ICMC presents Fall Fest 2023 presenting a medley of several short vocal and instrumental performances, by ICMC member musicians. The primary reasons for this concert are to bring awareness about Indian classical music in the community and also to stage upcoming talent. Since its inception in 1983, ICMC has built the most comprehensive concert series and is regarded as the premier producer of Indian classical music and dance in Dallas/Fort Worth and the surrounding area, by consistently presenting more than seven culturally diverse concerts a year for the sole benefit of its members and the general public. ICMC's mission is to entertain, to interest, to educate, to train and to provide spiritual nourishment to its members and the general public, and to significantly contribute to the multiethnic heritage and the cultural vitality of the city, through its concerts.

Sitarist Pt. Indrajit Banerjee is one of the leading exponents of the Maihar Gharana. He was born in a musical family. Some of these family members include his guru, Pandit Kartick Kumar (Sitar), Pandit Barun Kumar Pal (Hamsa Veena), Niladri Kumar (Sitar), Partho Das (Sitar), Aparna Roy (Surbahar). He got inspiration from his sitarist mother, Manju Banerjee, who was a disciple of late Nikhil Banerjee, and afterwards, Santosh Banerjee. Indrajit’s training began with his maternal grandfather, Bankim Kumar Pal, who was the disciple of Ud. Inayat Khan, and Birendra Kishore Roy Chowdhuri (Kochi Babu). He then took training under Pandit Manilal Nag of Bishnupur Gharana. Later on, he took intensive training from his uncle, Pandit Kartick Kumar, who is a senior disciple of Pandit Ravi Shankar. All of this training developed a strong foundation for Indrajit’s music, and creative individuality. He is an A grade artist of All India Radio and National Television, Panel Artist for Indian Council Of Cultural Relations, has served as Judge for AIR (Kolkata), and is a member of the American Federations of Musicians, and voting member of The Recording Academy (Grammies). Indrajit has been touring extensively toured in the UK, Europe, Caribbean Islands, Lebanon, Hawaii, Alaska, Costa Rica, Brazil and Canada for the last 20 years as a solo sitar artist. He also collaborated with several artists from the West, including STING (Channel V Awards), Steve Smith Yaron Herman, Abbos Kosimov, Goodman Theatre (Sherman Brothers ), Fareed Haque, Jeff Coffin, Stefebn Lessard Bass, Carter Beauford Drums etc. He has several solo sitar albums to his credit and also has been featured in many albums. Indrajit has National and International awards from India and the U.S.A. Indrajit is also a composer and has arranged music for several albums and award winning documentary films.

Pandit Gourisankar Karmakar a leading tabla maestro of the present generation, studied tabla under the able guidance of his father, Pandit Shib Sankar Karmakar. Since 1979, he has been under the tutelage of the tabla Maestro Pandit Sankha Chatteriee. Gourisankar is an "A" grade Artist of All India Radio and Television. His talent and creativity are manifest in classical performances, experimental East-West World Music collaboration, and North- South musical interactions. He has performed with most of India's eminent artist like Pandit Hariprasad Chourasia, Pandit Jasraj, Pandit Birju Maharaj, Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan etc. In world Music, performed with World famous Drummer Steve Smith, Grammy winner Mamadou Diabate (Kora Player), World famous Steel Pan player Liam Teague and many others. In 2008, Gourisankar established the "School of Indian Percussion & Music" in Austin, Texas. Many of his students have benefited from his teaching expertise, and perform regularly.

Swarnendu Mandal is a young sarod player and music composer from Kolkata, who is known for his purist and melodious style of playing and is rightly considered to be one of the most prominent torch bearers of the Senia Shahajahanpur Gharana. He is a disciple of Pt. Buddhadev Dasgupta, and currently a senior scholar at ITC Sangeet Research Academy (SRA) and working at the esteemed SRA since 2013. He is also receiving sarod training from Abir Hussian of SRA since 2014. Swarnendu has performed extensively in various notable venues across South Asia and Europe. Notable venues include the following: ITC Sangeet Sammelan (2022), Ministry of Sports and Culture, Taiwan (2019), Performance for the Italian Consulate General (2022) and Krypta, Vienna (2022). He holds degrees in Bachelors of Science (Geology) and Bachelors in Music (Sangeet Visharad). Swarnendu is a graded artist of All India Radio and Doordarshan and has also recently received the prestigious CCRT National Scholarship by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.

Sandip Bhattacharjee is one of the few prodigies to have lived up to his initial promise. Born in a family with a deep rooted musical background, Sandip was initiated into music by his mother Smt. Krishna Bhattacharjee at the age of four and he continued his talim under Smt. Amita Dasgupta later. When in his teens, Sandip became a residential scholar at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy under the able Guidance of Ustad Mashkoor Ali Khan & Ustad Mubarak Ali Khan, sons and disciples of the legendary Sarangi Maestro late Padmashree Ustad Shakoor Khan. It was essentially here that Sandip was nurtured in the true guru shishya parampara system of training of the Kirana Gharana. Along with his music, Sandip also holds a First class degree in Graduation from Rabindra Bharati University (Kolkata), in classical music. Other than pure classical music he is competent in singing semi classical forms like Bhajans, ghazals and Nazrulgeeti as well. He performs across India and abroad (United States, Europe and Bangladesh). A recipient of the Title "Surmani" from Sur Singar Sansad Mumbai, Sandip also broadcasts regularly over the All India Radio as an "A" Grade artist. Apart from being an able performer Sandip is also a teacher of music. He travels regularly to Guwahati and Digboi (Assam) where he has a substantial following of students in Indian classical music. Sandip has been a faculty at AAICM in New York since 2013.

Abhijit Kastha was born in a music loving family. He was introduced to the world of table at a a very tender age of 7 under Shri Subir Mukherjee. At the age of 16, he started taking taalim under Pt. Subhankar Banerjee of Farukhabad gharana. He has gained knowledge about the various aspects of table under his guru for 17 years. Abhijit has bachelor’s degree in percussion music (table) from Rabindra Bharati University in 2006. In 2008, he obtained the 1st class in post-graduation from the same university. He is a recipient of many awards and scholarships. He has performed extensively all over India and mesmerized his audience by his performances. At present he is a member of Kajalrekha Music Foundation, established by his Guru. He is working as a regular table faculty at The Fifth Note – Global Center if Excellence under Shakhri Begum Memorial Trust (SBMT), a music institute established by vocal maestro Ud. Rashid Khan. Abhijit is also assocated with the Taalsen Academy, another reputed institution established by his Guru Pt. Subhankar Banerjee and is working there also as regular table faculty. He has accompanied several popular table maestros and performed solo recitals as well.

Susmita Chakraborty is an accomplished vocalist as well as an established harmonium player. In spite of being a brilliant student and holding a master’s degree in Zoology she has chosen her carrier in music and follows her passion. She has been singing since the age of five. She has participated in and won numerous vocal competitions; she has a lot of performance experience. Susmita received ten years of Hindustani classical vocal training from Tandra Ghoshal; afterwards, she learned from Pt. Jayanta Bose who is admired as a versatile genius in the global field of music (Vocal, Harmonium & Tabla) and still learning from Bidushi Suranjana Bose. Susmita has also learned other forms of vocal music (Semi-Classical/Light, Najrul Geeti, old Hindi film songs,Bhajans, Ghazal and Thumri) from several respected teachers. Additionally, she enjoys singing regional songs from her native Bengal. She learned Bengali modern songs from the renowned vocalist Haimanti Shukla and Narrulgeeti from Swapna Kanjilal. In 2013, she released an album entitled "Gunjan" as part of a group. In 2014, she released a solo album aptly called "Shraddhanjali" comprised of old classic Hindi songs. In 2014, she toured the USA for musical performances. In 2015, she released a solo album called "Tribute to Lata Mangeshkar" comprised of old classic Hindi songs of Lataji. In 2015, she has recorded a song for Hindi Movie "Anokhi Raat"

ICMC presents its annual event presenting a medley of several short vocal and instrumental performances, by presenting amateur musicians of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. The primary reasons for this concert are to bring awareness about Indian classical music in the community and also to stage upcoming talent. Since its inception in 1983, ICMC has built the most comprehensive concert series and is regarded as the premier producer of Indian classical music and dance in Dallas/Fort Worth and the surrounding area, by consistently presenting more than seven culturally diverse concerts a year for the sole benefit of its members and the general public. ICMC's mission is to entertain, to interest, to educate, to train and to provide spiritual nourishment to its members and the general public, and to significantly contribute to the multiethnic heritage and the cultural vitality of the city, through its concerts.

One of the finest Sitar virtuosi amongst the present generation, and a worthy torchbearer of the famed Sarod Gharana of Senia Shahjahanpur, Pt. Sugato Nag started his training at the age of eight under the guidance of Late Shri Anil Roychowdhury. Sugato next became the disciple of sarod maestro, Sangeetacharya Radhika Mohan Maitra. He next took extensive training and guidance under renowned sarodiya, Late Padmabhushan Pt. Buddhadev Dasgupta. He has also taken talim from Pt. Ajoy Sinha Roy of the Maihar Gharana. Sugato’s recital has a blending of the sitar baaj or style of playing of Ustad Vilayat Khan and the rabab based sarod baaj of Ud. Ameer Khan of Shahjahanpore. A very melodious and sensitive player, Sugato’s immense talent is evident in the way he handles the sitar, playing and synthesizing two very different types of baaj to create an unique and 'completely satisfying listening experience'. Apart from performing all over India, Sugato has toured extensively in the US, Canada, Germany, France, UK, Holland, Australia, Japan and Mexico, playing in University circuits as well as in Music Conferences and holding the audience in sway with his scintillating and exquisite performances. Sugato has given a number of lectures cum demonstrations in Universities, music institutions and schools in the US, UK, Australia and Germany and have collaborated with western musicians in Australia to present Raga music through a western instrument ensemble and sitar. An ‘A’ grade musician of All India Radio and Doordarshan, and an ICCR empaneled artist, Sugato is a well-known teacher having disciples around the globe.

Gourisankar Karmakar a leading tabla maestro of the present generation, studied tabla under the able guidance of his father, Pandit Shib Sankar Karmakar. Since 1979, he has been under the tutelage of the tabla Maestro Pandit Sankha Chatteriee. Gourisankar is an "A" grade Artist of All India Radio and Television. His talent and creativity are manifest in classical performances, experimental East-West World Music collaboration, and North- South musical interactions. He has performed with most of India's eminent artist like Pandit Hariprasad Chourasia, Pandit Jasraj, Pandit Birju Maharaj, Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan etc. In world Music, performed with World famous Drummer Steve Smith, Grammy winner Mamadou Diabate (Kora Player), World famous Steel Pan player Liam Teague and many others. In 2008, Gourisankar established the "School of Indian Percussion & Music" in Austin, Texas. Many of his students have benefited from his teaching expertise, and perform regularly.

Born in the family of traditional legendary musicians, Apoorva Gokhale has carved a niche for herself as one of the sought after well-known vocalists of the younger generation with a firm background of Gwalior Gharana. She has an impressive musical lineage and has proudly and responsibly inherited the musical qualities from her grandfather, the late Gayanacharya Pandit Gajananrao Joshi and her great- grandfather Pandit Antubua Joshi, an eminent court musician in the erstwhile state of Aundh, district Satara. At a very tender age of five, she initially received a sound grooming from her grandfather Pandit Gajananrao Joshi. Later on, she received rigorous training under the guidance her uncle Pandit Madhukarrao Joshi. She also received guidance her aunt Dr. Sucheta Bidkar and Padmashri Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar. Also learnt basics from her father Manohar Joshi. She also received able guidance from Pandit Shankar Abhyankar, an eminent sitarist and composer, Smt. Manik Bhide, Smt. Ashwini Bhide –Deshpande, Pandit Yeshwant Mahale and Pandit Arun Kashalkar. Apoorva has bagged many prestigious prizes, scholarships and awards in her performing career.

Born in the family of musicians, Pallavi Joshi has inherited traditional music and represents the 5th generation of the rich heritage of her family. Her training started at the age of 5 from her grandfather, Pandit Gajananbuva Joshi whose gayaki was a perfect blend of three gharanas Gwalior, Jaipur and Agra gharana. After the demise of Pt. Gajananbuva Joshi, she has taken her training from her uncle Pt. Madhukar Joshi for more than 25 years. She has also received guidance from her aunt Dr. Sucheta Bidkar & from her father, Shri. Manohar Joshi. She has been awarded Govt. of India National Scholarship for Hindustani Classical vocal young artistes. Pallavi is a graduate in Biotechnology and holds a Master’s degree in Management Studies. She has given many solo concerts and sahagayan concerts with her elder sister Smt Apoorva Gokhale in a number of prestigious music conferences in India and abroad.

Chinmay Kolhatkar is one of the most popular and sought after harmonium player in the country. He is the disciple of the renowned Harmonium maestro Dr. Arawind Thatte. He is a graduate in Electronic Engineering. After his graduation he decided to take music as his profession. He has performed with all leading vocalists, tabla players and kathak dancers all over India and abroad. He has accompanied artists like Smt. Kishori Amonkar, Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar, Dr. Ashwini Bhide, Smt. Malini Rajurkar and many more. He has provided lehra accompaniment to great tabla maestros like Ud. Zakir Hussain, Pt. Anindo Chatterjee, Pt. Suresh Talwalkar, Pt. Yogesh Samsi, etc. He has also accompanied eminent dancers like Pt. Birju Maharaj, Smt. Rohini Bhate, Smt. Shama Bhate etc. Chinmay is also a well-known music composer. He has composed music for various albums and ballets. He also works as a freelance recordist for various projects.

Sanjay Deshpande was introduced to the art of playing tabla under late Pt. Sabade at Pune Bharat Gayan Samaj. Later he took Taleem (lessons) from the renowned Tabla player Pt. Suresh Talwalkar of Delhi-Farookabad Gharana, in a Guru Shishya Parampara. He also had the privilege of understanding the beauty of Punjab Gharana under the guidance of Tabla maestro Ustad. Alla Rakha Khan Saheb. At present he is taking guidance from Pt. Yogesh Samsi and Pt. Vivek Joshi. Sanjay is recipient of the coveted “Ahmedjaan Thirakwaa Scholarship” for Solo Performance. He has accompanied renowned artists like Smt. Vasundhara Komkali, Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar, Pt. Smt. Malini Rajurkar, Pt. Jasraj, Dr. Prabha Atre, Pt. Dinkar Kaikini, Dr. Ashwini Bhide-Deshpande, Smt. Veena Sahastrabudhe and many such great artists. He has performed in major conferences such as Sawai Gandharwa Music Festival Pune, Paluskar Smarak Conference, Shankarlal Samaroha in New Delhi, ITC Sangeet Sammelan. Doverlane Conference, Kolkata. Sanjay has performed abroad in countries like USA, UK, UAE, Canada, Australia, Switzerland, Holland, Qatar, Sri Lanka, South Korea etc. He has also participated in the “World Vocal Festival” in Sweden. He is empaneled as Guru at the Lalit Kala Kendra, University of Pune. His fusion album “Wind From Ayuta” with Korean musicians won the Best album award of the year - 2002 in South Korea.

One of the youngest President Award Winning "A" Grade Sarod artists of All India Radio & National Television - Kolkata, Abhisek Lahiri has won the hearts of discerning audiences worldwide with his maturity, depth & perfection already at the age of 29. Abhisek was initiated in Sarod at an early age of 5 and trained under the tutelage of his father as well as Guru, eminent Sarod maestro Pandit Alok Lahiri & became one of his premier disciples. Abhisek’s Sarod recital has a blending of three major Gharanas of Sarod playing: Shajahanpur, Senia Maihar & Senia Bangash Gharana (Gwalior). Abhisek possesses the dignity of being the First Indian Musician along with his eminent father to perform in “Europe Parliament” in France and also in "Canada Culture Days" in Hamilton, Canada on invitation of The Malhar Group. Abhisek is an empaneled member artist of Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), New Delhi. Abhisek took part in the “World Kinder Festival” in Holland & enthralled the audiences as a ‘Wonder Child Sarod Player’ in 1997. The Dutch Television network telecasts his recitals countrywide even now. Abhisek has some CD albums released to his credit: His two solo albums “Sparkling Sarod’ and "Mood of Puriya Kalyan" released by Bihaan Music received nominations in Global Indian Music Awards (GiMA) of Mumbai in “Best Hindustani Classical Album- Instrumental” category for the year 2010 & 2014 respectively. His latest release “IONAH Trio” CD album along with Japanese Guitarist Hideaki Tsuji is also getting worldwide appreciation. Abhisek has performed extensively within India and across the world in countries like USA, Canada, UK, Germany, France, Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Italy, Sweden, Japan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka etc.

Subrata Bhattacharya is one of the leading tabla players in India today. He has received his taalim under Shri Tamal Krishna Chatterjee, Shri Nripen Karmakar and Shri Tapan Kr. Banerjee before he was finally accepted as a student of tabla maestro Pt. Shankar Ghosh, all of whom honed his talent to the level of refinement now witnessed by audiences everywhere. He has since proved himself a worthy exponent of the Farukhabad Gharana. Recognition of his talent has come in the form of such awards as the Sangeet Prabhankar and the Gold Medal and the Saangeet Praveen from Prayag Sangeet Samiti, Allahadad, and Sangeet Bhushan from the Bhatkhande College, Lucknow. Renowned artists whom he has accompanied in the past few years are Dr. L. Subramaniam, Dr.N. Rajam, Pt. Buddhaditya Mukherjee, Ud Shahid Parvez Khan, Ud Ali Ahmed Hussain, Chitraveena Ravikiran, Pt. Tejendra Narayan Majumdar, Pt. Samaresh Chaudhury, etc. The next milestone of his creativity and innovation is "Naad- The Everlasting Sound", a group he has formed to experiment with fusion music. It seems the next inevitable step in Subrata's career as a mingling and merging of eastern, middle eastern and western styles of music is the trend among makers and lovers of music these days. He is been a part of the Chicago based Indo -Jazz band Flat Earth Ensemble since its inception.

An empaneled artist of Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), Anjan Saha has learnt sitar under the yet caring apprenticeship of Pt Debiprosad Chatterjee since his childhood. He is a graded artist of Prasar Bharati. Anjan has been awarded with the National Scholarship from Dept of Culture, Government of India in the year 1992. He has achieved the rare feat of obtaining National Scholarship for the second time from Department of Culture, Government of India in 1998. Anjan has been performing extensively in India and abroad since 1998. He has given a number of performances in different cities in Germany, France, Slovenia, Croatia, Belgium, Montenegro, Kuwait, Qatar, East Asia and United States of America. Besides his performances Anjan's Music compositions in different genre has got a great applause from the audience. Anjan has been teaching in Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata since 2004.

Pt. Arup Chattopadhyay is recognized as one of the most outstanding and sought after Tabla artists of this generation. He has established himself as a top-notch accompanist as well as a formidable soloist. Arup's performances are admired for their exceptional tonal quality, clarity and deep compositional repertoire, all presented with an innate sense of rhythm and melody. Arup began learning Tabla at age six from his father, the eminent Tabla player, Pt. Pankaj Chattopadhyay. He then came under the tutelage of the world-renowned Tabla maestro Pt. Shankar Ghosh and is one of his premier disciples. He was awarded Top-Grade by All India Radio and Television. Arup has accompanied many of the leading musicians of India such as Pt. Ravi Shankar, Ustad Rais Khan, Ustad Aashish Khan, Ustad Shahid Parvez, Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Pt. Nayan Ghosh, Pt. Ajay Chakarbarti, Lakhsmi Shankar, Pt. Rajan and Sajan Mishra, Ustad Rashid Khan, the late V.G. Jog, Pt. Tejendra Narayan Majumdar, Pt. Kushal Das, among others. Since 1998, Arup has been honored to accompany the legend Bharat Ratna Pt. Ravi Shankar in tours throughout the US, Canada, Europe, and India, Including performances in Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, in US, and Barbican hall in London. Arup is also a highly sought after teacher and since 1999 has been a visiting lecturer with University of California, San Diego; and previously a professor of Tabla at Baratiya Vidya Bhavan in London (Institute of Indian Culture).

Born into a rich legacy of music, Pandit Bhuvanesh Komkali was destined to be a singer. Surrounded by the sound of an incomparable vocalist tradition since conception, Bhuvanesh grew up with the rhythms and shifting weight of original compositions imbuing hi senses. Even if he cared not to listen, the pulse could not be ignored because it was in his blood. Grandson of Pandit Kumar Gandharva, son of Mukul Shivputra, Bhuvanesh’s musical journey began, unbeknownst to him, in infancy. Bhuvanesh’s earliest memories are filled with the sounds of early morning practice, performances and recordings. His musical quest continues today under the tutelage of Smt. Vasundhara Komkali and Shri Madhup Mudgal. Analytical environment and meditating over the different aspects of classical music boosted energy to bloom and glow his artistic personality. By following the values and philosophy established by Pandit Kumar Gandharva, Bhuvanesh proves his commitment and persistence for music through his singing. Bhuvanesh has composed music for Hindi feature film ‘Devi Ahilya’. Bhuvanesh has performed successfully in almost all over India in reputed music festivals and has been highly appreciated by the well versed audience. He has been awarded with scholarship by cultural department of Government of India. In the year 2009 he was awarded by and Shanmukhanand Shiromani Award & Mallikarjun Mansur yuva puraskaar by Govt. of Karnataka in 2010 and Sangeet Natak Akademi’s prestigious Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar in 2012 He is a regular performer for All India Radio. He was sent by Govt of India to perform in Mauritius and Nepal. He has performed in USA and Canada in 2015.

Abhishek Shinkar comes from the family of music lovers and connoisseurs. He took primary lessons of music from Shankar Mahajan for 8 years. Later he carried his training for vocal and harmonium under the guidance of Pt. Nathrao Neralkar at Aurangabad for next 5 years under Gurushishya Parampara. Post that, he has been taking formal lessons for harmonium under the tutelage of Pt. Pramod Marathe at Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Pune under Gurushishya Parampara for the past 5 years, which still continues. He is also fortunate to receive guidance from Taalyogi Pt. Sureshji Talwalkar. He has accompanied various artist of great repertoire at many prestigious concerts, Pt. Suresh Talwalkar, Pt. Nathrao Neralkar, Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar, Pt. Vijay Ghate, Pt. Ramdas Palsule, Vidushi Kalapini Komkali, Pandita Padma Talwalkar, Pt. Raghunandan Panshikar, Pt Bhuvanesh Komkali, Pt. Supreet Deshpande, Smt. Manjusha Patil Kulkarni, Smt. Devaki Pandit to name a few. He had also performed solo concerts at various occasions, at NCPA Mumbai, Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Pune to name a few. Apart from this he has done his Masters of Arts in harmonium and is also a visharad in harmonium and vocal. He also has many awards and recognition to his name out of which few are: Pt Vishnu Digamber Paluskar Scholarship, Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, Pune ,Secured first position in National Youth festival for Harmonium , Pt. D.V. Paluskar Award, Sharda Sangeet Vidyalaya, Mumbai and the prestigious Scholarship from Ministry of Culture, India.

Sanjay Deshpande was introduced to the art of playing Tabla under Late Pt. Sabade at Pune Bharat Gayan Samaj. Later he took Taleem (lessons) from the renowned Tabla player Pt. Suresh Talwalkar of Delhi-Farookabad Gharana, in a Guru Shishya Parampara . He also had the privilege of understanding the beauty of Punjab Gharana under the guidance of world renowned Tabla maestro Ustad. Alla Rakha Khan Saheb. At present he is taking guidance from Shri. Yogesh Samsi and Pt. Vivek Joshi. Sanjay is recipient of the coveted “Ahmedjaan Thirakwaa Scholarship” for Solo Performance. He has accompanied renowned artists like Smt. Vasundhara Komkali, Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar, Pt. Smt. Malini Rajurkar, Pt. Jasraj, Dr. Prabha Atre, Pt. Dinkar Kaikini, Dr. Ashwini Bhide-Deshpande , Smt. Veena Sahastrabudhe and many such great artists. He has performed in major conferences such as Sawai Gandharwa Music Festival Pune, Paluskar Smarak Conference, Shankarlal Samaroha in New Delhi, I.T.C. Sangeet Sammelan . Doverlane Conference, Kolkata. Sanjay has performed abroad in Countries like USA, UK, UAE, Canada, Australia, Switzerland, Russia, Holland, Qatar, Sri Lanka, South Korea etc. He has also participated in the “World Vocal Festival” in Sweden. He is empaneled as GURU at the Lalit Kala Kendra, University of Pune. His fusion album “Wind From Ayuta” with Korean musicians won the Best album award of the year - 2002 in South Korea.

