to the English Chamber Orchestra Royal Gala
LUXURY | FRAGRANCE | CULTURE | PHILANTHROPY
As Silver Fragrance Partner of the English Chamber Orchestra Royal Gala 2026, British luxury perfume house ATARATMA London brought an exquisite sensory dimension to an evening of music, glamour and philanthropy at Banqueting House, Whitehall. With 250 perfumes gifted to guests, the brand demonstrated how fragrance, like music, possesses the extraordinary power to awaken emotion and preserve memories.
Some evenings are remembered for their music. Others for their beauty, their conversations or the people who filled the room. But at the English Chamber Orchestra Royal Gala Fundraiser, held on 17 October 2026 at London's magnificent Banqueting House, there was another element that made the occasion particularly memorable: its fragrance.
As the delicate notes of classical music filled the historic hall beneath Sir Peter Paul Rubens's extraordinary ceiling, the world of fine perfumery found its own place in the evening's composition. The elegant surroundings, candlelit tables, magnificent gowns and distinguished international guests created a setting in which scent and sound seemed naturally connected.
At the heart of this sensory experience was ATARATMA London, the evening's Silver Fragrance Partner, whose contribution extended far beyond conventional sponsorship.
The London-based perfume house generously provided 250 fragrances as gifts for guests, offering each recipient a personal reminder of an evening devoted to artistic excellence and philanthropy.
The selection was no accident. Working closely with the Gala's management team, ATARATMA carefully considered which fragrances would best complement the occasion, drawing upon the brand's philosophy of emotional wellbeing, its Ayurvedic inspiration and the relationship between scent, mood and memory.
The result was a thoughtful meeting of two artistic disciplines. Music filled the room, while fragrance added an intimate, invisible dimension to the experience.
It was, in many ways, a symphony for the senses.
The art of fragrance, inspired by ancient wisdom
Founded by entrepreneur and perfume enthusiast Ada Panday, ATARATMA London approaches fragrance as something more meaningful than a finishing touch to personal style.
Its philosophy begins with the belief that scent can influence how we feel, how we present ourselves and how we connect with the world around us.
The brand's name combines two Sanskrit-derived words: attar, associated with perfume, and atma, meaning soul. Together, they express its central idea: scent for the soul.
Rooted in India's ancient traditions of perfumery, spirituality and Ayurveda, ATARATMA combines South Asian olfactory influences with the refinement of French haute parfumerie and contemporary fragrance research.
Its perfumes are developed with master perfumers at the IFF atelier in Grasse, France, a region synonymous with some of the world's finest fragrance craftsmanship.
Among the creative talents associated with the house are Nelly Hachem-Ruiz, Paul Guerlain, Fanny Bal, Tanguy Guesnet and Caroline Dumur.
Each fragrance is conceived not simply as a pleasing combination of notes, but as an expression of a particular emotional intention.
The house's four principal collections reflect this philosophy: Ananda, associated with happiness; Kama, with love; Zakra, with strength; and Atma, with spiritual balance.
Drawing upon ingredients associated with traditional Ayurvedic practices alongside materials examined through IFF's Science of Wellness programme, the perfumes seek to connect the pleasure of fragrance with the experience of wellbeing.
These are ambitions rooted in the brand's creative philosophy rather than promises of medical benefit. Yet they reflect an increasingly interesting direction in luxury perfumery: the idea that a fragrance can be appreciated not only for how it smells, but also for the feelings and associations it evokes.
When perfume becomes part of the performance
At Banqueting House, this philosophy found an especially fitting expression.
The English Chamber Orchestra, whose Patron is His Majesty King Charles III, presented a musical programme under the direction of violinist John Mills, featuring works by Vivaldi, Handel, Grieg, Mozart, Vaughan Williams and Holst.
The evening brought together royalty, international business leaders, diplomats, philanthropists and figures from the worlds of fashion and culture, with HRH Princess Katarina, Lady de Silva, attending as Guest of Honour.
Against this backdrop, ATARATMA's fragrances introduced another form of artistry.
Music and perfume share a surprisingly intimate vocabulary. Both are constructed through notes, layers, harmony, contrast and composition. Both unfold over time, revealing different characteristics as they develop. And both have the remarkable ability to transport us to another place, another moment or a long-forgotten memory.
A fragrance, like a melody, can remain with us long after the occasion has passed.
For the Gala's organisers, selecting the fragrances was therefore an important detail in shaping the overall guest experience. The collaboration with ATARATMA was guided by the desire to find perfumes whose character and emotional associations would complement the elegance, warmth and celebratory spirit of the evening.