ICMC presents Fall Fest 2022 presenting a medley of several short vocal, instrumental and dance performances, by ICMC member musicians. This event is FREE to general public. The primary reasons for this concert are to bring awareness about Indian classical music in the community and also to stage upcoming talent. Since its inception in 1983, ICMC has built the most comprehensive concert series and is regarded as the premier producer of Indian classical music and dance in Dallas/Fort Worth and the surrounding area, by consistently presenting more then seven culturally diverse concerts a year for the sole benefit of its members and the general public. ICMC's mission is to entertain, to interest, to educate, to train and to provide spiritual nourishment to its members and the general public, and to significantly contribute to the multi-ethnic heritage and the cultural vitality of the city, through its concerts.

ICMC presents Fall Fest 2019 featuring a medley of several short vocal and instrumental performances, by ICMC member musicians. This event is FREE to general public. The primary reasons for this concert are to bring awareness about Indian classical music in the community and also to stage upcoming talent. Since its inception in 1983, ICMC has built the most comprehensive concert series and is regarded as the premier producer of Indian classical music and dance in Dallas/Fort Worth and the surrounding area, by consistently presenting more than seven culturally diverse concerts a year for the sole benefit of its members and the general public. ICMC's mission is to entertain, to interest, to educate, to train and to provide spiritual nourishment to its members and the general public, and to significantly contribute to the multiethnic heritage and the cultural vitality of the city, through its concerts. ICMC members – who are interested in performing at this event should send email to president@icmcdfw.org. Participants must have active ICMC memberships through June 20, 2020.

An empaneled artist of Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), Anjan Saha has learnt sitar under the yet caring apprenticeship of Pt Debiprosad Chatterjee since his childhood. He is a graded artist of Prasar Bharati. Anjan has been awarded with the National Scholarship from Dept of Culture, Government of India in the year 1992. He has achieved the rare feat of obtaining National Scholarship for the second time from Department of Culture, Government of India in 1998. Anjan has been performing extensively in India and abroad since 1998. He has given a number of performances in different cities in Germany, France, Slovenia, Croatia, Belgium, Montenegro, Kuwait, Qatar, East Asia and United States of America. Besides his performances Anjan's Music compositions in different genre has got a great applause from the audience. Anjan has been teaching in Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata since 2004.

Pt. Arup Chattopadhyay is recognized as one of the most outstanding and sought after Tabla artists of this generation. He has established himself as a top-notch accompanist as well as a formidable soloist. Arup's performances are admired for their exceptional tonal quality, clarity and deep compositional repertoire, all presented with an innate sense of rhythm and melody. Arup began learning Tabla at age six from his father, the eminent Tabla player, Pt. Pankaj Chattopadhyay. He then came under the tutelage of the world-renowned Tabla maestro Pt. Shankar Ghosh and is one of his premier disciples. He was awarded Top-Grade by All India Radio and Television. Arup has accompanied many of the leading musicians of India such as Pt. Ravi Shankar, Ustad Rais Khan, Ustad Aashish Khan, Ustad Shahid Parvez, Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Pt. Nayan Ghosh, Pt. Ajay Chakarbarti, Lakhsmi Shankar, Pt. Rajan and Sajan Mishra, Ustad Rashid Khan, the late V.G. Jog, Pt. Tejendra Narayan Majumdar, Pt. Kushal Das, among others. Since 1998, Arup has been honored to accompany the legend Bharat Ratna Pt. Ravi Shankar in tours throughout the US, Canada, Europe, and India, Including performances in Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, in US, and Barbican hall in London. Arup is also a highly sought after teacher and since 1999 has been a visiting lecturer with University of California, San Diego; and previously a professor of Tabla at Baratiya Vidya Bhavan in London (Institute of Indian Culture).

Sandip Bhattacharjee is one of the few prodigies to have lived up to his initial promise. Born in a family with a deep rooted musical background, Sandip was initiated into music by his mother Smt. Krishna Bhattacharjee at the age of four and he continued his talim under Smt. Amita Dasgupta later. When in his teens, Sandip became a residential scholar at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy under the able Guidance of Ustad Mashkoor Ali Khan & Ustad Mubarak Ali Khan, sons and disciples of the legendary Sarangi Maestro late Padmashree Ustad Shakoor Khan. It was essentially here that Sandip was nurtured in the true guru shishya parampara system of training of the Kirana Gharana. Along with his music, Sandip also holds a First class degree in Graduation from Rabindra Bharati University (Kolkata), in classical music. Other than pure classical music he is competent in singing semi classical forms like Bhajans, ghazals and Nazrulgeeti as well. He performs across India and abroad (United States, Europe and Bangladesh). A recipient of the Title "Surmani" from Sur Singar Sansad Mumbai, Sandip also broadcasts regularly over the All India Radio as an " A " Grade artist. Apart from being an able performer Sandip is also a teacher of music. He travels regularly to Guwahati and Digboi (Assam) where he has a substantial following of students in Indian classical music. Sandip has been a faculty at AAICM in New York since 2013.

Ramchandra Joshi is an accomplished vocalist as well as an established harmonium player. Inducted to the world of music at the tender age of 8 years by his mother Smt. Anjani Tilak from Mumbai, later he got trained with Smt. Tulika Ghosh who is disciple of legendary late Pt. Gyanprakash Ghosh from Kolkata, and Smt. Sraboni Mukherjee in classical vocal, light classical music (thumri, ghazal) respectively at Sangeet Mahabharati Music academy Mumbai founded by late Pt Nikhil Ghosh. He received guidance in Indian Classical Vocal from renowned vocalist Dr. Veena Sahasrabuddhe from Pune. He has toured extensively in India, USA, UK and Switzerland. As Harmonium accompanist Ramchandra has accompanied vocalists at numerous concerts.

Gourisankar Karmakar a leading tabla maestro of the present generation, studied tabla under the able guidance of his father, Pandit Shib Sankar Karmakar. Since 1979, he has been under the tutelage of the tabla Maestro Pandit Sankha Chatteriee. Gourisankar is an "A" grade Artist of All India Radio and Television. His talent and creativity are manifest in classical performances, experimental East-West World Music collaboration, and North- South musical interactions. He has performed with most of India's eminent artist like Pandit Hariprasad Chourasia, Pandit Jasraj, Pandit Birju Maharaj, Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan etc. In world Music, performed with World famous Drummer Steve Smith, Grammy winner Mamadou Diabate (Kora Player), World famous Steel Pan player Liam Teague and many others. In 2008, Gourisankar established the "School of Indian Percussion & Music" in Austin, Texas. Many of his students have benefited from his teaching expertise, and perform regularly.

Jesse Bannister is a unique musician who is respected as the leading Indian Saxophonist in Europe. He learned from such illustrious musicians as Pt. Dharamveer Singh (a UK based sitar player, who has learnt from Sitar legend Ustad Vilayat Khan) and Pt. Ajoy Chakraborty. He has performed throughout England, regularly bringing new and inspiring projects to the UK Music scene having performed at the London Jazz Festival, the Darbar festival, and the Musicport Bridgewater Hall. Jesse has composed music for the Halle Orchestra, Film, TV, Theatre and Dance productions and has co-founded Indo Jazz ensembles Raga Nova and Samay. Jesse has collaborated with many artists including Siva Raman, Talvin Singh, Andy Sheppard, Pt. Subhen Chatterjee and The Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. Jessie has been performing in major music festivals in UK, India , USA, Canada and many other countries for the past 15 years. Legendary vocalist Pt. Jasraj describes Jessie Bannister as "The Future of Indian Classical Music".

Pratik Shrivastava, a young and talented Sarod player born in 1987, began his musical journey under the training of his grandfather Pandit Rabi Chakraborty, an eminent Sarod player of the Maihar Gharana and a senior disciple of Sarod legend Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, and further nurtured his technical virtuosity under the tutelage of his uncle Dr. Rajeeb Chakraborty. Presently, to fine tune his performance still further and understand the aesthetic nuances of music, he is under the able guidance of world renowned vocalist Pt. Ajay Chakraborty and veteran sarod player Pt. Tejendra Narayan Majumdar. Pratik has won several awards and scholarships nationally and internationally including the Anun Lund Rej Memorial Foundation Scholarship 1999, Norway, Youngest Talent at the prestigious Salt Lake Music Conference in 1998 and a national scholarship awarded by the Indian Government to name a few. Pratik has been touring extensively all parts of the world and has already played in many major music conferences both in India & abroad.

Pandit Subhen Chatterjee is one of best known tabla players of India today. Having learnt the art of tabla playing from tabla legend Pt. Swapan Chowdhury of Lucknow Gharana, Subhen went on to incorporate the beauty of other Gharanas or Schools of tabla playing into his playing and has thus been able to make his style of playing distinctively different from others. Subhen has been playing in the major music festivals for more than 30 years now accompanying such greats of Indian Music as Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, Pt.Jasraj, Vidushi Girija Devi, Vidushi Shobha Gurtu, Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Pt. Rajan and Sajan Mishra, Ustad Shahid Parvez & many others. Other than playing Classical Music, Subhen is also one of the leaders of World Music Movement in India with his World Music band KARMA which he has formed way back in 1985 and which is still one of the best known bands in India. Subhen is also a regular performer of Womad, a music movement started by internationally acclaimed guitar maestro Mr. Peter Gabriel. Subhen's CD named Artistry which is a live recording of his performance with Sitar maestro Pt. Manilal Nag and Sarangi maestro Pt. Ramesh Mishra has been nominated for the most coveted Grammy award in the year 2003. Subhen has also composed a Single Piece which he played live with a team of 338 musicians non-stop for 52 minutes in Jorhat (Assam, India) has got him into Guinness book of world records.

ICMC’s India Dance Festival will host the US premiere of "Meet Me on the Meadow" on Saturday August 24, 2019. The 90-Minute Kathak-based musical was launched in India in 2017 and has had multiple performances since, all winning media and audience acclaim.

Kathak (Story-Telling) - the dance style from North India has the charm and subtlety associated with miniature paintings. Nurtured in the holy precincts of the Hindu temples, Kathak was further enhanced under the Persian influence during the Moghul reign in India, attaining supreme refinement as a Classical dance form and establishing a discipline through various gharana’s and styles thereof.

Meet Me on the Meadow the musical portrays an epic love tale through music and dance, in another timeless context. The musical is written, directed and produced by Anita Kulkarni, Founder-President-Artistic Director at Renu – The Foundation for Art, a NJ Non-Profit, with Guru Akhila Rao of Kathak Rhythms, Dallas-TX choreographing the Kathak dance sequences for the Show US Tour, 2019. The dances are performed by her senior disciples.

In the story, a gorgeous girl, often losing herself in the thoughts of Vrindavan chances upon beautiful love on the meadow. Love blossoms, then meeting an uphill road of separation where mortal challenges of suspicion and fear dislocate her poise. Will she endure it? Will they rise in love? The show takes away from the Radha-Krishna metaphor, leaving the audience with a liberating message in a sensory journey of music, poetry and dance.

Architect-Artist Anita Kulkarni works with the mission of interpreting the uplifting Indian arts to global audiences. Her conceptualized artistic themes, often illustrated through brilliant aesthetics, celebrate art by drawing people into the experience. Anita sees art as a powerful aesthetic expression to convey a holistic message. Anita’s productions have done extremely well world-over, with "Panorama" – the Kathak-BharataNatyam integration performing in France at a prestigious festival during its India run, ‘Gandhaar’ and ‘Pancham’ (Music Appreciation programs, supported by art grants), ‘Arts of India’ executed in partnership with The Taubman Museum of Art in Virginia-USA, ‘Sangam’ - a novel artistic presentation she directed in Houston-TX, ‘Nirmohi’ - a solo musical on the life-poetry of Kabeer and MeeraBai, and ‘Bhaav Bhairavi’ – A musical portrait of raag Bhairavi’s momentous emotional appeal. Anita is based in NJ-USA and splits time between India and the US.

Akhila Rao has been in the field of Kathak for over 40 years and is the Founder-Director of Kathak Rhythms, a leading Dallas-based school training students in the art form of Kathak since 20 years. Many of her students have completed the Visharad (Graduation) level and their Manch Pravesh (Dance Debut). Her senior students have performed at prestigious programs receiving acclaim and recognition globally, through festivals such as Kal-Ke-Kalakar, Lotus World Festival, Gandharva Festival, Internaitonal Kathak Festival etc, and were honored with titles like Singar Mani, Natya Praveena and Nritya Gandharva. Akhila’s artistic work is noted for providing an opportunity to the second generation Indian diaspora and dance lovers to see Kathak in its purity and entirety, with the nuances of abhinaya (Acting), layakari (tempo-highlighting footwork) and padhant (rhythm reciting) that characterize Kathak. Akhila, with her choreographic designs and dance direction beautifully brings out the drama on the meadow.

Pompi Mukherjee (Odissi Dance) - From a young age, Pompi Mukherjee ,a Dallas based Odissi dancer was introduced to Odissi, under Late Guru Muralidhar Majhi. As a young adult, she pursued this dance form with Nritya Shiromani Guru Smt. Aloka Kanungo and is presently learning from Guru Supradipta Datta. In India, she has performed in prestigious venues like Kalamandir, Gyan Manch, Gorky Sadan and Rabindra Sadan to name a few. She has also been a regular artist of the network television of India. During her stay in the US, she also had the privilege of performing in the Indian Association of North Texas, Bengali Association of Dallas Fort Worth, The North American Bengali Conference, Karya Siddhi Hanuman Temple, DFW Hindu Temple Society - Ekta Temple, AlokUtsav, Houston, The Dupree Theater, Dallas, Odissi Conference at North Carolina. Additionally, she has collaborated with legendary dancers like Guru Smt. Kalavati Devi (Maha Raas) and Meenakshi Sheshadri (Ganesh Vandana)

Omkar Dadarkar hails from a family of ‘Marathi Natyasangeet’ exponents. He received his initial guidance from his aunt, the late noted classical vocalist Manik Verma and thereafter from Ram Deshpande. After being awarded the CCRT scholarship (Delhi) for classical music, he was groomed by Pandit Yashwantbua Joshi under the scheme of Guru-Shishya-Parampara of the Dadar-Matunga Cultural Centre. A Sangeet Visharad and Bachelor of Arts in Marathi Literature and History, Omkar joined ITC-SRA as a scholar in July 1999, receiving rigorous talim under Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar. He completed his training in June 2005 with an A+ grade. He also trained in the light classical form under Vidushi Girija Devi and Srinivas Khale. His numerous awards include the prestigious Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar for 2010 conferred by the Sangeet Natak Akademi to talented artistes below the age of 35, the Aditya Vikram Birla Puraskar in 2009, the “Shanmukhananda Hall-Mumbai-Sangeet Shiromani” award and he is also the first recipient of “Chaturanga Sangeet Shishyavrutti Award” given by Chaturanga Pratishthan in collaboration with Mhaiskar Foundation, Mumbai. Omkar who was previously working with Mumbai Educational Trust, as Music In-charge returned to ITC SRA as a Musician Tutor in 2010 and has been promoted to the position of Guru of the Academy in 2017.

Milind Kulkarni's natural flair for Harmonium reflects the eternal essence of Hindustani Classical Music as handed down in the true “Guru Shishya Parampara”. Milind took his initial training from Pandit Vsantrao Gurav and later on he has been taking the lessons from Pt. Pramod Marathe from Gandharva Mahavidyalaya. Milind earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Music, specializing in Harmonium at Centre for Performing Arts, Pune University, Pune. He has accompanied many prominent vocalist, instrumentalist and Kathak Dance performers. Milind is a regular performer of All India Radio & Doordarshan (T.V.) network.

Sanjay Deshpande is a talented Tabla Player based in Pune, India. He was born in a music loving family and was introduced to the art of playing Tabla under Late Pt. Sabade at Pune Bharat Gayan Samaj. Later he took Taleem (lessons) from the renowned Tabla player Pt. Suresh Talwalkar of Delhi-Farookabad Gharana, in a Guru Shishya Parampara for 6 years. He also had the privilege of understanding the beauty of Punjab Gharana under the guidance of world renowned Tabla maestro Ustad. Alla Rakha Khan Saheb. At present he is taking guidance from Shri. Yogesh Samsi and Pt. Vivek Joshi. Sanjay is recipient of the coveted "Ahmedjaan Thirakwaa Scholarship" for Solo Performance. He has accompanied renowned artists like Smt. Vasundhara Komkali, Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar, Pt. Smt. Malini Rajurkar, Pt. Jasraj, Dr. Prabha Atre, Pt. Dinkar Kaikini, Dr. Ashwini Bhide-Deshpande , Smt. Veena Sahastrabudhe and many others. He has performed in major conferences such as Sawai Gandharwa Music Festival Pune, Paluskar Smarak Conference, Shankarlal Samaroha in New Delhi, I.T.C. Sangeet Sammelan . Dowerlane Conference, Kolkata. Sanjay has performed abroad in countries like USA, UK, UAE, Canada, Australia, Switzerland, Russia, Holland, Qatar, Sri Lanka, South Korea etc. He has also participated in the "World Vocal Festival" in Sweden. He is empanelled as guru at the Lalit Kala Kendra, University of Pune. He has number of recordings released. His fusion album "Wind From Ayuta" with Korean musicians won the Best album award of the year - 2002 in South Korea.

Ustad Waseem Ahmed Khan is blessed with a rare combination of teaching skills, fine temperament and an exceptional voice. He is one of the finest musicians of his generation. He comes from a great lineage of musicians of the Agra Gharana. He took his initial taalim from his maternal grandfather, Ustad Ata Hussain Khan, and later from his father, Ustad Naseem Ahmed Khan. He was a Scholar of ITC SRA under erstwhile Guru Ustad Shafi Ahmed Khan, who was his grand uncle. Waseem has focused on giving taalim to students of all ages. He is passionate about performing too. Having debutged at the age of 10, he has performed at various important concerts all over the country, singing at the ITC SRA Sangeet Sammelan at Delhi and the ITC SRA Guru-Sishya Parampara concert in Kolkata in 2003. In 2007, he toured France and Germany, one of his memorable performances being at the Theatre de-la-Ville in Paris. He also conducted workshops in Europe. A regular performer on All India Radio, he has been giving performances and conducting workshops all over the country via SPICMACAY since 1996.

Dr. Vinay Mishra, an accomplished harmonium player, was born in Varanasi in a family of music lovers. While he has also learnt the sitar, the harmonium holds a special place in his heart. Vinay was born in the city of Varanasi in a family of music lovers. As a child, his father indulged his wish to learn classical music and decided to take him to Pandit Channulal Mishra for vocal lessons where he received his early training. Later on, he studied harmonium rigorously under the tutelage of Ustad Mehtab Khan and his father Ustad Chand Khan of Varanasi. Vinay also got a chance to learn the finer nuances of Indian classical harmonium playing from the legendary harmonium exponent Pt. AppaSaheb Jalgaonkar. Vinay also holds a Ph.D. in Music from University of Delhi and has a published a book called 'Harmonium - Vividh Ayam' which talks about the increasing importance of harmonium in today's classical music era. He has shared the stage with eminent artists such as Girija Devi, Ashwini Bhide, Pt Ulhas Kashalkar, Ud Rashid Khan, Pt. Venkatesh Kumar, Pts Rajan Sajan Mishra, Prabha Atre, Pt Ajay Pohankar, Pt Sanjeev Abhyankar, Shruti Shadolikar, Parveen Sultana, etc. for last 15 years in all the prestigious music festivals in India and has toured extensively over United States, Europe, Africa and Middle East.

Pandit Ashis Sengupta is a versatile percussionist of the Banaras gharana. He received his initial training from his father Shri Ranjit Kumar Sengupta and was later groomed by Pandit Nanku Maharaj, Pandit Mahapurush Mishra and Pandit Krishna Kumar Ganguly. Pt. Sengupta has innovated to the various rhythmic compositions learnt from his Gurus and is also blessed with a lot of traditional compositions, Stotras and varieties of Gats from the great Gurus. Both as a soloist and an accompanist to widely varied music styles and performers, he is also an established western drummer to his credit. Apart from playing Tabla, he has composed Bhajans and music arrangements for light music compositions recorded by many reputed audio-video companies. Apart from his extensive global tour, he has participated India festival in Moscow, Germany, France, Holland UK, USA and Canada. He has accompanied some of the very distinguished Hindustani musicians of today as well as of the past like Pt. Nivrutti Bua Sarnaik, Pt. Mallikarjun Mansoor, Smt. Gangubai Hangal, Smt. Sunanda Pattanayak, Pandit Manilal Nag, Vidushi. Girija Devi, Pt. L. K. Pandit, Pandit Rajan and Sajan Misra, Vidushi Arti Anklekar, Pt. Gokulotsav Maharaj, Ud Rashid Khan, Pt. V. G. Jog, Pt. Vinayak Torvi, Pt. Ronu Majumder, Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Pt. Kaivalya Kumar, Pt. Venkatesh Kumar, Pt. Shantanu Bhattacharyya and Pt Jayateerth Mevundi to name a few. Most recently, he has written a book on Tabla named "Facets of Tabla Playing", published by Kanishka Publishers, New Delhi. He has traveled extensively all over the globe for his performances and lecture-demonstration on Tabla playing under the aegis of numerous organizations. At present he is a member of the Faculty of Music and Fine Arts, University of Delhi.

A disciple of legendary Ustad Mehdi Hassan and Ustad Shaukat Hussain Khan, Ustad Tari Khan has captured audience imaginations worldwide as a both a ghazal and tabla maestro. Raised by a classical vocalist father and groomed by two legendary Ustads during a golden era of music, he represents a unique product of melodic and rhythmic pedigree. As Tariji was a rising star in the early 70s and touring with Mehdi Hassan as an accompanist, he was under continuous talim, from the ghazal legend. Once established as one of the foremost percussionists in India and Pakistan, Tariji turned his performance prowess to ghazals and quickly established himself as a leading vocalist. His rendition preserves Ustad Mehdi Hassan’s depth and feeling while displaying his unique innovation, leaving audiences spellbound. Tariji has received the highest global accolades for the better part of four decades, including Pakistan’s coveted Pride of Performance, her highest award for artistic excellence. In the last several years he has given many vocal concerts in prestigious sold out venues across India, Pakistan, Europe, Australia, US, and Canada and drawn critical acclaim. In recent years, Tariji has continued to evolve, as a composer, by crossing generas with film and with western artists, and as an ambassador of eastern music with the Doris Duke foundation.

Mohammad Bashir Khan, originally from Rajasthan India, is one of the foremost exponents of his instrument, Bubul Tarang. He hails from a family of six generations of artists. As a follower of the Kirana Gharana under maestro Abdul Rehman Khansahib, he has applied his training to this unique instrument and regularly accompanied the highest profile artists including Ustad Mehdi Hassan, Ghulam Ali, Nursrat Fateh Ali Khan, Pankaj Udas, and Hari Haran. He regularly works with Bollywood movie directors and can be heard in many movies.

Arif Mani is a stage performer, studio artist, a composer, and a sound engineer. A versatile artist, he plays a wide range of key based instruments including piano, electronic keyboard and harmonium. He has performed and recorded with various renowned artists including Ghulam Abbas, Parvez Mehdi, Abida Parveen, Rafaqat Ali Khan, and many others. He worked for Pakistan Television as a music director and composer and was awarded best composer in 2010.

Matt Gaskins has sang and played instruments since the age of 5 and pursued a career in music steeped in both performance and music education. He earned a bachelor’s degree in percussion from Cameron University and Master in jazz vocal from University of North Texas. He has worked across genres for over 30 year and worked with acclaimed jazz artists like Vinnie Colaiuta. Matt happened upon Hindustani classical music in his teens and studied sitar under sitar maestro Ustad Imrat Khan and eventually became a disciple of Ustad Tari Khan. He has applied his talents and education across genres on a regular basis, including working with Abhit Pohankar of Piya Bawari and Ustad Tari Khan. Matt was also founder of Neighbor Arts and Music School (NAMS) an established music school in Frisco, Texas and is currently Music Director at Imagine International Academy of North Texas.

Shahrukh Taj was born in a musical family and started playing tabla at an early age. In his teens he became a formal disciple of Ustad Tari Khan, one of the foremost exponents of the instrument. Over the years he has accompanied various renowned artists including Fida Hussain, Ghulam Abbas, Hari Haran, and Parvez Ali Khan (Parvez Mehdi) to name a few. Shahrukh has worked with classical and semi-classical artists as well as western musicians for 20 years and has been teaching tabla in the DFW area for nearly 10 years.

Pandit Debojyoti Bose is disciple of Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and one of the principle torch bearer of the famous Senia Bangash Gharana. Debojyoti hails from an illustrious family of tabla players. He naturally inherits an unstrained musical acumen, for he was born in a family of passionate musicians at Kolkata. He is the fourth generation musician in the Bose family. His great grandfather Sri Akshay Kumar Bose, a jaminder of Pankobil in Jessore, now in Bangladesh, had a great passion for tabla which was passed on to the generations that followed. That is how he is a born tabla player. His father Pandit Biswanath Bose a tabla legend of Benaras gharana, a disciple of Pandit Kanthe Maharaj and his mother Smt. Bharati Bose a keen Sitar player and a disciple of Ustad Mushtaq Ali Khan and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, sowed the seed of music in him by imparting the early lessons. Debojyoti achieved so many awards, some of which are - Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan scholarship(1981)from SBKK, Delhi, Kal-ke-Kalakar (BHU,Varanasi,1984),felicitated by Rabindra Bharati University (Kolkata,1989), Anandalok Award by ABP (1999),felicitated by Vishwabharati University (Shantiniketan 2000),Citizen of Honor from Brown University(2002). Visited Indonesia as an Indian delegate in 2002.Visited Russia, China & Mongolia as a state guest in 2009.Invited to perform in Salon de Virtuoso (New York).Selected as jurist in Tele Samman in 2007. Worked with Mazdidik Nini Thowo a legendery dancer of Indonesia performed with Renowned Chinas Musician. Debojyoti has performed in all major festivals in India including The Dover Lane Music Conference (Kolkata), Saptak (Ahmedabad), Harballav Festival (Jallundher),Sarod Festival (Delhi), Tansen Samaroh (Gwalior), SangeetSabha (Pune), Sankat Mochan Sangeet Samaroh & Dhrupad Mela (Varanasi), Sangeet Natak Academy Concert (Chennai & Hyderabad), Parampara Concert ICCR (Delhi), ITC Sangeet Sammelan, etc. He has also toured extensively abroad including USA, Russia, Indonesia, UK, Bangladesh, Australia, etc.

Pandit Abhijit Banerjee is considered one the finest ranking tabla players from India and a sought-after artist. He started learning tabla at a very young age from Sri Tushar Kanti Bose, later from Sri Manik Pal and finally came under the tutelage of Pandit Gyan Prakash Ghosh. As a child he won many Music competitions of national repute. Besides tabla he had his training in vocal music and in violin. Abhijit is now a regular performer at all the major music conferences all over India and overseas. He has accompanied maestros such as Pt.Ravi Shankar, late Pt. Nikhil Banerjee, Begum Parveen Sultana, Pt. Jasraj, Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma, Dr. Balamurali Krishnan, etc. Besides accompanying all the major artistes of India, both in North Indian and South Indian traditions, he has presented himself as a solo performer in many music conferences in India and Abroad. He has toured extensively all over the world and also associated himself with Jazz world and performed with some Jazz musicians and groups in New York. Abhijit has conducted many seminars on Indian Classical Music at Universities in USA, Japan, England and Spain. Abhijit has recorded many CDs with many reputed companies accompanying almost all the major artists in Indian Classical Music today; as well as many well-known Jazz musicians. Abhijit has composed music for TV serials and short films of which The Trails – a film on Calcutta- got the National Award and is invited in the film festivals in Amsterdam and Munich. Abhijit had the privilege of representing India in the World Festival of Music held in Granada, Spain. In his academic life he is a graduate in English and post graduate in Journalism. He has his own touring ensemble named Tarang and he is also member of Raga Jazz group, Arohi Ensemble. He has founded the Dhwani Academy of Percussion Music (Dhwani literally means Sound). This is mainly a percussion academy inclined to teach Tabla (Indian Drum) along with other Indian percussion instruments like Pakhwaj, Ghatam, etc. Dhwani is in India and also in Los Angeles and New York.

ICMC presents its annual event presenting a medley of several short vocal, instrumental and dance performances, by performing and amateur musicians of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. This event is free to general public. The primary reasons for this concert are to bring awareness about Indian classical music in the community and also to stage upcoming talent. Since its inception in 1983, ICMC has built the most comprehensive concert series and is regarded as the premier producer of Indian classical music and dance in Dallas/Fort Worth and the surrounding area, by consistently presenting more than seven culturally diverse concerts a year for the sole benefit of its members and the general public. ICMC's mission is to entertain, to interest, to educate, to train and to provide spiritual nourishment to its members and the general public, and to significantly contribute to the multiethnic heritage and the cultural vitality of the city, through its concerts.

ICMC presents Fall Fest 2018 presenting a medley of several short vocal, instrumental and dance performances, by ICMC member musicians. This event is FREE to general public. The primary reasons for this concert are to bring awareness about Indian classical music in the community and also to stage upcoming talent. Since its inception in 1983, ICMC has built the most comprehensive concert series and is regarded as the premier producer of Indian classical music and dance in Dallas/Fort Worth and the surrounding area, by consistently presenting more than seven culturally diverse concerts a year for the sole benefit of its members and the general public. ICMC's mission is to entertain, to interest, to educate, to train and to provide spiritual nourishment to its members and the general public, and to significantly contribute to the multiethnic heritage and the cultural vitality of the city, through its concerts.

Pandit Shantanu Bhattacharyya is foremost among the young maestros of Hindustani classical vocal music. President’s Gold Medal winner Shantanu is a Top graded artist of All India Radio and Doordarshan. Possessing the rare feat of having won simultaneous top positions in Khayal and Thumri at All India Radio music competition, Shantanu Bhattacharyya’s singing has been described by senior maestros including Guruma Vidushi Meera Banerjee, as a true reflection of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. Shantanu groomed in music first by his mother Ira Bhattacharyya and then Sri Amalendu Pal, Sri Bhismadev Bhattacharyya, Sri Sukhendu Goswami and Sri Sudhir Banerjee; Shantanu in subsequent years learned expansively from worshipped names of the Patiala-Kasur Gharana; Pandit Prasun Banerjee, Vidushi Meera Banerjee and Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty. Associating also with other great artists while a scholar at Kolkata’s ITC Sangeet Research Academy in the ‘90s, he perfected himself into a musician aiming to combine the best of all styles, focusing centrally on the gayaki of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. Shantanu has performed at numerous festivals & venues in India, United States, Canada, Italy, United Kingdom, Finland, France, Germany and Singapore. Shantanu Bhattacharyya's music school Aalor Pathe Raga Dhwani has won accolades from one and all, for the brilliant performances of the young pupils learning under him in the guru shishya tradition.

Pandit Ashis Sengupta is a versatile percussionist of the Banaras gharana. He received his initial training from his father Shri Ranjit Kumar Sengupta and was later groomed by Pandit Nanku Maharaj, Pandit Mahapurush Mishra and Pandit Krishna Kumar Ganguly. Pt. Sengupta has innovated to the various rhythmic compositions learnt from his Gurus and is also blessed with a lot of traditional compositions, Stotras and varieties of Gats from the great Gurus. Both as a soloist and an accompanist to widely varied music styles and performers, he is also an established western drummer to his credit. Apart from playing Tabla, he has composed Bhajans and music arrangements for light music compositions recorded by many reputed audio-video companies. Most recently, he has written a book on Tabla named "Facets of Tabla Playing", published by Kanishka Publishers, New Delhi. He has traveled extensively all over the globe for his performances and lecture-demonstration on Tabla playing under the aegis of numerous organizations. At present he is a member of the Faculty of Music and Fine Arts, University of Delhi.

Durba Bhattacharyya is promising vocalist and accomplished harmonium artist. Imbibing music from her parents, her mother Tapati Banerjee being a vocalist, Durba Bhattacharyya was nurtured in the basics of Hindustani vocal music at a very early age by Ustad Mazhar Ali Khan of Patiala gharana; grandson of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty, the celebrated genius of the Patiala Kasur style, subsequently took charge of her taalim and tutored her to perfection while she was a scholar at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy (SRA), Kolkata. Durba then obtained more guidance from Vidushi Meera Banerjee, the undisputed Empress of the Patiala Kasur style who was the gandabandh shagird of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan Since her marriage in 1997, she has been learning from Shantanu Bhattacharyya, her Gurubhai-turned-husband, who was also a former scholar here. Durba Bhattacharyya has performed in Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Ambala, Patiala, Bhopal, Indore, Ujjain, Surat, Agartala, Mathura, Auroville and Pondicherry. She is an artist of All India Radio Kolkata. She has regaled the audience in USA, Canada, France, England and Singapore, and has to her credit several CDs.

Mita Nag, daughter of veteran satirist, Pandit Manilal Nag and granddaughter of Sangeet Acharya (a master musician) Gokul Nag, belongs to the Vishnupur Gharana of Bengal, a school of music nearly 300 years old. In terms of lineage, Mita is the sixth generation sitar player in her family, the tradition having begun with her fore fathers. It was with her grandfather Gokul Nag, who had become the Guru of a noted zamindar (feudal lord) family of Uttarpara, a Northern suburb town of Kolkata, that the music of the Nag family came into limelight. With her illustrious father Manilal, the sitar tradition of Vishnupur gharana was made known to the world. Mita was initiated into music at the tender age of four . She had shown rather early gestures of her love for music. Toddling with her tiny sitar Mita began her early training under the guidance of her mother who was also a disciple of Gokul Nag. Her grandfather’s encouragement and instructions through singing had much influence on her early reception of music, most noticeably, associating the instrument with song. Her tutelage under her father started at the age of six. Mita appeared for her debut performance at the age of ten years, the year 1979 being observed as the International Year of the Child. The same year Mita won the Junior National Talent Search Award of the Govt .of India. Mita has performed in a number of concerts, solo as well as duet recitals with her father in major cities of India and in many cities of the US, Canada, Japan and Europe. She was awarded the Junior Fellowship Award by the Human Resource Development, Govt of India, for her research project on Vishnupur Gharana. Mita has founded the Gokul Nag Memorial Foundation, a Trust for the promotion of Indian Classical Music, in the fond memory of her grandfather. Mita is a Masters in English Literature and an M.Phil. in English from The University of Kolkata.

Hassan Haider is an acknowledged Shehnai player. His family hails from Allahabad, and he was born in Kolkata (Calcutta). His father Ud. Ali Ahmed Hussain was a famous Shehnai maestro. His family has been representing this art form for generations. Hassan Haider received his training in Benaras and Senia Gharanas from his father. He also learned from Pt. Arvind Parikh, the famous sitar maestro from school of Ud. Imdad Khan, Ud. Enayat Khan and Ud. Vilayat Khan. Hassan’s great grandfather Ud. Wazir Ali Khan was a musician of distinction who was the first musician to ever perform the Shehnai at the Buckingham Palace in London, England in 1910 and was awarded by Pt. Motilal Nehru, the father of India’s first Prime Minister Jawharlal Nehru. Even at this young age, Hassan Haider has already performed at many important music festivals, venues and occasions in India, such as The Autumn Festival of Dance and Music in celebration of India’s 50th year of independence, Dover Lane Music Festival in Kolkata, Harballav Festival in Jalandhar, Uttarpara Sangeet Chakra in West Bengal, Sri Ram Shankarlal Festival in Delhi, Ud. Alauddin Khan Academy in Bhopal, Sangeet Natak Academy in Pune, only to name a few. All of his performances have been well reviewed in newspapers and magazines. He has toured and performed with his father in several countries outside India. Those include the USA, Canada, U.K., France, Switzerland and Belgium. He is regularly featured on Indian radio and television.

Subhen Chatterjee will accompany on Tabla. Subhen Chatterjee bases his style of playing to Lucknow Gharana that he learnt from his illustrious Guru tabla maestro Pandit Swapan Chowdhury. Not restricting himself to one single Gharana-Subhen went on to learn the intricacies & beauty of other Gharanas that he introduced in his playing & which has made his style of playing so unique & distinctive. Subhen has also created India’s leading fusion band, KARMA, which is still the only of its kind from the eastern part of India. Subhen’s recent collaboration with renowned percussionist, SIVAMANI, has enabled him to form another unique fusion band called FRIENDS OF DRUMS whose main objective is to help the lesser known yet very talented musicians sharing stage with renowned ones. His album BANDISH FUSION was nominated for JPF Music Awards (one of the USA’s leading music awards) in 2006. Subhen’s latest albums BANDISH FUSION: REDEFINED and BANDISH FUSION: THE LASTING LEGACY are already in the charts; both in India and abroad.

One of the youngest President Award Winning "A" Grade Sarod artiste of All India Radio & National Television - Kolkata, Abhisek Lahiri has won the hearts of discerning audiences worldwide with his maturity, depth & perfection already at the age of 29. Abhisek was initiated in Sarod at an early age of 5 and trained under the tutelage of his father as well as Guru, eminent Sarod maestro Pandit Alok Lahiri & became one of his premier disciples. Abhisek’s Sarod recital has a blending of three major Gharanas of Sarod playing: Shajahanpur, Senia Maihar & Senia Bangash Gharana (Gwalior). Abhisek’s playing reflects the subtlety, aestheticism and nostalgic spirituality while combining it with resonant power & intensity to captivate the listener with the beauty and originality of his Sarod playing. Abhisek possess the dignity of being the First Indian Musician along with his eminent father to perform in “Europe Parliament” in France and also in "Canada Culture Days" in Hamilton, Canada on invitation of The Malhar Group. Abhisek is an empanelled member artist of Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), New Delhi. Abhisek took part in the “World Kinder Festival” in Holland & enthralled the audiences as a ‘Wonder Child Sarod Player’ in 1997. The Dutch Television network telecasts his recitals countrywide even now. Abhisek has some CD albums released to his credit: His two solo albums “Sparkling Sarod’ and "Mood of Puriya Kalyan" released by Bihaan Music received nominations in Global Indian Music Awards (GiMA) of Mumbai in “Best Hindustani Classical Album- Instrumental” category for the year 2010 & 2014 respectively. His latest release “IONAH Trio” CD album along with Japanese Guitarist Hideaki Tsuji is also getting worldwide appreciation. Abhisek has performed extensively within India and across the world in countries like USA, Canada, UK, Germany, France, Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Italy, Sweden, Japan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka etc.

Subrata Bhattacharya is one of the leading tabla players in India today. He has received his taalim under Shri Tamal Krishna Chatterjee, Shri Nripen Karmakar and Shri Tapan Kr. Banerjee before he was finally accepted as a pupil of tabla maestro Pt. Shankar Ghosh, all of whom honed his talent to the level of refinement now witnessed by audiences everywhere. He has since proved himself a worthy exponent of the Farukhabad Gharana. Recognition of his talent has come in the form of such awards as the Sangeet Prabhankar and the Gold Medal and the Saangeet Praveen from Prayag Sangeet Samiti, Allahadad, and Sangeet Bhushan from the Bhatkhande College, Lucknow. Renowned artists whom he has accompanied in the past few years are Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Dr. L. Subramaniam, Dr.N.Rajam, Pt. Buddhaditya Mukherjee, Ud Shahid Parvez Khan, Ud Ali Ahmed Hussain, Chitraveena Ravikiran, Pt. Tejendra Narayan Majumdar, Pt. Samaresh Chaudhury, etc. He is a visiting professor at the University of Urbana Champaign,IL. The next milestone of his creativity and innovation is "Naad- The Everlasting Sound", a group he has formed to experiment with fusion music. It seems the next inevitable step in Subrata's career as a mingling and merging of eastern, middle eastern and western styles of music is the trend among makers and lovers of music these days. He is been a part of the Chicago based Indo -Jazz band Flat Earth Ensemble since its inception.

India Dance Festival will present several fine dance performances by some of the leading artists featuring Kathak styles. Kathak, the dance style from north India has the charm and subtlety associated with miniature paintings. Nurtured in the holy precincts of the Hindu temples Kathak was further enhanced with Persian influence during the Mogul reign in India. Kathak is one of the eight forms of Indian classical dance. This dance form traces its origins to the nomadic bards of ancient northern India, known as Kathakars or storytellers. Its form today contains traces of temple and ritual dances, and the influence of the bhakti movement. From the 16th century onwards it absorbed certain features of Persian dance and Central Asian dance which were imported by the royal courts of the Mughal era. There are three major schools or gharana of Kathak from which performers today generally draw their lineage: the gharanas of Jaipur, Lucknow and Varanasi; there is also a less prominent Raigarh gharana which amalgamated technique from all three preceding gharanas but became famous for its own distinctive compositions.

Anuradha Nag had her initial training from Nataraj Parimal Krishna and later from veteran gurus-the legendary Padmavibhushan Pandit Birju Maharaj and his foremost disciple Pandit Vijai Shankar. She had advanced training in abhinaya from Padmabhushan Kalanidhi Narayanan, Smt. Chetna Jalan & Swapna Saswati Sen. She passed the Nritya Prabhakar with distinction at the tender age of 13. She stood 1st in the Pashchim Banga Nikhil Bharatiyo Competition. She taught Kathak at all levels at the Padatik Dance Center in Kolkata and choreographed for the school’s festivals. She has also worked with the mentally challenged children at the Manovikas Kendra for 5 years giving them the joy through dance. Before making USA her home she was a recommended artist for the Sangeet Natak Akademi as well as the Indian Council of Cultural Relations. She had the privilege of working with great gurus and choreographers such as Pt. Birju Maharaj, Smt. Kumudini Lakhia, Smt. Kalanidhi Narayanan and Prof. Deitmar Seyffert of Germany. Anuradha has performed extensively in prestigious music conferences in India and in dance festivals throughout the world. She has choreographed many traditional and contemporary themes for the school shows, like Jhalkia, Om, Rituranga, Khoj, Chitrangshu (collection of small compositions), dance drama based on Rabindranath Tagore’s short story Kshuditopashan, Jeevandhara (life and works of Rabindranath Tagore), Panchapravaah and Kathak through the Bollywood Lane. Anuradha believes that dance develops concentration, discipline, concept of space, grace and poise. It establishes the ultimate connection between mind and body which leads to self-confidence and self-expression. This philosophy inspired Anuradha to establish Tarangini School of Kathak Dance in the San Francisco Bay area in 1992. The name was coined by the illustrious doyen of Kathak, Pt. Birju Maharaj himself. Since then, under the auspices of Tarangini School of Kathak Dance, Anuradha has been teaching and performing Kathak in the Bay area and beyond.

Ariaki Dandawate, born and brought up in New Jersey, has been studying Kathak under the discipleship of Guru Pandita Archana Joglekar for over 12 years. Having been exposed to the nuances, beauty, and prestigious lineage of Kathak by her guru from a young age, Aria has spent the past several years seriously pursuing every aspect of the art form. In 2014, Aria received her Visharad (Bachelors) degree from the SAMVED Exam Board, and in August of 2016 she presented her Rang Manch Pradarshan (solo performance). Her Visharad degree in Kathak has allowed her to study the essence of the Natya Shastra – a pillar of the arts – as well as become proficient in complex practical and theoretical applications of both Taal and Bhav Anga. In Kathak, Aria has taken part in many powerful performances presented by Archana Nrityalaya, such as ‘Lay Lalit Lalitya’ and ‘Rhythm of Life.’ She has also participated in various dance competitions held in the Tri-State area, winning first place on several occasions with teams from the academy. In the Tri-State area, Ariaki has performed at many events held by various cultural, religious, and philanthropic organizations. In July of 2015, Ariaki was a Top 5 Finalist in Zee TV’s Dance India Dance North America competition held in Mumbai, India. In the last year, Ariaki has taken examinership, sitting as examiner for many exams in both Kendall Park, New Jersey and Dallas, Texas under the SAMVED Exam Board. Apart from her rigorous trianing in Kathak, Ariaki is pursuing her academic interests, now entering her second year at NYU’s Tandon School of Engineering where she is studying Biomolecular Science with a minor in Computer Science.

Tarangini School of Kathak will showcase four disciples of Auradha Nag including Shivalee Talati, Isha Salian, Nupur Gaidhani and Anupriya Nag. Shivalee Talati has been learning from Smt. Anuradha Nag for more than fifteen years and has represented Tarangini on prestigious platforms such as the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival and the International Kathak Festival in Chicago. She has taken several workshops with Pandit Birju Maharajji. Shivalee received her B.S. in psychology from the University of California, Davis and is currently pursuing her master’s in applied psychology at USC. She has worked with children with mental disabilities and next hopes to work on inter-communication within companies. Isha Salian has been learning from Smt. Anuradha Nag since 2003 and has represented Tarangini in various performances including the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival and the International Kathak Festival in Chicago. She has taken several workshops with Pandit Birju Maharajji. Isha has a B.A. in communication and English and a master’s in journalism from Stanford University. She works as a science and artificial intelligence writer at NVIDIA. Nupur Gaidhani has been learning from Smt. Anuradha Nag since she moved to the U.S. in 2016 and has taken workshops with Pandit Birju Maharajji. She previously had 8 years of training in Nashik India under Smt. Nivedita Chaurasiya. Nupur has a food sciences degree from K.K. Wagh Women’s Polytechnic in Nashik and a B.Tech degree in biotechnology from Sinhgad College of Engineering in Pune. Anupriya Nag has been learning from Smt Anuradha Nag for the past twelve years and has also taken workshops with Pandit Birju Maharaj. She has represented Tarangini all over the Bay Area and has performed at the International Kathak Festival in Chicago. Anupriya Nag is currently a junior at Pomona College studying International Relations and Political Science.

Pandit Sanjeev Abhyankar, the maestro from the Mewati Gharana, is an artist of international acclaim in the field of Hindustani Classical Music and devotional music. An extremely popular artist, he is the inspiration for the young generation. Blessed with an exceptionally sweet voice, his vocation in life was clear right from the age of 3. Born in 1969, Sanjeev started learning Hindustani Classical Music, from the tender age of eight. He has been groomed by his mother Smt. Shobha Abhyankar, Pandit Pimpalkhare ji and Padmavibhushan Pandit Jasraj ji. Though his aim had been to pursue a career in music since childhood, he has acquired a bachelor's Degree in Commerce. Sanjeev rendered his first stage performance in Mumbai, at the age of 11. Since then, he has traveled extensively all over India, performing in all the prestigious conferences and art circles, several times. He has spread the fragrance of Indian Classical music in USA, Canada, Australia, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. He has received many awards which include the President's award from the All India Radio in 1990, the prestigious F. I. E. Foundation National Award 1996, The coveted National Award 1998 as the best male playback singer, for the Hindi film 'Godmother', the title 'Sur Ratna', Rotary Vocational Excellence Award 2002 and Pandit Jasraj Gaurav Puraskar, to name a few. He has also given playback for films such as ' Maachis', 'Nidaan', 'Sanshodhan' , 'Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar' and 'Banaras'.