Rather than treating fragrance as an ordinary corporate gift, the organisers and the perfume house approached it as part of the Gala's wider artistic identity.
The result was a gesture that felt personal, considered and entirely appropriate to the occasion.
The orchestra provided the music. ATARATMA offered guests another way to remember it.
British luxury with an Indian soul and French craftsmanship
What makes ATARATMA particularly interesting within the contemporary luxury fragrance market is its combination of cultural influences.
It is a London brand with Indian heritage, drawing inspiration from a perfumery tradition rich in exotic flowers, woods, incense, vetiver and other aromatic materials long associated with ceremony, beauty and spiritual practice.
These influences are interpreted through the expertise of French master perfumers, creating compositions intended to feel both opulent and contemporary.
The house also places considerable emphasis on ingredient quality and craftsmanship. Its fragrances contain perfume concentrations of approximately 25 to 30 per cent, designed to provide longevity while maintaining what the brand describes as an intimate rather than overpowering presence.
Its perfume oils are blended in Grasse, while the fragrances are mixed and filled by hand in Dorset.
Environmental considerations form another part of the brand's identity. ATARATMA uses naturally fermented alcohol derived from sustainably farmed French beetroot, recyclable packaging and bottles designed with future refilling in mind. Its perfumes are vegan, cruelty-free and formulated without parabens or phthalates.
Underlying this approach is the Sanskrit concept of Aikyam: the interconnectedness of all things.
It is a philosophy that extends beyond fragrance to the people, communities and natural resources involved in creating it.
For a company seeking to unite beauty with responsibility, supporting an organisation dedicated to musical education and cultural opportunity represented a meaningful extension of those values.
A philanthropic partnership with a lasting purpose
The English Chamber Orchestra Royal Gala was not simply a celebration of classical music's distinguished past. It was a fundraising occasion designed to help secure its future.
The Orchestra's Close Encounters education and community programme has brought music to thousands of children across the United Kingdom, offering opportunities to experience live performance, explore instruments and develop creativity.
Between 2024 and 2026, the programme delivered 65 school-based projects and reached more than 5,000 young participants.
The Orchestra is also preparing its New Horizons initiative, scheduled for formal launch in autumn 2027, to support emerging musicians and composers as they move towards professional careers.
By becoming Silver Fragrance Partner, ATARATMA joined an international group of organisations supporting these ambitions, alongside TrinityBridge, Orient Express, Eton Holdings and the Parliamentary Society for Arts, Fashion & Sports, which served as Alliance Partner.
The Gala was organised under the direction of Elvijs Plugis, Event Director and International Advisory Board member of the English Chamber Orchestra, with SIGULP overseeing partnership development and key elements of the event's commercial and operational delivery.
The collaboration with ATARATMA demonstrated how a luxury brand can contribute to a charitable occasion in a way that is both commercially distinctive and culturally relevant.
Its involvement brought visibility to a British fragrance house while offering guests a carefully considered gift and supporting an institution whose work extends into schools and communities.
ATARATMA honoured for its contribution to the arts
During the evening's awards ceremony, Greta Zlatkute, representing ATARATMA London, accepted the Award for Philanthropic Partnership on behalf of the company.
The award recognised ATARATMA's contribution as Silver Fragrance Partner and its support for the English Chamber Orchestra's artistic and charitable mission.
It was an appropriate acknowledgement of a partnership that had introduced something distinctive to the Gala.
In a world where luxury sponsorship can sometimes be reduced to the placement of a logo, ATARATMA chose to contribute something guests could experience personally and take home with them.
Its 250 gifted perfumes became more than presents. They became individual souvenirs of a collective cultural experience, each capable of recalling the music, the atmosphere and the beauty of that October evening.
And therein lies the quiet brilliance of fragrance.
Unlike a photograph, which preserves what we saw, or a recording, which captures what we heard, scent can summon the emotional atmosphere of a moment with extraordinary immediacy.
The next time a guest wears their ATARATMA fragrance, perhaps they will remember the chandeliers, the candlelit dinner, the sweeping evening gowns or the sound of strings beneath the Rubens ceiling.
Perhaps they will remember a conversation, an introduction or the pleasure of discovering classical music in such remarkable surroundings.
That is the beauty of creating memories through the senses.
The English Chamber Orchestra gave the evening its music. ATARATMA London gave its guests a fragrance through which to remember it.
And long after the final note had faded, a little of the Gala's magic could still be carried home.
Discover the world of ATARATMA London, its fragrance collections and philosophy of scents for the soul at www.ataratma.com.
Learn more about the English Chamber Orchestra and its charitable programmes at englishchamberorchestra.com.
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