Tanmay Deochake is a renowned harmonium performer in the Indian classical industry. He was born in a family of musicians in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra. He started imbibing ‘sangeet sanskar’ from the tender age of four. He learned and practiced the harmonium and keyboard under the expert guidance of his grandfather, Gopalrao Deochake and his father, Abhay Deochake. Tanmay came to Pune to make a career in music. His first step towards success was accepting an admission in Lalit Kala Kendra followed by taking teachings from Pt. Pramod Marathe. He also honed his skills in a traditional ‘Gurukul’ format at Gandharva Mahavidyalaya. Tanmay Deochake continues to enhance his knowledge as a musician and harmonium artist even today, under the guidance of Taalyogi Pt. Suresh Talwalkar and Padmashri. Ulhas Kashalkar. He has accompanied many established and famed artists like Ustad Zakir Hussain, Gansaraswati Kishoritai Amonkar, Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar, Taalyogi Pt. Suresh Talwalkar, Pt. Swapan Chaudhari, Pt. Ajay Chakrabarty, Pt. Kumar Bose, Pt. Anindo Chatterjee, Pt. Nayan Ghosh, Ustad Rashid Khan, Pt. Sanjeev Abhyankar, Smt. Ashwini Bhide Deshpande, Smt. Devki Pandit, Smt. Aarti Ankalikar, Pt. Raghunandan Panshikar, Pt. Yogesh Samsi, Pt. Vijay Ghate, Pt. Ramdas Palsule, Ustad Sukhvinder Singh, Ustad Taufiq Qureshi, Ustad Fazal Qureshi, Smt. Kaushiki Chakrabarty, Pt. Saunak Abhisheki, Smt. Manjusha Patil Kulkarni, Smt. Manjiri Asnare Kelkar, Pt. Jayteerth Mevundi, Shri Rahul Deshpande, Shri Satyajit Talwalkar for national and international performances. Tanmay is also an emerging solo harmonium artist. He is also a teacher to many. His students come from varied backgrounds and countries like England, USA and Canada. With his real time, online sessions he is able to impart his knowledge to many.

Ajinkya Joshi started his initial training in music at the age of seven from Shantilal Shah, one of the senior disciples of well-known tabla player Pt. Suresh Talwalkar. At the age of sixteen, Ajinkya moved to Mumbai and underwent intensive training in tabla for more than ten years from Pt. Suresh Talwalkar. Ajinkya is the recipient of the Vishnu Digambar Paluskar Award (1999). He has accompanied his guru in various tabla solo concerts all over India. He has been awarded the National Scholarship for young artistes by the Government of India. He has accompanied various artists in India and has also toured Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Canada and USA for concerts.

Guitar maestro Pandit Debashish Bhattacharya evolves into a global inspiration in the arena of contemporary musical uprising. The musical journey is a counterpart to what remains a fond reminiscence of a child’s fancy with a Hawaiian lap guitar at the age of four. The multi-dimensional intrigue of invention became a passion with the making and widespread recognition of the patented Chaturangui (a 24-string hollow neck guitar), Gandharvi (a 14-string guitar which holds the longest glissando) and Anandi (a 4-string slide Ukulele ) which not only excels in sound variety and quality but has become the designer’s choice. With the lineage of Gurus like Pandit Brij Bhushan Kabra and Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty the inspiration has gone beyond performance. Born to musician parents Pt Debashish Bhattacharya, a child prodigy, was initiated into Indian classical singing, but was drawn to the guitar because of the ability to emulate the human voice by using the slide. Past performances of Debashish have include John McLaughlin and his latest incarnation of Shakti, Bob Brozman that resulted in the album Mahima. Led Kaapana, Martin Simpson are the others. The uncanny ability of sliding like a voice and mesmerizing tantrakaari ang put Debashish Bhattacharya as a leading slide guitarist of the world. This extremely personable and gifted artiste takes us on a timeless journey through the history of Indian Classical Music, bringing it into the 21st century, with detours into the Blues and Hawaiian music as well. His work has earned him president of India award in 1984, The Asiatic Society Gold Medal in 2005, Grammy nominee in 2009, BBC Planet Award for World Music in 2007 and Song Line Music Award winner in 2016. He has been featured in bill-board top 10, Song Line Magazine top 10, Central Asia and Asia Pacific world music top 10, Amazon top 100 albums, National Geography and world’s who’s who enlisted artists.

Nilan Chaudhuri has spent his entire life immersed in the tradition of Indian Classical Percussion. The son of Maestro Pt. Swapan Chaudhuri, Nilan received his first Tabla lesson from his father at the age of five. Nilan presented his first public Tabla solo at the age of eleven, at the Ali Akbar College of Music in San Rafael in the presence of Maestro Ud. Ali Akbar Khan. Within months of his first recital, sensing his passion and devotion to the art form, Nilan was accepted as a ganda bandan disciple of Khasaib. As a teenager, Nilan was deeply inspired by the Jazz-fusion Band ‘Oregon’ a group spearheaded by his cousin, percussionist Colin Walcott, a student of Ustad Alla Rakha. The band’s music inspired Nilan to dive deeper into the world of rhythm, and in 2003 Nilan began studying the Drumset with legendary Bay Area soul drummer, Sly Randolph. He would go on to perform in Jazz Ensembles throughout High School and University, winning awards for his unique cross pollinations in eastern and western music – specifically his innate ability to transcribe Tabla rhythms, referred to as ‘Bols,’ to the Drumset. In 2005, Nilan made his debut duet performance in concert with his Father and sarangi master, Ramesh Misra, in Queens, New York; Later that year, the duo would go on to perform for the momentous occasion of Basant Bahar’s 25th anniversary celebration. He has had the privilege of sharing the stage with Hindustani Classical Music’s greatest treasures, such as maestros Alam Khan, Ud. Shujaat Khan, Pt. Ramesh Misra, and Ud. Amjad Ali Khan in a constantly growing list of prestigious venues, such as Carnegie Hall, The Fillmore, The Monterey Pop Festival, and The Fox Theater. His collaborations also include crossover work with celebrated artists, Arjun Verma, Manik Khan, Gaayatri Kaundinya, Jack Perla, The Toronto Tabla Ensemble, members of Brooklyn Raga Massive, Dennis Chambers, Miles Schon, and DJ Teeko. In addition to maintaining a busy performing schedule, Nilan teaches Tabla throughout the Bay Area as a faculty member at the Ali Akbar College of Music, and as the Director of Percussion at Chitresh Das Institute.

Pandit Uday Bhawalkar is among the foremost Dhrupad vocalists and has been a strong force in its growing recognition, popularity and resurgence, worldwide. Uday believes that when immersed in the note and raga, the self disappears and music takes on its own existence; the principle of ‘darshan’ in Indian philosophy. Dhrupad is one of the oldest forms of North Indian classical music and Uday maintains its majesty and subtle nuance. Dhrupad is a living and evolving classical music tradition in which Uday has developed a unique style deeply embedded in raga, ras and bhaav. Uday spent over 12 years studying and living in the traditional guru-shishya parampara with Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar (Vocal) and Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar (Rudra-Veena), the towering pillars of the Dhrupad tradition. During this period there was a simple and complete concentration on the music itself. This intimate relationship, in which the Ustads willingly gave their inner secrets along with Uday’s devotion, brought him to a deep sense of completeness and wholeness. An inspiring, significant moment in this period was when Ustad Nasir Aminuddin Dagar, the eldest of the Dagar family, upon first hearing Uday’s performance in 1987, blessed him with a gold medal. Since his first performance at Bhopal in 1985, Uday has performed in a number of prestigious festivals and events in India and abroad. Uday has widely performed in Europe, USA, Canada, Mexico, and Singapore and also collaborated with artists from other disciplines and cultures. Uday has worked with the contemporary dancer Astad Deboo, the Ensemble Modern Orchestra, Germany, and with many other artists internationally. He has been accompanied on the Pakhawaj by none other than Ustad Zakir Hussain at the Prithvi Festival in Mumbai. He also been accompanied by Taalyogi Pt.Suresh Talwakar and Ustad Sukhwinder Singh Naamdhari. Uday has contributed to the soundtracks of International Art films including Mani Kaul’s “Cloud Door”, Aparna Sen’s “Mr & Mrs Iyer”, Amol Palekar’s “Anahat”, Renuka Shahane’s “RITA” and others. Besides being a performing artist par excellence, Uday is a very sensitive teacher and has a devoted following of students committed to pursuing the path of Dhrupad. He has taught internationally at institutions such as the Rotterdam Music Conservatory, the University of Washington, Seattle, and the Asian Music Circuit, London, to name a few. In 2012, Uday became a Guru at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy in Kolkata. He is also a Guru at the Bengal Foundation’s ”Parampara Sangeetalay”, Dhaka, Bangladesh and the Avartan Gurukul Pune.

Pratap Awad, began learning of Pakhawaj under Pt. Subhash Maharaj Deshmukh, Parali, Maharashtra, at early age for three years. After that he received advance training for four years from Pt. Uddhavji Aapegaonkarat Ambajogai .And for last two years he had received taleem from Late Pt. Vasantrao Ghopadkar, Pune. Presently, he is undergoing training from Pt. Arvind Kumar Azad, Pune. He is also a B grade artist at the AIR, Aurangabad. He has accompanied to Pandit Uday Bhawalkar and Ustad Baha'ud-din Dagar at various sammelans and samaroahs throughout India.· Performances in France, Belgium, Holland, Brussels with Pt. Uddhavji Apegaonkar in fusion with western instruments. He has also played Pakhawaj Jugalbandi and solo performances in Ellora Festival, Aurgabad, in program of young artists of Sangeet Natak Academy, New Delhi and various cities in Maharashtra. His awards include: First Prize in “All India Radio Competition, 2007”, won “TalmaniPuraskar”, Sursingar Sansand, Mumbai in 2008 from Pt. Ms. Aban Mistry, Gold Medalist of 12th Rashtriya Mohotsav, Orissa in 2010 by Chief Minister of Orissa, etc. He has completed his Visharad Purna from Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, Mumbai.

Indradeep Ghosh is one of the top ranking violinists in India and a trailblazer for Senia Maihar Gharana. He initially started playing violin at the tender age of six under the guidance of Sri Anamitra Mustafi. He has been under the tutelage of Professor Smt. Sisirkana Dhar Chowdhury since 1991. He also had the privilege of getting training with different maestros of Indian Classical Music including Pandit V.G. Jog and Pandit Kumar Bose. Indradeep is one of the few Indian Classical violinists to play a custom made five-string violin with eight sympathetic strings, modeled after the Norwegian Hardanger fiddle. The sympathetic strings allow for a fuller, resonant sound. His performances integrate many different styles and techniques of Western Classical and Oriental music. His style of playing can be described as a blend of Gayki and Tantrakari Ang with his fortes being taan and jhala. Along the years, Indradeep has participated in several music festivals and concerts of India and abroad such as 10th Asia Festival in Spain, 42nd EUYC in Switzerland, YOMAD Festival in Croatia, Yoga—Vidya Music Festival Germany, Biswa Banga Sammelan, Baba Allauddin Memorial Festival, , Salt Lake Music Festival, Prativa Utsav organized by EZCC, Dover Lane Music Festival, Kal Ke Kalakar Sangeet Sammelan Mumbai, Kala Prakash and Kashi sangeet Samaj, Varanasi and many more. He has to his credit many Classical and Fusion Music albums. He is the Artistic Director for Global Creative Arts Academy, Houston, Texas and also serves as a faculty instructor at School of Indian Percussion and Music, Austin, Texas.

Sitarist Indrajit Banerjee is one of the leading exponents of the Maihar Gharana. He was born in a musical family, unique due to the large number of accomplished artists in Hindustani Classical Music. Some of these family members include his guru, Pandit Kartick Kumar (Sitar), Pandit Barun Kumar Pal (Hamsa Veena), Niladri Kumar (Sitar), Partho Das (Sitar), Aparna Roy (Surbahar). He got inspiration from his sitarist mother, Manju Banerjee, who was a disciple of late Nikhil Banerjee, and afterwards, Santosh Banerjee. Indrajit’s training began with his maternal grandfather, Bankim Kumar Pal, who was the disciple of Inayat Khan, and Birendra Kishore Roy Chowdhuri (Kochi Babu). He then took training under Pandit Manilal Nag of Bishnupur Gharana. Later on, he took intensive training from his uncle, Pandit Kartick Kumar, who is a senior disciple of Pandit Ravi Shankar. He is an A grade artist of All India Radio and National Television, Panel Artist for Indian Council Of Cultural Relations, has served as Judge for A.I.R (Kolkata), and is a member of the American Federations of Musicians, and voting member of The Recording Academy (Grammies). He was awarded the Gokul Nag Memorial Medal in 1987 by Bangia Sangeet Parishad, (W. Bengal), “Sur Mani”in 1990 by Sur Sringal Samsad Bombay, Avinav Kala Samman in 1997 by Avinav Kala Parishad (Bhopal). Parangotsava-2007 (a festival held in Mysore, Karnataka) recognised him as Veteran (Pandit). Indrajit has been touring extensively toured in the U.K., Europe, Caribbean Islands, Lebanon , Hawaii, Alaska, Costa Rica, Brazil and Canada for the last 18 years as a solo sitar artist. He has also collaborated with several artists from the West, including STING (Channel V Awards), Yaron Herman, Abbos Kosimov, Goodman Theatre, Fareed Haque, etc. He has several solo sitar albums to his credit. Indrajit has National and International awards from India and the USA. Indrajit is also a composer and has arranged music for several albums and award winning documentary films.

Subrata Bhattacharya is one of the leading tabla players in India today. He has received his taalim under Shri Tamal Krishna Chatterjee, Shri Nripen Karmakar and Shri Tapan Kr. Banerjee before he was finally accepted as a pupil of tabla maestro Pt. Shankar Ghosh, all of whom honed his talent to the level of refinement now witnessed by audiences everywhere. He has since proved himself a worthy exponent of the Farukhabad Gharana. Recognition of his talent has come in the form of such awards as the Sangeet Prabhankar and the Gold Medal and the Saangeet Praveen from Prayag Sangeet Samiti, Allahadad, and Sangeet Bhushan from the Bhatkhande College, Lucknow. Renowned artists whom he has accompanied in the past few years are Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Dr. L. Subramaniam, Dr.N.Rajam, Pt. Buddhaditya Mukherjee, Ud Shahid Parvez Khan, Ud Ali Ahmed Hussain, Chitraveena Ravikiran, Pt. Tejendra Narayan Majumdar, Pt. Samaresh Chaudhury, etc. He is a visiting professor at the University of Urbana Champaign,IL. The next milestone of his creativity and innovation is "Naad- The Everlasting Sound", a group he has formed to experiment with fusion music. It seems the next inevitable step in Subrata's career as a mingling and merging of eastern, middle eastern and western styles of music is the trend among makers and lovers of music these days. He is been a part of the Chicago based Indo -Jazz band Flat Earth Ensemble since its inception.

ICMC presents its annual event presenting a medley of several short vocal, instrumental and dance performances, by performing and amateur musicians of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. This event is FREE to general public. The primary reasons for this concert are to bring awareness about Indian classical music in the community and also to stage upcoming talent. Since its inception in 1983, ICMC has built the most comprehensive concert series and is regarded as the premier producer of Indian classical music and dance in Dallas/Fort Worth and the surrounding area, by consistently presenting more than seven culturally diverse concerts a year for the sole benefit of its members and the general public. ICMC's mission is to entertain, to interest, to educate, to train and to provide spiritual nourishment to its members and the general public, and to significantly contribute to the multiethnic heritage and the cultural vitality of the city, through its concerts.

ICMC presents Fall Fest 2017 presenting a medley of several short vocal, instrumental and dance performances, by ICMC member musicians. This event is FREE to general public. The primary reasons for this concert are to bring awareness about Indian classical music in the community and also to stage upcoming talent. Since its inception in 1983, ICMC has built the most comprehensive concert series and is regarded as the premier producer of Indian classical music and dance in Dallas/Fort Worth and the surrounding area, by consistently presenting more than seven culturally diverse concerts a year for the sole benefit of its members and the general public. ICMC's mission is to entertain, to interest, to educate, to train and to provide spiritual nourishment to its members and the general public, and to significantly contribute to the multiethnic heritage and the cultural vitality of the city, through its concerts.

Sandip Chatterjee, a disciple of Pt Tarun Bhattacharya and vocal maestro Pt Ajoy Chakraborty, is a rich and accomplished Santoor player of our time. He has been heralded as the torch bearer of two Gharanas at the same time – MAIHAR and PATIALA. Sandip has been extensively performing in many music festivals and concerts all around the globe. And, he has also collaborated with many overseas musicians across genres such as Jazz, Rock, Contemporary and Fusion. His collaborations in ‘Calcutta Express’ with famous Jazz Guitarist Guy Strazz; ‘Shanti’ with famous Saxophonist Claudio Gigilio and afro-Cuban percussionist Fulvio Farkas; ‘Emotion’ with Swedish Jazz saxophonist Elin Larsson; ‘Feelings’ with guitar player Giuliano Modarelli have been very much acclaimed in Jazz & contemporary world music genre. His collaboration ‘Calcutta Express’ has been nominated as finalist in the Indo Acoustic Project’s “Best CD’s of 2006” award in the World Music category. He has 21 CD's to his credit. His ethnic aesthetics had also won him many awards and laurels such as “President of India Award”, “Jadubhatta Award”, “Sangeeth Ratna Award”“ Abhinaba Kala Sanman” etc. His expertise has also been utilized by renowned music directors like A.R. Rehman, Jatin Lalit, Gulshan Kumar, Ravindra Jain, Pt. V.Balsara and others.

Subhajyoti Guha was introduced to tabla at an young age by his father Dr S R Guha and later since1983 he has been training under tabla maestro Pt Sankha Chatterjee. Subhajyoti received the President's award in 1989 and presently is a grade A artiste of AIR and TV and performs regularly in major concerts worldwide. Over the last 15 years he has accompanied many musical stalwarts such as Ud Shahid Parvez, Pt Vishwamohan Bhatt, Pt Ronu Majumder , Pt Nayan Ghosh, Vidushi Purnima Chaudhuri and Vidushi Kala Ramnath. Subhajyoti has also extended his horizons into the experimental music scenario and performs with other genres and with his band AMEYA based out of Toronto. Academically he holds a masters degree in applied mathematics but is living his dream of teaching and performing worldwide as a tabla player.

Samarth Nagarkar is a Hindustani classical vocalist, known for his captivating performances and a traditionally rich music. Samarth features in several prominent music festivals and venues around the world. He has two albums titled ‘Pravah’ and ‘Pranali’ to his credit and has published a book tilted ‘Raga Sangeet’. Samarth is Guru and Director of Academic Affairs at Chhandayan Center of Indian Music in New York and also frequently presents lectures and master-classes at schools/universities like MSM and NYU. Trained under two of India’s most respected gurus and performers, Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar and Pt. Dinkar Kaikini, he is a former scholar of the ITC Sangeet Research Academy, Kolkata. Samarth was awarded a Fellowship by the Department of Culture, Government of India and was one of the youngest musicians to be adjudged winner of the prestigious All India Radio National Competitions at 19 years. Pursuing a full-fledged career as a performer, composer, teacher and author, Samarth is described by critics as one of today’s most prolific performers and a torchbearer to the traditions he represents.

Josh Feinberg is the best-kept secret of the Hindustani music scene. Known and loved by top musicians and music lovers, he represents the future of sitar and the growing diversity of the Hindustani music field. Josh began his musical training at 4 years old with piano and western classical jazz bass in New York City, studying with some of the most accomplished musicians on the scene. He was hailed as a prodigy performing in jazz venues and concert halls across the New York area. In his teens, Josh became enamored with the music of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and Pandit Nikhil Banerjee, and shifted his focus to sitar and Hindustani music. One of the first non-Indian musicians to be accepted as a leading performer, josh has learned with sarod maestro Ali Akbar Khan as well as Ud. Aashish Khan, Sri Alam Khan, Pt. Tejendra Majumdar, Dr. Peter Row, Dr. George Ruckert, Sri James Pomerantz, Sri Warren Senders and Smt. Vijaya Sundaram. Josh recorded his debut album, Homage, featuring tabla maestro Swapan Chaudhuri and released his second album, One Evening in Spring, in November 2014 featuring tabla maestro Anindo Chatterjee. Josh was a featured performer in the 2016 Chicago World Music Festival joined with Pt. Anindo Chatterjee. Josh's new album with Pt. Anindo Chatterjee, A Fallen Blossom in the Thorns was released in early 2017. Josh has also accompanied Sri Alam Khan, the son of Ust. Ali Akbar Khan, in the US and India at prestigious venues such as the Saptak Festival in Ahmedabad, and the Dover Lane Music Conference in Kolkata. Josh has a Bachelors in Music from New England Conservatory, and a Masters of Fine Arts from Goddard College. Josh currently teaches at Lewis and Clark College, Reed College and Marylhurst University in Portland, and has offered courses at the University of Oregon.

Kedar Naphade, a Hindustani Classical Instrumentalist, is one of today's leading exponents of the art of Harmonium Solo and Accompaniment. Kedar has performed both as a soloist as an accompanist across India, Europe and the U.S. including prestigious festivals and venues. After receiving preliminary training in Hindustani Classical Music from his grandfather, Shri Dadasaheb Naphade and from Shri Arvind Gajendragadkar, he has been a leading disciple of Pt. Tulsidas Borkar, arguably the most acclaimed harmonium player in India today. Kedar has also had training from Smt. Padmavati Shaligram-Gokhale, a veteran singer of the Atrauli-Jaipur gharana. Kedar also plays the semi-classical forms of Marathi Natyasangeet (Stage Music), Bhajans, Thumri, Dhun etc, and maintains an active concert schedule in the U.S.

Nitin Mitta, is one of the most sought after tabla players of his generation. Apart from being a dynamic soloist, he is a highly sought after accompanist, who has performed worldwide with some of India’s most celebrated Indian classical musicians. In 2010, Nitin joined forces with Grammy Nominee, Pianist Vijay Iyer and electric guitarist R. Prasanna, to produce a studio album titled Tirtha. Born and brought up in Hyderabad, Nitin had his training in Tabla under Gurus' Pandit G. Satyanarayana and Pandit Arvind Mulgaonkar of the Farukhabad School of Tabla. He maintains a busy schedule of performances and tabla workshops, traveling throughout the U.S, Europe, Canada and India. He has performed at several prominent venues including the Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, the Lincoln Center and the Metropolitan Museum of Art In New York. He is an acclaimed accompanist who has performed with some of India’s most celebrated musicians including Pandit Jasraj, Pandits Rajan & Sajan Mishra, Pt. Debashish Bhattacharya, Pt Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Ud Nishat Khan, Ud Shahid Parvez and Pt Nayan Ghosh.

Pandit Jayateerth Mevundi is considered to be the doyen of Kiraana Gharaana by connoisseurs of music. Jayateerth Mevundi hails from the musical land of no snitch, Hubli-Dharwad of Karnataka. Sri Mevundi, the gem was unearthed and gifted to the realm of music by Pt. Arjunsa Nakod and chiseled by Pt. Shripati Paadegar, who himself was the prime disciple of the legend Bharat Ratna Pt. Bhimsen Joshi. An efficient singer with melodious voice, Jayateerth Mevundi is credited with ‘A’ grade by All India Radio and Doordarshan. One of the most sought after young artists of the country, Jayateerth has set his own scales of standard in the Hindustani classical, Santavaani and Daasavani streams. His live concerts are mind blowing, recorded CDs provide an excellent panacea for frustration. Jayateerth Mevundi is role model for the wannabe musicians, thanks to his of talent and hard work. This melodious singer was awarded with “young maestro in music” by the past president of India, Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalaam besides the recognitions akin to Pt. Jasraj Gourav Puraskar, Pt. Basavraj Rajguru Puraskar and Aditya Birla Sangeet Kala Kiran. The glitterati among these is the “Swar Bhaskar Puraskar” the first ever award given in the name of Bharth Ratna Pt. Bhimsen Joshi. Probably Jayateerth Mevundi is the only young vocalist who is blessed by 3 legendary musicians Bharath Ratna Pt. Ravishankar, Bharath Ratna Pt. Bhimsen Joshi and Bharath Ratna Lata Mangeshkar after listening to Jayateerthji’s singing. The most popular music director A.R. Rehman recently appreciated Pt. Mevundi’s singing in a an exclusive interview conducted by Peoples Magazine. When asked by journalists “Have you ever been awestruck while meeting another famous personality? Then A.R replied “among musicians, there is Hindustani Classical singer Jayateerth Mevundi from Hubli who sings like electricity. He can put any one to shame. Jayateerth has performed at all major music festivals in India and toured extensively many countries abroad.

Narendra Nayak is a disciple of harmonium maestro Pt. Vasanth Kanakapur. He is a musician and a proficient Harmonium player from childhood. He is also a graded artist of All India Radio and Doordarshan. He has accompanied leading vocalists of India including Pt. Rajan Mishra & Pt. Sajan Mishra, Ustad Mashkoor Ali Khan, Pt. Venkatesh Kumar, Pt. Jayateerth Mevundi ,Pt. Vinayak Torvi, Vidushi Arati Anklikar, Vidushi Piu Sarkhel, Pt. Kaivalya Kumar Gurav & many more to give concerts in India and abroad. Mr.Nayak is the vice president of Sangeet Bharati Foundation, Mangalore which has been organizing many music concerts of legendary musicians. Mr.Nayak is also the Chairman of Expert Educational & Foundation, Mangalore.

Keshav Joshi is a desciple of Pt. R H More. He hails from Bagalkot and now settled in Bangalore. One of the finest solo and accompanist, Sri Joshi has accompanied renowned musicians of India including Pts. Rajan & Sajan Mishra, Pt. Venkatesh Kumar, Neeladri Kumar (Sitar), Pt. Jayateerth Mevundi, etc. He has also availed higher level of training in tabla from Pt. Ishwarlal Mishra of Banaras and Pt. Suraj Purandare. This young tabla player is a busy artists having performed in and abroad is a B High graded artist of All India Radio and Doordarshan.

India Dance Festival will present several fine dance performances by some of the leading artists featuring Kathak styles. Kathak, the dance style from north India has the charm and subtlety associated with miniature paintings. Nurtured in the holy precincts of the Hindu temples Kathak was further enhanced with Persian influence during the Mogul reign in India. Kathak is one of the eight forms of Indian classical dance. This dance form traces its origins to the nomadic bards of ancient northern India, known as Kathakars or storytellers. Its form today contains traces of temple and ritual dances, and the influence of the bhakti movement. From the 16th century onwards it absorbed certain features of Persian dance and Central Asian dance which were imported by the royal courts of the Mughal era. There are three major schools or gharana of Kathak from which performers today generally draw their lineage: the gharanas of Jaipur, Lucknow and Varanasi; there is also a less prominent Raigarh gharana which amalgamated technique from all three preceding gharanas but became famous for its own distinctive compositions.

Hemant and Vaishali Panwar are highly accomplished Kathak dancers of the Jaipur Gharana who have been working together for more than twenty years. They received their professional training at the National Institute of Kathak Dance under the guidance of Pt. Rajendra Gangani in India. Both were conferred the title “Singar Mani’ in Bombay as the distinguished duet dancers in 2000. They were given RANA award in 2012 for their contribution in promoting Kathak in Canada. Recently in 2016, both were recognized by Canadian community of arts initiative for imparting training par excellence in GTA and thus contributing enthusiastically to the upsurge of interest in Indian classical music and Dance amongst the youth. They have performed extensively across Canada. Their landmark shows of the recent year included performance at Danse Kapital Fest, Ottawa and presentation of their dance work – With you between us at University of Calgary, Toronto International Dance festival, Kathak Mahotsav and last but not least, their full length Dance drama – Krishna with original choreography and music to a sold out audience at Markham Theatre and later in India in holy City Kurushetra brought them a great applause. Their spell binding performance at International festival – Khajuraho in India has once again benchmarked their caliber as a duet. They also performed at the Nehru Centre in London, England as part of the Indian campaign for the London Olympics 2012. They have also performed in front of the Honourable Prime Minister Stephen Harper in the House of Parliament. They have performed in many countries such as Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Japan, Canada and USA. They also mesmerized Torontonians with a special performance at the Cirque Du Soleil Gala to fundraise for the One Drop Foundation which provides access to clean water. Both were also part of the documentary film, “Jaipur Kathak”, which was an archival initiative for the national Indian television channel Doordarshan. Hemant is also a versatile musician and singer and has contributed immensely to Kathak music by creating melodious taranas, sargams, and dance numbers for performance purposes. Both Hemant and Vaishali are also Artists in Education and are involved in conducting dance workshops in schools around the TDSB and Peel Board. They have also set up their Academy in many locations throughout the GTA for students of all ages.

Shiv Nadkarni is a highly trained Kathak dancer holding his bachelor’s degree in Kathak from the acclaimed SAMVED Conservatory of Music and Dance. He has trained in the classical dance form of Kathak under the able tutelage of his guru, Smt. Archana Joglekar, for over 13 years, learning and perfecting various facets of taal anga, bhaav anga, and layakaari. He has also presented his Rang Manch Pravesh—a three-hour solo performance in Kathak with the finest of musicians and his Guru—in 2015. In 2016 , Shiv was honored with title of ‘Nava Gandharva in Kathak’ as an outstanding Kathak dancer, by Madhyam. Shiv has performed and won in group, duet, and solo performances throughout his time with Archana Nrityalaya in countless dance festivals over the past ten years, such as Zalak, a competition of classical and semi-classical dance, and the Mudra Festival in Philadelphia. He is also currently a qualified examiner of the SAMVED Exam Board and has been working as an examiner for three years, evaluating the practical exams of Kathak students in various levels of training. Besides having extensively studied Kathak, Shiv has also explored Hip-Hop and Bollywood dance with Diwakar Performing Arts Group, and has won first place awards with his groups at competitions like Naya Andaaz, Naach Revolution and FIA.

Pandit Ram Deshpande has a rich musical tradition. He is a renowed vocalist of present generation and an artist of commendable talent. He was initiated into classical music by Shri. Chepe, Shri. Panake and Pt. Prabhakar Deshkar. Under the guidance of Pt. Yashwantbua Joshi and Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar, he has risen to greater heights as vocalist of the traditional Gwalior and Jaipur Gharanas. He has also received guidance of Agra Gharana from Pt. Babanrao Haldankar and "Bhatkhande Parampara" from Pt. Yashwant Mahale. He is a Doctorate in Music. He has won a Gold medal in M.A music from Nagpur University. The Sangeet Research Academy Kolkata honoured him with the "Best Vocalist Award"in 1991. He has also been honored by the prestigious "Vidyasagar Award" by music forum. He was awarded "Aditya Vikram Birla Kalakiran Puraskar" in 2005. He has performed at the prestigious conferences in India like Sawai Gandharva Sangeet Mahotsava, Pune, Tansen Sangeet Samaroh, Gwalior, Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal, Vishnu Digambar Jayanti Samaroh, Delhi NCPA, Nehru Center, MumbaiI, ITC Sangeet Sammelan, Kolkata and many more. He has performed abroad and enthralled the audience in countries like USA, UK, Holland, Germany, Dubai, Muscat, Abu Dhabi, Kenya, etc. Ram Deshpande is director of GANDHAR MUSIC ACADEMY. He is music director of short film "Gaanyogi" of Pandit D. V. Paluskar and Guru Para Brahma music album by Red Ribbon Company. He has composed "Vande Mataram" in Raag Mala consisting of 24 Ragas.

Ajay Joglekar is one of the leading harmonium players in the country. He was introduced to music by his mother. His passion, dedication and practice resulted into an individual style and technique. Later he was trained by the renowned Harmonium maestro Pandit Tulsidas Borkar. The encouragement and guidance from Pt. Ajoy Chakrabarty has helped him in enhancing his skills. Ajay has performed frequently in many music concerts in India and Abroad. He has accompanied renowned Vocalists like Pt. Ajoy Chakrabarty, Pt. Jasraj, Smt. Kishori Amonkar, Bharat-ratna Lata Mangeshkar, Smt. Veena Sahasrabuddhe, Smt. Kaushiki Chakravarty, Pt Sanjeev Abhyankar and many others. Ajay is very popular amongst tabla players and dancers for lehra accompaniment. He has accompanied renowned tabla Players like Ustd Zakir Hussain, Pt. Kumar Bose, Pt. Anindo Chatterjee, Pt. Yogesh Samsi. He also has accompanied renowned Kathak maestro Pt. Birju Maharaj. Ajay is also a music composer and music arranger. He has recorded a number of audio CDs and albums.

Sanjay Deshpande is a talented Tabla Player based in Pune, India. He was born in a music loving family and was introduced to the art of playing Tabla under Late Pt. Sabade at Pune Bharat Gayan Samaj. Later he took Taleem (lessons) from the renowned Tabla player Pt. Suresh Talwalkar of Delhi-Farookabad Gharana, in a Guru Shishya Parampara for 6 years. He also had the privilege of understanding the beauty of Punjab Gharana under the guidance of world renowned Tabla maestro Ustad. Alla Rakha Khan Saheb. At present he is taking guidance from Shri. Yogesh Samsi and Pt. Vivek Joshi. Sanjay is recipient of the coveted "Ahmedjaan Thirakwaa Scholarship" for Solo Performance. He has accompanied renowned artists like Smt. Vasundhara Komkali, Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar, Pt. Smt. Malini Rajurkar, Pt. Jasraj, Dr. Prabha Atre, Pt. Dinkar Kaikini, Dr. Ashwini Bhide-Deshpande , Smt. Veena Sahastrabudhe and many others. He has performed in major conferences such as Sawai Gandharwa Music Festival Pune, Paluskar Smarak Conference, Shankarlal Samaroha in New Delhi, I.T.C. Sangeet Sammelan . Dowerlane Conference, Kolkata. Sanjay has performed abroad in countries like USA, UK, UAE, Canada, Australia, Switzerland, Russia, Holland, Qatar, Sri Lanka, South Korea etc. He has also participated in the "World Vocal Festival" in Sweden. He is empanelled as guru at the Lalit Kala Kendra, University of Pune. He has number of recordings released. His fusion album "Wind From Ayuta" with Korean musicians won the Best album award of the year - 2002 in South Korea.

Indian Sarode Maestro Pandit Tejendra Narayan Majumdar is one of the most popular Indian Classical Maestros touring across the globe. One of the best known students of Sarode Legends Swara Samrat Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and Ustad Bahadur Khan, Tejendra had first set foot on the soil of USA almost three decades ago for his first ever US Concert Tour. He did not have to look back since then. He has come to USA for numerous times every year for his Solo Concerts, Duets, Collaborative Projects, Workshops and Classes. Being awarded the President’s Gold Medal (for winning All India Radio Competition in his teens), Sangeet Mahasamman (the Highest Civilian Honor in the field of Music in the state of West Bengal), Banga Bhushan (the Second Highest Civilian Honor in the state of West Bengal), Tejendra is undoubtedly one of the best Sarode maestros of our times. One of his arranged albums was shortlisted for the Grammy Awards in 2010. For the FIRST TIME EVER, Pandit Tejendra Narayan Majumdar would be touring USA with his Son, Indrayuddh in SPRING 2017. They would be presenting scintillating duet performances reverberating the exquisite feel of Indian Classical Music reflected through the Guru-Shishya Parampara.

Indrayuddh Majumder, the son of Pandit Tejendra Narayan Majumdar, has been learning Sarode from his father since he was five years old. He has also been learning from his mother, Vidushi Manasi Majumder, who is a renowned Indian Classical Vocalist. He had developed keen interest in every genre of music right from his childhood. He has taken up Sarode as his primary choice because of his sheer love for the instrument. He concentrates on maintaining the purity of Indian Classical Music coupled with his smart presentation in his concerts. He had also the privilege to perform in front of Dr. Manmohan Singh (the former Prime Minister of India). An MBA in Marketing, Indrayuddh is also the Co-Founder and CEO of a booming Indian startup, ShowVelvet, which serves as an interactive platform for Artists and Fans all over the world.

ICMC presents its annual event presenting a medley of several short vocal, instrumental and dance performances, by performing and amateur musicians of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. This event is FREE to general public. The primary reasons for this concert are to bring awareness about Indian classical music in the community and also to stage upcoming talent. Since its inception in 1983, ICMC has built the most comprehensive concert series and is regarded as the premier producer of Indian classical music and dance in Dallas/Fort Worth and the surrounding area, by consistently presenting more than seven culturally diverse concerts a year for the sole benefit of its members and the general public. ICMC's mission is to entertain, to interest, to educate, to train and to provide spiritual nourishment to its members and the general public, and to significantly contribute to the multiethnic heritage and the cultural vitality of the city, through its concerts.

Pandit Kushal Das is one of the iconic maestros of Indian Classical Music across the globe. He plays Sitar and Surbahar. He is a Top-grade musician at All India Radio and Doordarshan. Kushal Das was born in a highly enriched musical family of Kolkata. His grandfather Late Shri Bimalchandra Das was a renowned ‘Esraj’ player and his father & uncle were both sitarists of high repute. His father Late Shri Sailen Das was a disciple of Late Pt. Lakhsman Bhattacharya & Bharat-Ratna Pt. Ravi Shankar. His uncle Late Shri Santanu Das was a disciple of Swar-Samrat Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. He started his training at a tender age of five under the guidance of his father and uncle. Later he received intensive & rigorous training in advanced sitar techniques and the art of creating music, under the affectionate guidance of Pt. Sanjoy Banerjee. Kushal is also proud for having the privilege of learning from great musicians like Late Pt. Ajoy Sinha Roy (a disciple of Ud. Allauddin Khan), vocal lessons from Late Pt. Manas Chakraborty and Late Pt. Ramkrishna Basu. Kushal Das has performed at all major music festivals and music conferences in India. He has been touring all over the world extensively for past two decades. He has many commercial albums to his credit.

Ramdas Palsule has been recognized as one of the most senior disciples of world famous Tabla Maestro Taalyogi Pandit Suresh Talwalkar. Being an accomplished soloist as well as a versatile accompanist, he has performed widely in all the eminent music festivals of India. Outside India, he has performed practically all over the world including USA, Canada, UK, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Australia, Africa and the gulf countries. His Tabla accompaniment ranges from distinguished vocalists to prominent instrumentalists and also to renowned Kathak dancers of the country. He has accompanied with almost all the top notch musicians & dancers of today. Besides performances, Ramdas imparts training to the younger generation of students of Tabla. He is also appointed as a Guru in the Center for Performing Arts of the University of Pune, for last almost 20 years. Ramdas has been instrumental in conception of AVARTAN GURUKUL, which has now commenced this year in Pune..Stalwarts like Taalyogi Pt. Suresh Talwalkar, Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar, Pt. Uday Bhawalkar, Pandita Shama Bhate , Pandita sucheta Bhide Chapekar & Ramdas himself are the Gurus of this Gurukul.

Brajeswar Mukherjee is one of the most promising young vocalists of Hindustani Classical Music and a foremost disciple of the great Guru Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty. He is a regular artiste of All India Radio & Television and currently working as a junior Guru at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy, Kolkata. He has performed at several prestigious concerts in India and UK, USA, Canada, France, Greece, Middle East, Singapore and many more places. He has received the most Prestigious Ustad Bismillah Khan Puva Puraskar from Sangeet Naatak Akademi, Govt of India. He is also a recipient of Gaanwardhan award from Pune, Dhananjay Bhattacharya award from Calcutta University and National Scholarship from Govt. of India.

Gourab Chatterjee is one of the best young Harmonium accompanists of India and a very versatile artiste of Hindustani Classical Music. He learnt vocal music from the eminent Gurus like Shree Jainul Abedin, Late Pt. Sunil Bose and then after joining ITC SRA he started learning from Pt. Arun Bhaduri. With his natural gift of playing Harmonium he started playing with all the vocalists and became so popular within a very short time. He has accompanied with the stalwart musicians like Pt. Ajoy Chakrabarty, Ustad Rashid Khan, Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar, Vidushi Girija Devi, Vidushi Kaushiki Chakraborty and many more in India and USA, Canada, Europe, Middle East.

Gourisankar Karmakar, a leading tabla maestro of the present generation, studied tabla under the able guidance of his father, Pandit Shib Sankar Karmakar. Since 1979, he has been under the tutelage of the tabla Maestro Pandit Sankha Chatteriee. Gourisankar is an "A" grade Artist of All India Radio and Television. His talent and creativity are manifest in classical performances, experimental East-West World Music collaboration, and North- South musical interactions. He has performed with most of India's eminent artists, as well as many famous artists from around the world. In 2008, Gourisankar established the "School of Indian Percussion & Music" in Austin, Texas. Many of his students have benefited from his teaching expertise, and perform regularly. He has joined University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) as a music faculty since 2014.

ICMC of DFW and Kathak Rhythms have together embarked on a mission to spotlight, promote and institutionalize the Kathak form of Indian Classical dance. Kathak has evolved into its present rich and beautiful form absorbing style, music and culture over the ages from Hindu, Mughal and regional Indian Folk styles, making it into a true representation of our culture. Your support is sought for the unique presentation, to help preserve our culture, art and heritage, by encouraging our talented local artists trained in this beautiful dance. The offering of pure Kathak Nritya, Nritta and Natya set to live music will enthrall you.

Events Tickets, Donor and Sponsor Information: (1) Kathak Rhythms, (469) 443 – 8225; www.kathakrhythms.com or (2) ICMC, (214) 336 - 3459

Rakesh Chaurasia, the nephew and child prodigy of flute maestro Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, has a famous name to live up to. Amongst the promising musicians of the second generation, Rakesh has carved a niche for himself , as an accomplished flautist. Incorporating the tradition of his renowned uncle and infusing his personal style , he has evolved a style which while maintaining the purity of the flute manages to capture the attention of the young listeners too. The most accomplished of disciples of his uncle, however, shows all the promise to carry the Chaurasia legacy to new heights. Rakesh has already globe trotted many times over, enthralling audiences at classical and non-classical concerts .He is also an accomplished studio musician having recorded with most of the leading stalwarts of the Indian film industry. Rakesh has been the recipient of numerous awards and accolades. He received the Indian Music Academy Award, presented by the Honourable President Of India, Dr..A.P.J Abdul Kalam in 2007, the Aditya Birla Kalakiran Puraskar in 2008, the Guru Shishya Award in 2011, IWAP-Pandit Jasraj Sangeet Ratna Award in 2013 and the Pannalal Ghosh Puraskar 2013. Recently Rakesh toured as a duo for classical concerts as well as for The Masters of Percussion with legendary tabla virtuoso Ustad Zakir Hussain at some prestigious venues globally. Rakesh has also had the priviledge of performing with some international names such as Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer, Joshua Redman. Rakesh's most recent venture is his fusion band Rakesh and Friends(RAF) which creates music that appeals to the young without sacrificing the essence of classical music. He is destined to carve a niche for himself in the realm of Indian Classical Music with the simple yet extremely challenging instrument, the Bansuri.

Aditya Kalyanpur is a talented tabla player and percussionist beyond his years, who has made a distinguished career working with some of the most prestigious names in Indian classical, jazz, and fusion genres such as Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, AR Rahman, Shankar Mahadevan, Pandit Jasrajji, Larry Coryell, George Brooks, Kenwood Denard, Boston based jazz band Natraj, Mickey Hart, John Mclaughflin. Kalyanpur was first seen with his Guru Ustad Zakir Hussain for the famous "Wah Taj!" television commercial at the age of 11. Having the honor of being recognized as an "A" Grade Artist of All India Radio, he has given public performances along with his guru. Since then he has lent the enchanting music of his tabla to numerous commercials. Honored with the title of Taal - Mani, Aditya Kalyanpur is the recipient of ITC's prestigious Vidyasagar Award as well as the Sangeet Visharad. A commerce graduate, Aditya Kalyanpur has also achieved the distinct title as a Music Diplomat from Mumbai University. He has received scholarship from the Centre for Cultural Resources and Training in New Delhi. In addition to many awards given in India and the United States, Kalyanpur is one of the first tabla players ever to be invited to Estonia for the prestigious Orient Arts Festival. As a soloist and accompanist, he has performed at other prestigious music festivals in India and abroad including the Edinburgh festival in Scotland, the Earagal Arts Festival in Ireland, and the Jazz Yatra in Bombay, India.On a more local scene, Kalyanpur has also appeared at the Great Lakes Folk Festival held every year in Lansing, Michigan, and many other festivals and competitions held across the United States. As a mark of his true versatility as a musician, Kalyanpur has performed solo for many bands and instrumental groups, including the world famous The Rolling Stones and also recorded for their saxophonist, Tim Ries. Aditya Kalyanpur is currently the leader of his fusion band Fuzikk, and a member of the world renowned group Bombay Jazz comprised of jazz legends Larry Coryell, George Brooks and Indian Flute Maestro Pandit Ronu Mazumdar.

Qawwali is an ancient musical tradition that integrates spiritual, philosophical, religious, musical, and poetic elements to create an atmosphere that facilitates a spiritual connection between participants in a mehfil-e-samaa – a gathering of listeners of qawwali – and the ones they truly love. Qawwali has existed in a number of forms – samaa, zikr, Vedic chants and many others – for at least thirty-two centuries. The form of qawwali practiced today was invented by Hazrat Amir Khusrao in the thirteenth century. A poet, scholar, philosopher, politician, and musician, Khusrao defined, documented and established the tradition of Khusravi qawwali. He trained twelve young men – the Qawwal Bachay – in the art of qawwali to help propagate qawwali. Miyan Saamat Bin Ibrahim was the leader of this first group of qawwali performers. The tradition thus established has been preserved for more than eight centuries by the descendants of the Qawwal Bachay. It is followed by performers of qawwali in Pakistan, India and the rest of the world today. Farid Ayaz Qawwal & Abu Muhammad Qawwal are direct descendants of Miyan Saamat Bin Ibrahim and represent the twenty-seventh generation of the original qawwali performers trained by Amir Khusrao. Masters of music, poetry and rhythm, heirs to the original tradition of Khusrao's qawwali, expert musicians, and the torchbearer's of the tradition of Khusravi qawwali, the brothers are considered to be the foremost qawwals in the world today. They are known for their tremendous loyalty to Khusravi qawwali, their immense knowledge of Hindustani Sangeet, and for the remarkable fidelity and purity of their song; the qawwali that they perform is the same one that was practiced more than eight hundred years ago. Nothing has been allowed to change.

Pandit Milind Raikar is a renowned Violinist in today's generation. He is mainly Disciple of Padmashri Pandit D.K.Datar and Gaansaraswati Kishori Amonkar. Today, Milind has devised his unique style of playing violin. He has evolved a way peculiar to him of wielding the bow. The listeners rejoice his soothing, scintillating, brilliant and soul touching performance having a very different style. Initially he studied Hindustani Classical Music under the able guidance of his father Late Shri Atchut Raikar. Thereafter, Milind learnt from Pt. B.S.Math (Dharwad) and Pt.Vasantrao Kadnekar ( Goa). He has also learnt Violin in the Western style and has passed Grade Four of the renowned Trinity College of London, under the tutelage of Prof A. P. De Costa. He feels lucky that since 1997 He started learning from Gaansaraswati Kishori Amonkar who taught him all the nuances of the Raag performance, approach of raag, its delicacy, better way of developing the notes, and many more. He has been accompanying Kishoritai on Violin in her concerts and recordings, in India as well as Abroad. He has provided Music Direction to a documentary film, "In Search Of Truth", in which he also has played the role as a singer. He has received numerous prestigious awards in India and abroad. He has performed extensively not only at major festivals in India, but also at various fine venues in Germany, Italy, USA, Switzerland, etc.

Master Yadnesh Raikar started learning violin at the age of 1 year and started performing at the age of 4 years under the guidance of his Father Pt. Milind Raikar. He is studying in 10th grade in high school (SSC) at Bombay Cambridge School (Andheri, Mumbai).He is lucky to have guidance from Ganasaraswati KishoriTai Amonkar. He has given his first solo recital at the age of 4 At Karnataka sangh in front of a crowd of 600 people. He has also given his performances in Delhi, Nagpur, Dharwad, Goa as well. He is such a versatile musician that apart from violin he also avidly plays the keyboard, guitar and tabla very often. Has a very gifted voice and learns vocal from Shri Anand Pednekar and Pandit Vasantrao Kadneskar, Goa. He has sung in a album song along with Hariharan and Asha Bhosle. At present he is learning to play accordion from Amar Swamy. Has played a role of Young Pt.D.V.Paluskar in the documentary 'Gaanyogi – Suvarna Yug' where he sang and played Violin in the film too. He has performed his recitals in front of Honorable President Shri. Pranab Mukherjee, Chief minister Maharashtra Shri. Devendra Fadnavis, Governor of Maharashtra, chief of Army, Navy and Air force Chief.

Pandit Shantilal Shah was born and raised in the culturally and artistically vibrant city of Banaras, India. His basic taalim was under Pandit Mahadev Prasad Mishra of Banaras Gharana. He is a worthy disciple of Taal-Yogi Pandit Suresh Talwalkar. Shantilal remained a gold medalist from the Sangeet Natak Academy of Lucknow and also won the National Talent Scholarship awarded by the Govt. of India as well as the Sangeet Prabhakar award from the Prayaag Sangeet Samiti of Allahabad. Over the years he has performed with Pt. Jasraj, Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, Pt. Jitendra Abhisheki, Pt. Rajan-Sajan Mishra, Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar, Laxmi Shankar, Ud. Sujaat Khan, Bhajan Sopuri, Veena Sahasrabuddhe, Padma Talwalkar, Arati Ankalikar, Sanjeev Abhyankar, Shama Bhate, etc. Additionally, Shantilal Shah has been effective at branching out from his roots in Indian Classical Music and brought his unique sound and style to the world of Western Music. One of his initial forays into Western music was as a featured performer in the 2004 Hollywood Film Dancing in Twilight, which received a Gold Medal of Excellence for a feature film score from the Park City Music Festival. He has concluded in March 2014 a series of performances with the Houston Grand Opera, in their unique presentation, River of Light, receiving high acclaim. This extremely successful and one of a kind program exposed Tabla to sold out audiences in a new artistic medium, blending Indian Classical Music with the classical style of Western Opera.

Pandits Umakant and Ramakant Gundecha are the leading exponents of the Dhrupad style of music. They are among the most active performers in Indian and international circuits. They were conferred “Padmashri” in 2012 by the Govt. of India for their contribution in the field of Dhrupad and Indian Classical Music. Born in Ujjain in Central India, both were initiated into music by their parents. Gundecha Brothers received conventional university education and learned the Dhrupad vocal art under the renowned Dhrupad vocalist Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar and also with Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar (the distinguished performer of Rudra Veena) under guru shishya paramapara in Dhrupad Kendra Bhopal. The Gundecha Brothers have sung great Hindi poetry by Tulsidas, Kabir, Padmakar, Nirala in Dhrupad style . They have recorded about 50 cassettes and CDs by H.M.V, Music Today, Rhythm House, Times Music, Sony, Senseworld Music, Sundaram Records, IPPNW Concerts Berlin, Navras and Audio Rec London. They have also sung for many television channels in India and have been broadcasted on British, U.S., German and French, Japan and Australian Radio as well. As well as being an integral part of all of India’s prestigious music festivals, the Brothers have also performed and conducted workshops at many important international music festivals and institutions in about 25 countries in Europe, U.S.A, Australia, Japan, Egypt, Singapore, Bangladesh, U.A.E and Hong Kong. They have received M.P. Govt. Scholarship from 1981 to 1985, National Fellowship from 1987 to 1989, Ustad Allauddin Khan Fellowship in 1993, Sanskriti Award in 1994 and Kumar Gandharva Award in 1998 by Govt. of Madhaya Pradesh and Dagar Gharana Award by Mewar Foundation in 2001. Rajat Kamal – National Film Award for the Best Music Direction ( 2006), Puttaraj Gawai Award 2010 from Puttaraj Gawai Pratishthan, Dharwad.

Akhilesh Gundecha has learned Pakhawaj playing from Pandit Shrikant Mishra and Raja Chhatrapati Singh Ju Deo. He is post graduate in music and graduate in Law. Has also got scholarship from Ustad Allauddin Khan Sangeet Academy,Bhopal and Govt. of India. He has accompanied many of the Dhrupad Maestros like- Ustad Z.F. Dagar, Ustad Fahimuddin Dagar, Pt. Siyaram Tiwari, Shrimati Asgari Bai, Dr. Ritwik Sanyal and Bahauddin Dagar. He has also played solo recitals in Tansen Festival-Gwalior, Haridas Sangeet Samaroh Mumbai, Dhrupad Samaroh Bhopal and many other festivals. He has toured, USA ,Europe, Japan, Australia. He is regularly featured on Radio and Television. ''Sur Mani'' award from Sur Singar Samsad received by Akhilesh Gundecha in 1990. He also achieved Gold medal from Dhrupad Mela, Banaras in 2008. Akhilesh Gundecha founded 'Madhya Laya' - a north Indian taal vadhya kachahari that has performed all over India and USA. He is currently teaches the pakhawaj at Dhrupad Sansthan, Bhopal.

Arshad Ali is one of the few prodigies to live up to their initial promise. Arshad, the grandson of the legendary sarangi maestro Late Padmashree Ustad Shakoor Khan, was absorbed into the ITC Sangeet Research Academy, Kolkata, as a scholar at the age of six. Born in the family of the principal Kirana Gharana musicians, he received extensive talim from his maternal uncles, Ustad Mashkoor Ali Khan and Ustad Mubarak Ali Khan in the true guru-shishya parampara system of training. Today, Arshad is one of the few contemporary singers of the Kirana Gharana to have assimilated the essence of the meer-khand vistar or development, typical to the gharana. As a child, he became one of the most celebrated “Little Ustad” of India. In the year 1993, at the age of nine, he was described as “the biggest sensation of Sawai Gandharva Sammelan” following his performance on a special invitation from Bharat-Ratna Pandit Bhimsen Joshi on the occasion of his 75th birthday celebrations. With the judicious usage of the distinctive style of Ustad Abdul Karim Khan and Ustad Abdul Waheed Khan, Arshad Ali Khan is emerging as the leading vocalist of Kirana Gharana worldwide. Today his performances across continents of Europe, Asia and Africa are hailed with credit of offering a sound, polished and individualistic voice which is capable of reaching a wide spectrum of audience starting with a teenager to that of a nonagenarian.

Harshad Kanetkar began his initial training in Tabla at the age of five with Shri Mukhade. For the past twelve years he has had intensive training under Shri Palsule and Pandit Suresh Talwalkar. Harshad is one of the few Tabla players of his generation who has equally adept and versatile in the art of accompanying vocal, instrumental and dance. He has accompanied many leading artists like Pt. Jasraj, Pt. Birju Maharaj, Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar, Ustad Shahid Parvez,Veena Sahastrabuddhe, Shama Bhate (Kathak), Aarti Tikekar, Sanjeev Abhyankar, Ashwini Bhide-Deshpande etc.in prestigious music conferences all over India. He has also traveled and performed extensively in U.S., Canada, Europe and the Middle East. His recordings include solo works and fusion of musical traditions of the East and West. Harshad has received many accolades and honors including the National Scholarship from the Government of India. He also was a visiting faculty at the Pandit Jasraj Music Academy in the U.S. Currently he is on the faculty at the University of Pune.

Uday Kulkarni had started training in music from his father Late Shri. Govind Kulkarni. After that he started taking advance lessons from Shri.Pramod Marathe. Uday has done "Sangeet Visharad" from Gandharva Mahavidyalaya. He has accompanied many artists all over India. He is also a graded artist on All India Radio (AIR). He has accompanied many artists like Pandit Ajay Pohankar, Devaki Pandit, Shounak Abhisheki, Manjiri Alegaonkar etc. He has also accompanied in light music programs with renowned artists.

One of the youngest President Award Winning "A" Grade Sarod artiste of All India Radio & National Television - Kolkata, Abhisek Lahiri has won the hearts of discerning audiences worldwide with his maturity, depth & perfection already at the age of 29. Abhisek was initiated in Sarod at an early age of 5 and trained under the tutelage of his father as well as Guru, eminent Sarod maestro Pandit Alok Lahiri & became one of his premier disciples. Abhisek’s Sarod recital has a blending of three major Gharanas of Sarod playing: Shajahanpur, Senia Maihar & Senia Bangash Gharana (Gwalior). Abhisek’s playing reflects the subtlety, aestheticism and nostalgic spirituality while combining it with resonant power & intensity to captivate the listener with the beauty and originality of his Sarod playing. Abhisek possess the dignity of being the First Indian Musician along with his eminent father to perform in “Europe Parliament” in France and also in "Canada Culture Days" in Hamilton, Canada on invitation of The Malhar Group. Abhisek is an empanelled member artist of Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), New Delhi. Abhisek took part in the “World Kinder Festival” in Holland & enthralled the audiences as a ‘Wonder Child Sarod Player’ in 1997. The Dutch Television network telecasts his recitals countrywide even now. Abhisek has some CD albums released to his credit: His two solo albums “Sparkling Sarod’ and "Mood of Puriya Kalyan" released by Bihaan Music received nominations in Global Indian Music Awards (GiMA) of Mumbai in “Best Hindustani Classical Album- Instrumental” category for the year 2010 & 2014 respectively. His latest release “IONAH Trio” CD album along with Japanese Guitarist Hideaki Tsuji is also getting world wide appreciation. Abhisek has performed extensively within India and across the world in countries like USA, Canada, UK, Germany, France, Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Italy, Sweden, Japan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka etc.

Subrata Bhattacharya is one of the leading tabla players in India today. He has received his taalim under Shri Tamal Krishna Chatterjee, Shri Nripen Karmakar and Shri Tapan Kr. Banerjee before he was finally accepted as a pupil of tabla maestro Pt. Shankar Ghosh, all of whom honed his talent to the level of refinement now witnessed by audiences everywhere. He has since proved himself a worthy exponent of the Farukhabad Gharana. Recognition of his talent has come in the form of such awards as the Sangeet Prabhankar and the Gold Medal and the Saangeet Praveen from Prayag Sangeet Samiti, Allahadad, and Sangeet Bhushan from the Bhatkhande College, Lucknow. Renowned artists whom he has accompanied in the past few years are Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Dr. L. Subramaniam, Dr.N.Rajam, Pt. Buddhaditya Mukherjee, Ud Shahid Parvez Khan, Ud Ali Ahmed Hussain, Chitraveena Ravikiran, Pt. Tejendra Narayan Majumdar, Pt. Samaresh Chaudhury, etc. He is a visiting professor at the University of Urbana Champaign ,IL. The next milestone of his creativity and innovation is "Naad- The Everlasting Sound", a group he has formed to experiment with fusion music. It seems the next inevitable step in Subrata's career as a mingling and merging of eastern ,middle eastern and western styles of music is the trend among makers and lovers of music these days.He is been a part of the Chicago based Indo -Jazz band Flat Earth Ensemble since its inception.

ICMC presents its annual event presenting a medley of several short vocal, instrumental and dance performances, by performing and amateur musicians of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. This event is FREE to general public. The primary reasons for this concert are to bring awareness about Indian classical music in the community and also to stage upcoming talent. Since its inception in 1983, ICMC has built the most comprehensive concert series and is regarded as the premier producer of Indian classical music and dance in Dallas/Fort Worth and the surrounding area, by consistently presenting more than seven culturally diverse concerts a year for the sole benefit of its members and the general public. ICMC's mission is to entertain, to interest, to educate, to train and to provide spiritual nourishment to its members and the general public, and to significantly contribute to the multiethnic heritage and the cultural vitality of the city, through its concerts.

Vocals - Manjusha Hardikar, Chittranjan Gupta, Suparna Ukey, Sai Hardikar, Divya Ruikar, Shreya Date, Anita Barsode, Laxman Subramaniam, Neena Sharma, Chetan Moghe, Tanvi Deshpande, Varenya Shrikant, Samhita Kumar Shibani Sinha, Ksheera Jalkam, Sumeesha Gupta, Sidharth Kumar, Diya Nariani, Renuka Khopade, Maitri Mirpuri, Aarushi Sen, Krushna Shinde, Vanshika Srivastava, Prisha Agarwal, Venuka Srivastava & Sidharth Bhat. Kathak - Meerambika Kulkarni, Ruchi Kale, Ishani Kale, Ritu Trivedi, Juhi Agarwal, Rishika Prakash, Ria Bhasin, Komal Redkar, Amita Satish, Swarangi Potdar, Manju Sharma, Sejal Patel, Sapna Ganeshan, Shivani Patel, Meenakshi Mohan, Arti Gupta, Sapna Adhikari Koli, Nivedita Mukherjee, Maya Garg, Neya Kichambre, Shakshi Bolar & Ashwini Kulkarni. Harmonium - Anshu Saran, Surendra Mistry, Chetan Moghe & Aloknanda Saha Tabla - Shantanu Bhattacharya, Surendra Mistry, Swapnil Ukey, Atul Joshi, Emad Siddiqui, Ayan Kichambare, Manoj Patel, Omkar Magi, Anwar Anjani, Param, Ila Bhattacharya, Krishna Virani, Rishi Virani, Naren Pullela & Mahesh Ruikar. Flute - Vilas Kulkarni & Sohan Date

Pandit Sarathi Chatterjee is one of the foremost Hindustani Classical vocalists in India. Born in a musical family, Sarathi received his initial training from his father, Prof. Arun Kumar Chatterjee, a highly respected and accomplished representative of the Kirana Gharana, and from his mother Smt Shefali Chatterjee. Even as his early spark of talent matured into musical sophistication, artistry and virtuosity, Pandit Sarathi has continued his musical “sadhana” under the guidance of the celebrated vocalists Pandit Rajan-Sajan Mishra of the Benaras Gharana. Thus, Pandit Sarathi Chatterjee’s music now blends the elements of Benares Gharana into the Kirana Gharana “gayaki” of his original training. Sarathi’s performances are characterized by a powerful and melodious voice, depth of expression, purity of tone, the systematic development of Vistaar, the highly complex yet well structured “sargams”, and sizzling “taans” which develop and portray the emotional content of his chosen raga. Apart from Khayal Gayaki, Sarathi is also an accomplished performer of romantic musical styles such as Thumri and of devotional music such as Bhajans. An “A-top” Grade artist of the All India Radio and Doordarshan & ‘Outstanding’ category musician in ICCR panel Sarathi has been awarded a junior fellowship by the Ministry Of Human Resource Development, Govt. of India for research on 'Different Styles of Thumri' in 1998. Pandit Sarathi had his A.I.R National prog of music in 1998 & 2011, National Prog of music at Doordarshan in 2004 & Akashvani Sangeet Sammelan during 2008.Apart from his musical accomplishments, Sarathi also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Rubber and Plastic Technology from Calcutta University.

Sumit Mishra belongs to a Family of Banaras Gharana. He started his learning process from his Father Pt. Sohan Lal Mishra & his uncle Pt. Mohan Lal Mishra. The great Tabla Maestro Pt. Bundi Maharaj is his great Grandfather & his grandfather Pt. Damodar Mishra who did the same in vocal music with his superb voice & exellent persentation of Ragas. A commerce Graduate from St. xavier’s College, Kolkata, He won Several awards in many cultural fests. The big Break in his career as a Harmonium player was when he got a chance of accompanying with Padmabhusan Pandit Rajan-Sajan Mishra he had been performing as harmonium-accompanist with established artist like Padambhusan Vidushi Girija Devi, Pandit Mohan lal Mishra, Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty, Pandit Ulhas kasalkarji, Pandit Kaivalya Kumar, Smt. Savita Devi, Late Smt. Purnima Chaudhury, Pandit Kumar Bose, Pandit Sukhvinder Singh Namdhari. He has performed at various festivals including Sankat Mochan Festival, Saptak Festival, Gunidas Festival, Malhar Festival, Dover Lane Festival, Ganga Mahotsav, Taj Mahotsav, Hari Das Sangeet Sammelan, ITC Sangeet Sammelan, Bundi Maharaj Sangeet Festival, Gritma Sangeet Festival, Nadam Festival, Rasipa Festival, Sangeetam Festival, Shivratri Mahotsav, ICCR Festival etc. He has also started learning Sarangi which has the feature of radiating a hundred colors of music under the tutelage of Pt. Basant Mishra (Disciple of Sarangi Maestro Pt. Gopal Mishra) Now he is under training of Padma Vibhushan Pt. Ramnarayan.

Pandit Ashis Sengupta is a versatile percussionist of the Banaras gharana. He received his initial training from his father Shri Ranjit Kumar Sengupta and was later groomed by Pandit Nanku Maharaj, Pandit Mahapurush Mishra and Pandit Krishna Kumar Ganguly. Pt. Sengupta has innovated to the various rhythmic compositions learnt from his Gurus and is also blessed with a lot of traditional compositions, Stotras and varieties of Gats from the great Gurus. Both as a soloist and an accompanist to widely varied music styles and performers, he is also an established western drummer to his credit. Apart from playing Tabla, he has composed Bhajans and music arrangements for light music compositions recorded by many reputed audio-video companies. Most recently, he has written a book on Tabla named "Facets of Tabla Playing", published by Kanishka Publishers, New Delhi. He has traveled extensively all over the globe for his performances and lecture-demonstration on Tabla playing under the aegis of numerous organizations. At present he is a member of the Faculty of Music and Fine Arts, University of Delhi. Pandit Ashis has established Music Academy in USA and India, where he promotes Indian music & culture and also organizes concerts tour throughout the world in twice a year.

Pandit Debojyoti Bose naturally inherits an unstrained musical acumen, for he was born in a family of passionate musicians,on the 20TH day of December 1962 at Kolkata. He is the fourth generation musician in the Bose family. His great grandfather Sri Akshay Kumar Bose, a jaminder of Pankobil in Jessore, now in Bangladesh, had a great passion for tabla which was passed on to the generations that followed. That is how he is a born tabla player. His father Pandit Biswanath Bose a tabla legend of Benaras gharana, a disciple of Pandit Kanthe Maharaj and his mother Smt. Bharati Bose a keen Sitar player and a disciple of Ustad Mushtaq Ali Khan and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, sowed the seed of music in him by imparting the early lessons. Debojyoti achieved so many awards, some of which are - Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan scholarship(1981)from SBKK, Delhi, KalkeKalakar (BHU,Varanasi,1984),felicitated by Rabindra Bharati University (Kolkata,1989),Anandalok Award by ABP (1999),felicitated by Vishwabharati University (Shantiniketan 2000),Citizen of Honor from Brown University(2002). Visited Indonesia as an Indian delegate in 2002.Visited Russia,China & Mongolia as a state guest in 2009.Invited to perform in Salon de Virtuoso (New York).Selected as jurist in Tele Samman in 2007. Worked with Mazdidik Nini Thowo a legendery dancer of Indonesia performed with Renowned Chinas Musician. Debojyoti has performed in all major festivals in India including The Dover Lane Music Conference (Kolkata),Saptak (Ahmedabad),Harballav Festival (Jallundher),Sarod Festival (Delhi),Tansen Samaroh (Gwalior), SangeetSabha (Pune), Sankat Mochan Sangeet Samaroh & Dhrupad Mela (Varanasi), SangeetNatak Academy Concert (Chennai & Hyderabad), Parampara Concert ICCR (Delhi),ITC Sangeet Sammelan, etc.. He has also toured extensively abroad including USA, Russia, Indonesia, UK, Bandladesh, Australia, etc.

Sandip was initiated into music by his mother Smt. Krishna Bhattacharjee at the age of four and he continued his talim under Smt. Amita Dasgupta later. At the age of sixteen, Sandip began his training at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy (SRA) under the distinguished guidance of Ustad Mashkoor Ali Khan and Ustad Mubarak Ali Khan, sons and disciples of the late legendary Sarangi Maestro Padmashree Ustad Shakoor Khan. In 2003 he joined ITC-SRA as a residential scholar and in 2013 he became an acknowledged musician at the academy. Under both his gurus, Sandip was nurtured in the true guru shishya parampara system of training in the Kirana Gharana. Sandip has accomplished a rare feat: he has lived up to the promise and talent he showed as a child prodigy. He has performed on stage with many renowned musicians, including Ustad Rashid Khan, Ustad Sultan Khan, Vidushi Girija Devi, Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar, Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty, Pandit Shiv kumar Sharma ,Pandit Hari Prasad Chourasia, Pandit Rajan Sajan Mishra, Pandit Jasraj, and Ustad Zakir Hussain. He has been honored to share the stage with the Kathak Legend Pt Birju Maharaj at John Kennedy Centre in Washington DC, USA. Sandip holds a Bachelor's degree from Rabindra Bharati University (Kolkata) in classical music.He ranked First Class First. He is also skilled in singing numerous semi-classical forms like Bhajans, Ghazals, Nazrulgeeti, etc. Sandip is today one of the most promising young classical artists and perform regularly across India and abroad (United States, Europe and Bangladesh). A recipient of the Title Surmani from Sur Singar Sansad Mumbai, Sandip also broadcasts regularly over the All India Radio as an “ A “ Grade artist.

Considered among the top class of tabla players from India, Pandit Abhijit Banerjee is one of the most sought after creative artists in the realm of Indian classical music. Apart from his contributions to Indian music he has delved into a diverse variety of world music crossover as both a performer and composer. Recognizing his talent and natural inclination towards music his father steered him to tabla at the age of four. Abhijit also studied vocal music and violin later in his life in making a complete musician out of him. He is considered as one of the main disciples of the illustrious guru, the late Pt. Gyan Prakash Ghosh. Abhijit has accompaniment on tabla nearly all of the top ranking stars of Hindustani classical music including Pt.Ravi Shankar, Late Pt.Nikhil Banerjee, Begum Parweena Sultana, Pt.Jasraj, Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma, Dr.Balamurali Krishnan to name a few. As a tabla soloist he has also left his distinct mark through numerous performances and publications in India & abroad. Abhijit has toured extensively in USA, Canada, U.K., Europe, Japan, Australia, South Africa, South East Asia and Mexico as well as performing in all of the major classical music festivals in India. International performances of note include Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Gevant Haus in Germany, Paleis in Brussels, Theatre de la Ville & Radio France in Paris,BBC whole night music series. Souht Bank, London. In addition to a highly successful career in Indian Classical music, his crossover work includes collaborations with musicians such as Ry Cooder, Larry Corryell and Trilok Gurtu, Jon Santos, Keny Endo and many other. Abhijit founded & established Dhwani Academy of Percussion in Los Angeles and KOlkata attracting talented students from around the world.

Amit Kelkar's musical education began at a very young age at home from his mother Smt. Suniti Kelkar and her father Shri. Narayan Gadgil. Amit taught himself to play the harmonium and performed for the first time on stage at the age of 14. He has provided harmonium accompaniment to several renowned artists over the years, including Pt. Sanjeev Abhyankar, Dr. Prabha Atre, Smt. Minoo Purushottam and Prasad Khaparde. Amit is also a versatile singer and music composer. He is currently learning hindustani vocal music from Dr. Mohankumar Darekar. Amit performs ghazals and light music frequently in the DFW metroplex. Amit holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering and also has released three CD-albums released in the United States.

Anuj Mishra belongs to the famous traditional family of musicians gharana of Varanasi. Anuj is thirteenth generation of artists in his traditional musical family. His forefather Late Shri Shivkishore Mishra was renowned Sarangi player . His grandfather Late Sbhri Nanhu Mishra was a famous Tabla mastero and his father Pt. Arjun mishra is very famous and renowned kathak guru, dancer and choreographer learned under Late shri Ramnarayan Mishra in Kolkata and then by great legend Padamvibhushan Pt. Birju Maharaj. The training of Anuj Mishra started at age of 17 after his high school as he was busy in studies at early age and his father was touring all over the world for performances. Anuj also learned Tabla under the guiedence of Pt. Ravinath Mishra and some vocal by Ustad Gulshan Bharati. Anuj performed kathak in all major dance festivals and events in India and abroad. He worked with many dance companies and renowned choreographers as Karine Saporta, Mallika Sarabhai, Kumudini Lakhia, Rukmini Chaterjee, Lata Pada and more . Anuj won several national and international dance competitions he is a national gold medalist, he also got prestigious title of Shringarmani, Nritya Kawomudhi also Anuj got very prestigious and one of the biggest award "Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar" from Sangeet Natak Academy, National Academy of music, dance and drama from India, performed in big festivals like Sawai gandharva, lucknow mohatsava, Taj mohatsava, Kathak mahotsava, Taj Mahotsava, Konark dance festival, Kalaghoda festival etc and also performed in Many countries as France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Poland, Belgium, Norway, England, Canada, Israel, Lebanon, Martinique, Guadalupe etc. He is getting more and more opportunities for more performances in India and abroad. Anuj had done Masters in Kathak from Khairagarh university, Madhya Pradesh and now perusing his P.H.D in Kathak. Anuj is presently Artistic director of Kathak Academy and president of Anuj Arjun Mishras Dance Company [AMC] and also impaneled as establish artist in ICCR [Indian council for cultural relation] and main member of CID [International dance Council] from Europe.

Sharmila Sharma belongs to a family of artists. Her first stage experience, at the early age of only three. This debut performance captivated the hearts of the audience an she won the first prize After initial training in folk dances, as well as in kathak from her mother Tara Sharma, Sharmila joined the renowned Kathak Kendra in New Delhi Sharmila’s talent blossomed under the tutelage of Pandit Rajendra Kumar Gangani latterly from the guidance of renowned Pandit Birju Maharaj She became A professional dancer at the age of fourteen, and she has been performing in national and international Festivals ever since. Sharmila established herself in Paris, where she began teaching Kathak and She conducts workshops and gives Kathak recitals on a regular basis A tireless dancer, she travels and performs, flitting between Europe and India, where connoisseurs and general audiences alike appreciate her art In this classic art form which is technically rigorous with a lot of virtuosity, Sharmila is constantly on the look out to find new ways of developing her creativity in beauty, with her intelligence and delicate sensitivity. She has done solo performances in prestigious festivals in India at Taj Mahotsav Agra, Khajurao Dance Festival Khajurao, Chakradhar Samaroh in Raigarh, Bharat Bhavan, BhartiyaVidhya Bhavan Chennai, Bharat Bhavan Bhopal, “Chal Man Ganga Yamuna Teer” Festival Allahabad, Naad Niranjanam festival at Tirupati balajee mandir, and many others. She performed and choreographed Ballet "Geet-Govind" for National Television Channel Delhi Doodarshan, Matri Udbodan Ashram Patna.

Pandit Sanjeev Abhyankar, the maestro from the Mewati Gharana, is an artist of international acclaim in the field of Hindustani Classical Music and devotional music. An extremely popular artist, he is the inspiration for the young generation. Blessed with an exceptionally sweet voice, his vocation in life was clear right from the age of 3. Born in 1969, Sanjeev started learning Hindustani Classical Music, from the tender age of eight. He has been groomed by his mother Smt. Shobha Abhyankar, Pandit Pimpalkhare ji and Padmavibhushan Pandit Jasraj ji. Though his aim had been to pursue a career in music since childhood, he has acquired a bachelor's Degree in Commerce. Sanjeev rendered his first stage performance in Mumbai, at the age of 11. Since then, he has traveled extensively all over India, performing in all the prestigious conferences and art circles, several times. He has spread the fragrance of Indian Classical music in USA, Canada, Australia, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. He has received many awards which include the President's award from the All India Radio in 1990, the prestigious F. I. E. Foundation National Award 1996, The coveted National Award 1998 as the best male playback singer, for the Hindi film 'Godmother', the title 'Sur Ratna', Rotary Vocational Excellence Award 2002 and Pandit Jasraj Gaurav Puraskar, to name a few. He has also given playback for films such as ' Maachis', 'Nidaan', 'Sanshodhan' , 'Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar' and 'Banaras'.

Milind Kulkarni's natural flair for Harmonium reflects the eternal essence of Hindustani Classical Music as handed down in the true “Guru Shishya Parampara”. Milind took his initial training from Pandit Vsantrao Gurav and later on he has been taking the lessons from Pt. Pramod Marathe from Gandharva Mahavidyalaya. Milind earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Music, specializing in Harmonium at Centre for Performing Arts, Pune University, Pune. He has accompanied many prominent vocalist, instrumentalist and Kathak Dance performers. Milind is a regular performer of All India Radio & Doordarshan (T.V.) network.

Ajinkya Joshi started his initial training in music at the age of seven from Shantilal Shah, one of the senior disciples of well-known tabla player Pt. Suresh Talwalkar. At the age of sixteen, Ajinkya moved to Mumbai and underwent intensive training in tabla for more than ten years from Pt. Suresh Talwalkar. Ajinkya is the recipient of the Vishnu Digambar Paluskar Award (1999). He has accompanied his guru in various tabla solo concerts all over India. He has been awarded the National Scholarship for young artistes by the Government of India. He has accompanied various artists in India and has also toured Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Canada and USA for concerts.

Niladri Kumar is the most popular Indian classical and fusion musician of the current generation and leading sitarist of India . He performed on the sitar from a young age and toured and released albums as an adult. He created a unique instrument, a modified sitar, which he named zitar. Born to sitar player Pandit Kartick Kumar, a disciple of Pt. Ravi Shankar he was considered a child prodigy. He started learning sitar under his father at the age of four. Kumar gave his first public performance at the age of six at Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry. Niladri Kumar began his career with great musiciansLaxmikant-Pyarelal in the late 1980s. He was a part of the Masters of the Percussion tour alongside Zakir Hussain. Kumar has also worked with Jonas Hellborg and V. Selvaganesh on their album Kali's Son and with John McLaughlin on album Floating Point. Kumar has also worked with various music directors in Hindi cinema, including A.R. Rahman, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and Pritam. Niladri was conferred the Sangeet Natak Akademi's Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar, awarded to young musicians, in March 2007. Niladri has also won MTV Immies award for the Best Classical/Fusion Instrumental for his album If. Kumar has created a unique instrument, the "zitar", which is a combination of sitar and guitar. The concept initiated from a traveling sitar, which was modified by Kumar to create rock guitar sound out of it. Kumar reduced the number of strings on the instrument from 20 to five. He also added an electric pickup inside the instrument so that it would sound more like a guitar. His first full album composed using the instrument, titled Zitar, was released in 2008. Kumar wrote the first track for the album Priority in 2003. Over the next five years he improved the track and subsequent track by gauging audience reaction during live performances. He improvised the tracks adding components from various genres such as rock, electronic and lounge. He also won the MN Mathur Award in the 51st Maharana Kumbha Sangeet Samaroh for his contribution to Indian classical music in March, 2013. He has also performed on several popular hindi film songs track including Bunty Aur Babli (Chup Chup Ke), Gangster (Na Jaane Koi), Omakara (naina thag lenge), Life In Metro (Alvida), Dhoom 2 (Crazy Kiya Re), Dabangg 2 (Tere naina bade dagabaaz re), Maazii (Mora Jiya) and several others. He has perfomed traditional classical concerts at all major festivals in India and all prestigious venues all over the world.

Aditya Kalyanpur is a talented tabla player and percussionist beyond his years, who has made a distinguished career working with some of the most prestigious names in Indian classical, jazz, and fusion genres such as Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, AR Rahman, Shankar Mahadevan, Pandit Jasrajji, Larry Coryell, George Brooks, Kenwood Denard, Boston based jazz band Natraj, Mickey Hart, John Mclaughflin. Kalyanpur was first seen with his Guru Ustad Zakir Hussain for the famous "Wah Taj!" television commercial at the age of 11. Having the honor of being recognized as an "A" Grade Artist of All India Radio, he has given public performances along with his guru. Since then he has lent the enchanting music of his tabla to numerous commercials. Honored with the title of Taal - Mani, Aditya Kalyanpur is the recipient of ITC's prestigious Vidyasagar Award as well as the Sangeet Visharad. A commerce graduate, Aditya Kalyanpur has also achieved the distinct title as a Music Diplomat from Mumbai University. He has received scholarship from the Centre for Cultural Resources and Training in New Delhi. In addition to many awards given in India and the United States, Kalyanpur is one of the first tabla players ever to be invited to Estonia for the prestigious Orient Arts Festival. As a soloist and accompanist, he has performed at other prestigious music festivals in India and abroad including the Edinburgh festival in Scotland, the Earagal Arts Festival in Ireland, and the Jazz Yatra in Bombay, India.On a more local scene, Kalyanpur has also appeared at the Great Lakes Folk Festival held every year in Lansing, Michigan, and many other festivals and competitions held across the United States. As a mark of his true versatility as a musician, Kalyanpur has performed solo for many bands and instrumental groups, including the world famous The Rolling Stones and also recorded for their saxophonist, Tim Ries. Aditya Kalyanpur is currently the leader of his fusion band Fuzikk, and a member of the world renowned group Bombay Jazz comprised of jazz legends Larry Coryell, George Brooks and Indian Flute Maestro Pandit Ronu Mazumdar.

Ustad Nishat Khan transcends musical barriers with his provocative expression and spellbinding technical mastery. Undeniably the foremost virtuoso of the sitar, he is the torchbearer of seven generations and the 400-year old tradition of India's most renowned musical family. Maestro Khan stands at the threshold of the future of sitar and Indian music with his uniquely invigorating, contemporary approach. The son and disciple of Ustad Imrat Khan, Nishat has been dazzling audiences since the age of seven and his command of the instrument is unparalleled. The explosive passion of his music envelops the mind and the soul in blissful harmony. Maestro Khan's virtuosity has been compared to such luminaries as Jimi Hendrix (Chicago Sun Times) and J.S. Bach (Washington Times) because of the ingenious and deeply personal interpretation of his rich musical heritage. Exemplifying the humanity and universality of music, Maestro Khan has mastered not only the North Indian classical idiom but also realms as diverse as Gregorian chant, Western classical music, abstract jazz, and Flamenco. His sensitive phrasing and remarkable intuition for other musical traditions illustrate the freedom and versatility that has led to collaborations with the world's leading performers and composers such as John McLaughlin, Philip Glass, Paco Pena, Evelyn Glennie, and Django Bates. He has performed at major venues internationally, including Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center in New York , and the Royal Albert Hall in London . In January 2004, the President of Croatia received Maestro Khan in Zagreb , where he performed "Meeting of Angels" with Gregorian chant. Later that year, he was invited to perform alongside Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, Jeff Beck, John McLaughlin and others at the Crossroads Festival in Dallas , Texas . In Summer 2007 he toured across India in a fiery fusion with violinist Vanessa Mae. In 2008 he toured Europe with his pioneering project, "Spirit & Passion" featuring Flamenco guitar great Paco Pena, and in the Fall he will perform a solo concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London . Nishat Khan is dedicated to preserving and teaching his family's musical tradition; he has taught at UCLA and many other prestigious universities, and he routinely conducts master classes internationally. Future projects will continue to showcase his remarkable foresight as a composer and artist, integrating the brilliant complexity of his North Indian heritage with his refreshing and unprecedented innovations on the sitar.

Gourisankar, a leading Tabla maestro of the present generation, studied Tabla under the able guidance of his father Pandit Shiv Sankar Karmakar. Since 1979, he has been under the tutelage of the tabla maestro Pandit Sankha Chatterjee. Gourisankar is an "A" Grade artist of All India Radio and Television. His talent and creativity are manifest in classical performances, experimental East-West World Music collaboration and North-South musical interactions. He has performed numerous solos and has accompanied most of India's eminent artists, as well as many famous artists from around the world. In 2008, Gourisankar established the "School of Indian Percussion and Music" (SIPM) in Austin, Texas. Many of his students perform regularly and have benefited greatly from his teaching expertise and dedication.

ICMC presents its annual event presenting a medley of several short vocal, instrumental and dance performances, by performing and amateur musicians of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. This event is FREE to general public. The primary reasons for this concert are to bring awareness about Indian classical music in the community and also to stage upcoming talent. Since its inception in 1983, ICMC has built the most comprehensive concert series and is regarded as the premier producer of Indian classical music and dance in Dallas/Fort Worth and the surrounding area, by consistently presenting more than seven culturally diverse concerts a year for the sole benefit of its members and the general public. ICMC's mission is to entertain, to interest, to educate, to train and to provide spiritual nourishment to its members and the general public, and to significantly contribute to the multiethnic heritage and the cultural vitality of the city, through its concerts.

Art Stage 2015 musicians include: Vocals - Chittranjan Gupta, Devki Pande, Drishty Mistry, Vrashank Shukla, Surendra Mistry, Seema Bhattacharya, Kiran Sathaye, Diya Nariani, Arushi Sen, Sumeesha Gupta, Neha Bidnurkar, Suparna Ukey, Chetan Moghe, Tanvi Deshpande, Varenya Shrikant, Samhita Kumar & Shibani Sinha. Kathak - Ruchi Kale, Ishani Kale, Ritu Trivedi, Sanika Bhave, Amrita Mahendra, Juhi Agarwal, Meghna Thakur, Rishika Prakash, Mrinmayee Wadekar, Shreya Rajhans, Ria Bhasin & Komal Redkar. Sitar - Neena Sharma & Usha Shrivastava Harmonium - Kalindi Sathaye & Surendra Mistry Tabla - Neerav Dalal, Shantanu Bhattacharya, Surendra Mistry, Emad Siddiqui, Shahrukh Taj, Shreyas Dravekar, Ayan Kichambare, Prakash Shrivastava & Mahesh Ruikar. Violin - Aastha Trehan, Sohni Patel & Mihir Patel.

Riyaaz Qawwali is an ensemble that represents the unique diversity and plurality of South Asia. The ensemble’s 8 musicians, who are settled in the United States, hail from India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh and also represent multiple religious and spiritual backgrounds. Trained in eastern and western classical music, the members have been professionally performing qawwali for the past eight years. With conservative growth and heightened attention to quality, Riyaaz Qawwali has performed across the continental U.S., as well as internationally in Panama. Riyaaz Qawwali’s mission is to expose qawwali to new audiences, while still paying homage to traditional qawwali that has been in existence for 700+ years. The ensemble wants to expand the reach of the genre to new stages and people of other faiths and traditions. The founding members of Riyaaz Qawwali chose the qawwali genre of music because it houses unique musical elements in its repertoire that are not found in any other form of South Asian music. Riyaaz Qawwali combines this with poetry from famous South Asian poets of multiple linguistic and religious backgrounds to create a universal message of oneness. Riyaaz Qawwali incorporates works from poetic giants like Mirza Ghalib, Amir Khusrow, Bulleh Shah, Mir Taqi Mir, Sant Kabir and Guru Nanak, and in doing so, hopes to expose these poets’ works to new audiences and younger generations. Riyaaz Qawwali also uses numerous languages to represent the linguistic and cultural diversity that exists in South Asia. These languages include Urdu, Punjabi, Persian, Gujarati, and Hindi.

Hailing from the rich traditions of Dharwad, Pandit Kumar Mardur has had his training from his father Pandit Somanath Mardur, a renowned Hindustani Classical Vocalist of Kirana Gharana and a senior disciple of the late Padmabhushan Dr. Basavaraj Rajguru. Endowed with a melodious voice, he is known for pure and aesthetic presentation of ragas, crystal clear taan patterns and command over laya. Kumar has completed his Master’s Degree in Music from Karnatak University, Dharwad. He has received several scholarships and is performing all over the country enthralling audiences. Since 2011, he is working as a Musician Tutor at ITC-SRA. An approved artiste of Akashwani and Doordarshan, Kumar has had numerous performances across the length and breadth of the country, including the Sawai Gandharva Mahotsav in 2011 and a highly successful 3 month USA tour in 2008. The many accolades that have come Kumar’s way include the Padmavibhushan Dr. Mallikarjun Mansur Yuva Puraskar from Dr.Mallikarjun Mansur Memorial National Trust, Dharwad in 2010, Dr.Vasantrao Deshpande Memorial Yuva Kalakar Puraskar 2007 from by Dr.Vasantrao Deshpande Memorial Foundation, Pune; the Vidyasagar Award 2006 from Music Forum, Mumbai; Yuva Gayak Puraskar from Gandharva Mahavidyalay, Pune and 1st prize at several student and youth festivals and competitions.

Pandit Ashis Sengupta is a versatile percussionist of the Banaras gharana. He received his initial training from his father Shri Ranjit Kumar Sengupta and was later groomed by Pandit Nanku Maharaj, Pandit Mahapurush Mishra and Pandit Krishna Kumar Ganguly. Pt. Sengupta has innovated to the various rhythmic compositions learnt from his Gurus and is also blessed with a lot of traditional compositions, Stotras and varieties of Gats from the great Gurus. Both as a soloist and an accompanist to widely varied music styles and performers, he is also an established western drummer to his credit. Apart from playing Tabla, he has composed Bhajans and music arrangements for light music compositions recorded by many reputed audio-video companies. Most recently, he has written a book on Tabla named "Facets of Tabla Playing", published by Kanishka Publishers, New Delhi. He has traveled extensively all over the globe for his performances and lecture-demonstration on Tabla playing under the aegis of numerous organizations. At present he is a member of the Faculty of Music and Fine Arts, University of Delhi.

Satish Kolli is a popular harmonium accompanist from Karnataka. He is the disciple of the late Pandit Vasant Kanakapur. He is currently under the tutelage of Shri Vyasmurti Katti. He has accompanied various prominent vocalists, supported percussionists with his "Lehra" and also played for movie tracks.

Guitar maestro Pandit Debashish Bhattacharya evolves into a global inspiration in the arena of contemporary musical uprising. The musical journey is a counterpart to what remains a fond reminiscence of a child’s fancy with a Hawaiian lap guitar at the age of four. The multi-dimensional intrigue of invention became a passion with the making and widespread recognition of the patented Chaturangui (a 24-string hollow neck guitar), Gandharvi (a 14-string guitar which holds the longest glissando) and Anandi (a 4-string slide Ukulele ) which not only excels in sound variety and quality but has become the designer’s choice. With the lineage of Gurus like Pandit Brij Bhushan Kabra and Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty the inspiration has gone beyond performance. Born to musician parents Pt Debashish Bhattacharya, a child prodigy, was initiated into Indian classical singing, but was drawn to the guitar because of the ability to emulate the human voice by using the slide. Past performances of Debashish have include John McLaughlin and his latest incarnation of Shakti, Bob Brozman that resulted in the album Mahima. Led Kaapana, Martin Simpson are the others. The uncanny ability of sliding like a voice and mesmerizing tantrakaari ang put Debashish Bhattacharya as a leading slide guitarist of the world. This extremely personable and gifted artiste takes us on a timeless journey through the history of Indian Classical Music, bringing it into the 21st century, with detours into the Blues and Hawaiian music as well. His work has earned him president of India award in 1984, The Asiatic Society Gold Medal in 2005 and BBC Planet Award for World Music in 2007.

Blessed with a mellifluous voice and exceptional versatility, Pritam Bhattacharjee is one of the most accomplished and acclaimed Indian Classical vocalists of his generation, who has performed at most of the prestigious festivals around the world. He is a leading exponent of the illustrious Mewati Gharana. In addition to being a renowned vocalist, Pritam is also a brilliant and an acclaimed composer, who has written and composed over 400 compositions in different Ragas (melodic patterns), which he has presented at many festivals. Pritam has also experimented with different genres of music through his own compositions and performances. Hailing from Silchar, Assam in India, Pritam is one of the foremost disciples of the legendary Mewati Maestro Sangeet Martand Pandit Jasraj, and has received rigorous training under Pandit Jasraj’s tutelage since he was 12 years old. Pritam had earlier begun his initial training at a tender age of 4 years from his mother Mrs. Manjushree Bhattacharjee and then under other Gurus including, Shri Sundhanshu Deb, Shri Vijay Chakraborty and Shri Amarendra Chakraborty. Pritam has performed at many concerts and prestigious festivals in India and abroad, including Aarohi Festival (Mumbai), Pandit Motiram Maniram Sangeet Samaroha (Hyderabad), Harivallabh Music Festival (Jalandhar), Saptak Music Festival (Ahmedabad), Avishkar Smriti Samaroha (Goa), Ustad Alladiya Khan Music Festival (Mumbai), Sudarshan Sangeet Sabha (Pune), LearnQuest Festival (Boston, USA), South Asian Performing Arts Foundation (SAPAF),etc.. He has also traveled extensively and performed with his Guruji, Pandit Jasraj ji, in prominent music festivals. Currently he is faculty at the Pandit Jasraj school of music in Atlanta.

Subhashish Bhattacharya is one of the most prominent name in the younger generation Tabla artists. He belongs to Rampur Farukhabad schooling of Tabla, as he has been studying under Late Pandit Shyamal Bose, Pandit Prabir Bhattacharya, and Pandit Samir Chatterjee and now he is disciple of maestro Pandit Anindo Chatterjee. At the age of thirteen he has performed in Jadubhatta Music Conference. Since then he has performed almost every music festivals and conference in India like ITC Sangeet Sammelan, Bishwa Banga Sammelan (Kolkata), Swati Thirunal Music Conference (Trivandrum), Music Today Swar Utsav (Delhi), Spicmacay (Virasat, Delhi), Chennai Music Academy, Pracheen Kalakendra (Chandigarh), NCPA (Bombay), Uttar Para Sangeet Chakra (Kolkata) and The Dover Lane Music Conference to name a few. Abroad He has performed in USA, Canada, France, The Netherlands, Greece, South Africa and Quait to participate in innumerous number of concerts and Festivals. Subhasis has performed in the 50th anniversary of India Independence Day at the United Nations (NY). Subhasis is the participant artiste of the International Band "SILK AND STEEL", and "THIEVES OF SLEEP". He is a member of Calcutta Cene Music association. He has scored rhythm as background music in many Films and T.V.Serials.

Pankaj Mishra is born into an exceptional Musician-lineage. Being the son of Shri Satya Narayan Mishra, Great Grandson of Sarangi virtuoso Late Pt. Saraju Prasad Mishra and Grandson of Late Pt. Mahadeo Prasad Mishra. Pankaj was trained from an early age by the renowned Sarangi player of Banaras Gharana late Pt. Mahesh Prasad Mishra. Pankaj created a distinct style of playing & has performed both as a Solo artist and an accompanist at several prestigious events in India including the Dover Lane Music Conference, ITC Festival , Indo Occidental Symbiosis, The Salt Lake Music Festival more. He has toured extensively in USA, Canada, Europe, Japan, Bangladesh and more. He has accompanied with highly regarded Tabla players like late Pt. Shyamal Bose, Pt. Swapan Chaudhury, Pt. Anindo Chatterjee, Pt. Kumar Bose, Ud. Sabir Khan, Pt.Samar Saha, Subhankar Banerjee, Ud. Tari Khan, etc. He has also accompanied vocalists like Girija Devi, Purnima Chaudhury, Pt. Dinanath Mishra, Kathak exponents like Pt. Birju Maharaj, Pt Rammohan Maharaj, Pt.Vijay Shankar, Ghazal Maestro Ghulam Ali & Sabri Brothers of Pakistan, more on list

India Dance Festival will present several fine dance performances by some of the leading artists featuring Odissi and Kathak styles. Kathak, the dance style from north India has the charm and subtlety associated with miniature paintings. Nurtured in the holy precincts of the Hindu temples Kathak was further enhanced with Persian influence during the Mogul reign in India. Over the centuries, it has attained refinement and enriched itself by the establishment of distinct styles and gharanas. Odissi, a recognized form of Indian classical dance, is from the eastern state of Orissa. Odissi dates back to 2nd century B.C. and is well known for its grace, fluid movements and strong footwork. Odissi postures can be seen in the sculptures of ancient Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist temples and caves of Orissa.

Kaustavi Sarkar; winner of prominent awards including Singar-Mani, Nalanda-NrityaNipuna, Odissi-Jyoti and researcher at Ohio State University; is an Indian classical dancer, choreographer, dance-scholar and educator, performing and teaching well over the past decade. Recognized as one of leading Odissi dance exponents, she is nominated as an Indian national fellow working on meaning-making processes in dance studies as pertaining to South Asian dance. She is the Artistic Director of an organization called Multicultural Center for Embodied Aesthetics, International Outreach and Social Activism (MCCA) and founded the initiative called Odissi at Ohio State (O2). Kaustavi regularly presents her scholarly work as well as her creative work in dance conferences, festivals and conducts master-classes/ lecture-demonstrations across universities in Europe and America. Currently, Kaustavi teaches Odissi at the Ohio State University. Actively involved in the diasporic Indian community, Kaustavi is dedicated to a life engaged in scholarship, performance, pedagogy, leadership and activism. She has an Master of Science in Economics with specialization in Finance and has worked in New York, Kolkata and Mumbai as a financial analyst for over eight years.

Acknowledged by connoisseurs as a solo dancer of repute and a creative choreographer of rare calibre, Prerana Deshpande is among the leading complete solo Kathak dancers of her generation. Internationally acclaimed as a creative dancer whose work reveals the perpetually expanding horizons of the traditional form, Prerana is regarded for her exquisite command over the fundamentals of Kathak - Rhythm, Grace, & Expression and for her creativity rooted in the tradition of this dance form. Greatly appreciated by all audiences for her expertise in Kathak, she is regularly invited to perform as a solo artist at all major venues and festivals in India and abroad. Her evolving body of work of choreography and collaborative productions, which includes music of varied genre, highlights her keen awareness about musical aesthetics. Prerana believes it to be divine blessing that the great maestro, Guru Dr. Rohini Bhate accepted her as a disciple and thought fit to impart one-to-one teaching of Kathak. Prerana is a first student of Rohiniji who passed Master of Arts (M.A.) form University of Poona and stood first in the Dance. Before learning from Rohiniji for past 22 years, she learnt for about 8 years from Smt. Sharadini Gole. Recipient of numerous awards, Prerana has been felicitated by legendary Pt. Birju Maharaj with 'Gaurav Puruskar'. Prerana has also been honoured with the title of 'Nrityashri' and was conferred the title of 'Singar Mani' by the Sur Singar Samsad of Mumbai.

Padmabhushan Dr. Prabha Atre is perhaps the only performer who has also excelled as a brilliant thinker, academician, author, composer and teacher of music. She is the senior most front ranking vocalist in the country representing the Kirana gharaanaa, today. A Science and Law graduate, she also holds a Doctorate in music. A former Assistant Producer with the All India Radio, former Professor and Head of the Department of Music, SNDT Women's University, Mumbai, and former Producer-Director of the recording company ‘Swarashree’, devoted only to Classical Music, Dr. Prabha Atre has a rare blend of skill and insight. She has displayed constant innovation and creative endeavour which has distinguished her from other vocalists, both in the classical and light classical idioms. Dr. Prabha Atre was trained in the traditional `guru-shishya paramparaa' system by the late Sureshbabu Mane and his famous sister, Padmabhushan Hirabai Badodekar, both stalwarts of the Kirana gharaanaa and drew much inspiration from the styles of renowned maestros, Amir Khan and Bade Gulam Ali Khan. Dr. Atre has authored academic books on the various aspects of music that are especially relevant to the present day performance. She is a ‘Top’ Grade artist of the All India Radio. Whether it is khyaal, tarana, thumri, dadra, ghazal or bhajan, she has a distinct style and typical ingenuity in design and presentation. Dr. Prabha Atre has been honored with the National Awards - ‘Padmashree’, ‘Padmabhushan’, ‘Kalidas Samman’, ‘Sangeet Natak Akademi’ award and ‘Tagore Akademi Ratna’ in recognition of her exceptional creativity, highest artistic excellence, outstanding achievement and distinguished life time services in the field of classical vocal music.

Dr. Chetna Banawat is the disciple of internationally renowned Hindustani Classical Vocalist of Kirana Gharana Padmbhushan awardee, Honorable Dr. Prabha Atre. She has been taking lesson on Indian classical vocal and light classical since 1999. Born in a Musical family in Udaipur, Chetna received her internal training in music from her mother Smt. Madana Banawat and her father Shri Ramnarayan Banawat. She has been fortunate to receive lessons on Tappa Gaayki from Pt. Bala Saheb Poochwale, the maestro from Gwalior Gharana. Chetna has given music program, concerts, lecture-demos all over India. She has received many awards like Surmani Award, Dagar Award, Master Madan Award, Sangeet Surnandan Award, Shastriya Sangeet Kala Ratna Samman, Sangeet Natak Academy Yuva Purskaar, etc.

Vikas Naregal from Bangalore, a Graded artist of AIR Bangalore, started showing interest towards the art of Tabla at the age of 8. He was motivated and highly encouraged by his parents Mohan Naregal and Anuradha Naregal. Vikas comes from a family of musical background. His maternal grandfather, Late. Ramachandra Desai was a famous Harmonium player, vocalist and a noted music teacher at Hubli. Vikas Naregal started his initial tutelage under Pt. Hire Gowdar, continued with Pt. Vishwanath Nakod, Pt. Sheshagiri Hangal, and Pt. M. Nagesh. Presently, under guru Pt. Ravindra Yavagal he is learning skills to inculcate Ustad Tirakhwara style of Tabla playing for the past 12 years. Vikas has accompanied several famous Hindustani vocalists like Pt. Vinayak Thoravi, Pt. Parameshwar Hegde, Pt. Venkatesh Kumar, Pt. Jayateertha Mevundi, Vid. Sangeetha Katti Kulakarni and upcoming hindustani vocalists like Sri Kaushik Aithal, Kum. Anagha Bhatt, Kum. Amrutha Rao, Sri. Balachandra Prabhu and many others. He has also participated in many Tabla Ensembles with renowned artists and solo performance with Tabla Maestro Pt. Ravindra Yavagal. He has actively participated in many commercial audio/video recordings and also performed at several major music festivals in India.

Sameer Kotasthane learnt classical vocal music under the guidance of Pt. Vijay Koparkar and Pt. T D Janorikar – he is currently training under Dr. Ram Deshpande, a senior disciple of Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar and Pt. Yashwantbua Joshi. He received the National Cultural Talent Scholarship and several dozen awards in India. All India Radio and National Television have aired his performances. He has been invited to conduct lecture demonstrations by Central Texas organizations such as ICMCA and SPICMACAY. He has accompanied distinguished artists like Pt. Ajay Pohankar, Vidyadhar Vyas, Dr. Ram Deshpande and Prasad Khaparde.

Mastering over one of the most difficult string instruments ' Sarangi', Pandit Ramesh Mishra is today acclaimed as an outstanding artist of India. Son of great sarangi maestro Pt. Ramnath Mishra, he started his initial intensive training at very tender age from his father and acquired further knowledge and training from finest musicians of Banaras Gharana Pandit Hanuman Prasad Mishra and late Pandit Gopal Mishra. Later on he went under the tutelage of the legendary maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar. Besides a recipient of India's most prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for the year 2008 for his outstanding contribution in the field of music (sarangi), Pt. Ramesh Mishra also received of Sangeet Natak Award of Uttar Pradesh 1992, honored with Geetanjali, Uttam, Dishari Award, Jhadhu Bhatta award from West Bengal in 2007 and various other awards from different musical organizations. Both as soloist and accompanist, Pandit Ramesh Mishra traveled all over the world accompanying internationally reputed artists. In addition he has produced numerous recordings including his own solo records and earned a niche in the hearts of millions of music lovers. He is an asset to the music world and his mesmerizing melodies produced by his sarangi can be heard in many music productions including Ravi Shankar's 'live in Kremlin' and the Grammy nominated album 'Legacy' produced by the legendary Ali Akbar Khan. He was also a participating artist in the production of the "Concert for George" at Royal Albert Hall in London, November 2002. Pandit Mishra is one of the recording artist in Aero Smith's much acclaimed album " Nine Lives ".

Snehasish Mozumder is among those few established musicians in India who has mastered the art of playing Mandolin, and has blended it perfectly into the style of Hindustani Indian Classical Music. He started his initial training at the age of four with Tabla and then Mandolin under the guidance of his grandfather late Sri Bibhuty Ranjan Mozumder and then he took training under his father Sri Himanshu Mozumder and his uncle late Sri Ranjan Mozumder. Gradually he switched over to his cousin Tejendra Narayan Majumdar who is a well-known sarod player. He continued his study under late Acharya Ajoy Sinha Roy who was a beloved disciple of Baba Allauddin Khan Saheb, the founder of Maihar Gharana and he takes lesson of laykari under the guidance of Pandit Anil Palit who is a senior most disciple of Pandit Kishan Maharaj. Finally he came under the tutelage of Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty. Snehasish, has performed many major festivals in India like Sankat Mochan Utsav of Varanasi, Swami Haridas Sangeet Sanmelan of Mumbai,Indian Habitat Centre of Delhi, Bhowanipur Sangeeet Sanmelan, GolPark Ramkrishna Mission of Kolkata and Saltlake Music Conference of Kolkata etc, and also he has toured Europe, UK and USA and made a very good name amongst the music lovers. He is the recipient of Surmani and Jadubhatta Awards.

Gourisankar Karmar, the grandson of famed dhrupadiya (vocalist) Jotindra Mohan Karmakar, began studying and playing tabla at the young age of three years old under the guidance of his father, Mr. Shib Shankar Karmakar - a noted disciple of the tabla maestro, the late Ustad Keramatulla Khan. In conjunction with his studies, Gourisankar pursued the art and technique of tabla seriously and soon developed superb control over the instrument. Since 1979, he has been under the tutelage of the Tabla Maestro Sankha Chatterjee. Gourisankar is an "A" grade Artist with All India Radio and Doordarshan/ Televison. He has been touring extensively internationally for the past 20 years and has a unique combination of playing styles reflecting the Farukhabad and Punjab Gharanas. He has conducted several concert tours in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the United States. He has accompanied eminent artists such as Pt V.G. Jog, Pt A.T. Kannan, Pt Muneswar Dayal, Pt. Manilal Nag, Lakshmi Shankar, Pt. Budhaditya Mukherjee, Ud. Shahid Parvez, Ud. Shujat Khan, Pt. Kushal Das and Indrajit Banerjee. In addition to his yearly tours, he has made great progress in promoting Tabla/Indian Classical Music through teaching and has many students worldwide.

PADMABHUSHAN Pandits Rajan & Sajan Mishra hail from the holy city of Banaras (Varanasi), which is home to some of the world’s best vocalists, instrumentalists, percussionists and dancers. They belong to a family of eminent musicians of the Banaras Gharana. A family of maestros that comprises of legends such as Pandit Ganeshji Misra (Great Grandfather), Pandit Sursahai Misra, Pandit Bade Ram Dasji Misra (Grandfather), Pandit Hanuman Misra (Father), and Pandit Gopal Misra (Uncle). Highly regarded as the most successful duo of our times, Pandits Rajan and Sajan Mishra are known for their extensive repertoire of Khayal. Endowed with sonorous and sensitive voices, the Misra brothers have also excelled in rendering light classical forms such as Tappa, Tarana and Bhajan. With rich and well cultivated voices that complement each other extremely well, these brothers have raised the duet form of singing to new heights of spiritual sublimity. The hallmark of their style is the superb intonation, beautiful imagination and their traditional approach which blends the old compositions with their own creations, using an amazing vocal range and technique. The legendary Mishra Brothers have been performing regularly in most major music festivals all over the world for the past 30 years.& have won many major awards such as Padma Bhushan (2007); Sangeet Natak Academy; Kumar Gandharva; Sangeet Ratna (Allahabad); Sangeet Bhushan (Varanasi); Kashi Gaurav (benaras),Sangeet Nayak (Chandigarh) & many others.

Vyasmurti Katti was initiated into music at a very young age by his sisters. Later, he went on to take systematic training in harmonium under the able guidance of Ramacharya Bagewadi of Solapur. Presently he is learning vocal music under the tutelage of Indudhar Nirody, a senior exponent of the Agra Gayaki. Katti is equally adept in harmonium accompaniment and in playing harmonium solo. He has accompanied several eminent artistes and has also given vocal concerts. He plays nagma with Tabla solo and Kathak performances. Having performed in India and overseas, Vyasmurti Katti has given up a career as an Electronics Engineer (B.E.-Electronics), to pursue music full time.

Pandit Ashis Sengupta is a versatile percussionist of the Banaras gharana. He received his initial training from his father Shri Ranjit Kumar Sengupta and was later groomed by Pandit Nanku Maharaj, Pandit Mahapurush Mishra and Pandit Krishna Kumar Ganguly. Pt. Sengupta has innovated to the various rhythmic compositions learnt from his Gurus and is also blessed with a lot of traditional compositions, Stotras and varieties of Gats from the great Gurus. Both as a soloist and an accompanist to widely varied music styles and performers, he is also an established western drummer to his credit. Apart from playing Tabla, he has composed Bhajans and music arrangements for light music compositions recorded by many reputed audio-video companies. Most recently, he has written a book on Tabla named "Facets of Tabla Playing", published by Kanishka Publishers, New Delhi. He has traveled extensively all over the globe for his performances and lecture-demonstration on Tabla playing under the aegis of numerous organizations. At present he is a member of the Faculty of Music and Fine Arts, University of Delhi.

Performing musicians:
Vatsal Dave (Sitar),
Sohni & Mihir Patel (violins),
Neena Sharma (Sitar),
Neel Bhatt (Tabla),
Shantanu Bhattacharya (Tabla),
Aditya Paranjape (Tabla),
Surendra Mistry (Tabla/Harmonium),
Rishul Ravi (Tabla),
Chittranjan Gupta (vocals/harmonium),
Drishti Mistry (vocals),
Chetan Moghe (vocals),
Tanvi Deshpande (vocals),
Varenya Shrikant (vocals),
Anand Amarnani (vocals),
Vrashank Shukla (vocals),
Seema Bhattacharya (vocals),
Rajshree Gore (vocals),
Meerambika Kulkarni (Kathak),
Ritu Trivedi (Kathak),
Neha Gampala (Kathak) and
Priyanka Parikh (Kathak).

ICMC presents its annual and unique event presenting a medley of several short vocal, instrumental and dance performances, by performing and amateur musicians of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. This event is arranged in a baithak style concert format, where one will truly enjoy wide variety of musicians in an intimate manner. This event is FREE to general public. The primary reasons for this concert are to bring awareness about Indian classical music in the community and also to stage upcoming talent. Since its inception in 1983, ICMC has built the most comprehensive concert series and is regarded as the premier producer of Indian classical music and dance in Dallas/Fort Worth and the surrounding area, by consistently presenting more than seven culturally diverse concerts a year for the sole benefit of its members and the general public. ICMC's mission is to entertain, to interest, to educate, to train and to provide spiritual nourishment to its members and the general public, and to significantly contribute to the multiethnic heritage and the cultural vitality of the city, through its concerts.

Smt Sanhita Nandi is a prominent exponent of Hindustani Classical Vocal, Kirana Gharana in the Khayal genres. After initial training, Sanhita was later groomed by Late Pandit A. Kanan, the senior most guru of the ITC Sangeet Research Academy, Kolkata. After years of practice, and greatly influenced by Gharana maestros, she has assimilated the distinctive features of the Kirana Gharana. She has been praised as brilliant exponent and ruminates on the 'Aalaap' and Sargam taan the pillar of this gharana. To further enrich the most important aesthetic improvisations of the Kirana lineage and traditional compositions, Sanhita is currently under the able guidance of Ud. Mashkoor Ali Khan. She has received great recognition and reviews for her recent performances in prime music festival at the Sawai Gandharva Sangeet Sammelan in Pune, Harivallabh Sangeet Sammelan in Jalandhar, the Annual Saptak Sangeet Sammelan in Ahmedabad, Laxmi Narayan Sangeet Samaroha in Amritsar, Parampara Music Festival in Chennai, Ud. Rahmat Khan Sangeet Sammelan in Dharwad, Glimpses of Kirana Music festival in Hyderabad, Samrat Sangeet Sammelan in Goa, Bharat Bhavan in Bhopal, SPICMACAY concert series, Chandayan All Night concert in NY, LearnQuest Music conference in Boston, Rag Samay Festival in Philadelphia, Gururao Deshpande Sangeet Sabha in Bangalore and many others.

Ramchandra Joshi is an accomplished vocalist as well as an established harmonium player. Inducted to the world of music at the tender age of 8 years by his mother Smt. Anjani Tilak from Mumbai, later he got trained with Smt. Tulika Ghosh who is disciple of legendary late Pt. Gyanprakash Ghosh from Kolkata, and Smt. Sraboni Mukherjee in classical vocal, light classical music (thumri, ghazal) respectively at Sangeet Mahabharati Music academy Mumbai founded by late Pt Nikhil Ghosh. He received guidance in Indian Classical Vocal from renowned vocalist Dr. Veena Sahasrabuddhe from Pune. He has toured extensively in India, USA, UK and Switzerland. As Harmonium accompanist Ramchandra has accompanied vocalists at numerous concerts.

Shantilal Shah was born and raised in the culturally and artistically vibrant city of Banaras, India. His basic taalim was under Pandit Mahadev Prasad Mishra of Banaras Gharana. He is a worthy disciple of Taal-Yogi Pandit Suresh Talwalkar. During his initial years as a Tabla player, Shantilal Shah remained a gold medalist from the Sangeet Natak Academy of Lucknow, and also won the National Talent Scholarship awarded by the Govt. of India. A Sangeet Prabhakar from the Prayaag Sangeet Samiti of Allahabad, he is also a graded artist of the All India Radio & Television. Shantilal Shah has been performing all over India and many western and Asian countries. He has had the opportunity to share the stage with some of the greatest names in Indian Classical music, like Sangeet Martand Pt. Jasraj, Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, Pt. Jeetendra Abhisheki, Rohini Bhate, Pt. Rajan-Sajan Mishra, Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar, Smt. Laxmi Shankar, Ud. Sujaat Khan, Bhajan Sopori, Veena Sahasrabuddhe, Padma Talwalkar, Arati Ankalikar, Shama Bhate and others. Shantilal Shah has proven himself to be one of the most successful Tabla-Gurus of the present generation. He began teaching in Pune in the early 80s under the banner of one of the leading performing art organizations of the city, Nad-roop. Later he moved to Tampa, Florida, USA to join the faculty of the Pandit Jasraj School of Music as the resident Tabla Guru. In 2003, Shantilal Shah moved to Houston, TX to join the Anjali Center of Performing Arts, and present he is the Tabla Guru with Swaralayam Arts Forum.

Born in Andhra Pradesh and raised in Neyveli, Radhakrishna began his vocal stream of musical education at the age of eight under Sri C.S. Anandamani and simultaneously trained under Neyveli S.Vimala for violin. Violin virtuoso Sri M.N.Ganesa Pillai took Radhakrishna under his wing for over a decade. Later violin maestro, Sangeetha Kalanidhi Sri M.Chandrasekaran groomed him, honing his concert skills. Radhakrishna holds Master's Degree in Indian music with distinction. Radhakrishna has teamed up with the cream of Carnatic musicians, notably Dr.N.Ramani, T.V.Gopalakrishnan, T.K.Govindarao, T.N.Seshagopalan, O.S.Thiagarajan, Ravikiran, Kadri Gopalnath, etc. Radhakrishna was privileged to participate in the musical odyssey of Bharat Ratna, legendary Pt Ravi Shankar's Festival of India II and III across US and Canada, performing in most prestigious halls. Radhakrishna plays the rare, creative and unique ten string, stereoscopic DOUBLE VIOLIN, the only one of its kind in Asia among a handful in the world. His version of "nouveau" DOUBLE VIOLIN is a recent addition to the world of string instruments. Incorporating the range of violin, viola, cello and double bass, it showcases that music transcends the barriers of time and has a unique, universal appeal.

Sitarist Indrajit Banerjee is one of the leading exponents of the Maihar Gharana. He was born in a musical family, unique due to the large number of accomplished artists in Hindustani Classical Music. Some of these family members include his guru, Pandit Kartick Kumar (Sitar), Pandit Barun Kumar Pal (Hamsa Veena), Niladri Kumar (Sitar), Partho Das (Sitar), Aparna Roy (Surbahar). He got inspiration from his sitarist mother, Manju Banerjee, who was a disciple of late Nikhil Banerjee, and afterwards, Santosh Banerjee. Indrajit's training began with his maternal grandfather, Bankim Kumar Pal, who was the disciple of Inayat Khan, and Birendra Kishore Roy Chowdhuri (Kochi Babu). He then took training under Pandit Manilal Nag of Bishnupur Gharana. Later on, he took intensive training from his uncle, Pandit Kartick Kumar, who is a senior disciple of Pandit Ravi Shankar. All of this training developed a strong foundation for Indrajit's music, and creative individuality. Indrajit has a special touch on Sitar combined with technical virtuosity and sensitivity.

Acclaimed an "international performer and promoter" of the South Indian pitched drum, the mridangam, by USA Today in its "All-College Academic Team," and "Pride of India" by India's leading newspaper, Times of India, Rohan Krishnamurthy is considered a young musical ambassador in the Indian music scene. Having initially received mridangam training with Damodaran Srinivasan and continuing advanced training from the mridangam maestro Guruvayur Dorai in India, Rohan has performed in hundreds of concerts in North America and India since the age of nine with leading artists including Prof. T.N. Krishnan, Dr. N. Ramani, R. K. Srikantan, T.N. Seshagopalan, Chitravina N. Ravikiran, S. Shashank, T. M. Krishna, and S. Sowmya. He has spearheaded numerous cross-musical ventures with well-known symphony orchestras, jazz ensembles, and distinguished musicians including Grammy Award-winners Glen Velez and Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Anoushka Shankar, Jamey Haddad, and Ayano Ninomiya.

Subrata Bhattacharya is one of the leading tabla players in India today. He has received his taalim under Shri Tamal Krishna Chatterjee, Shri Nripen Karmakar and Shri Tapan Kr. Banerjee before he was finally accepted as a pupil of tabla maestro Pt. Shankar Ghosh, all of whom honed his talent to the level of refinement now witnessed by audiences everywhere. He has since proved himself a worthy exponent of the Farukhabad Gharana. Recognition of his talent has come in the form of such awards as the Sangeet Prabhankar and the Gold Medal and the Saangeet Praveen from Prayag Sangeet Samiti, Allahadad, and Sangeet Bhushan from the Bhatkhande College, Lucknow. Renowned artists whom he has accompanied in the past few years are Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Dr. L. Subramaniam, Dr.N.Rajam, Pt. Buddhaditya Mukherjee, Ud Shahid Parvez Khan, Ud Ali Ahmed Hussain, Chitraveena Ravikiran, Pt. Tejendra Narayan Majumdar, Pt. Samaresh Chaudhury, etc. He is a visiting professor at the University of Urbana Champaign ,IL.

A disciple of Pandit Manas Chakraborty and Late Pandit Ram Ashraye Jha, Sandipan has developed a distinctive style of his own, which primarily embraces the nuances of the melodious Kirana Gharana. Gifted with an extremely mellifluous voice, Sandipan Samajpati is exceptionally adept at creating soulful improvisation of each raga which lends his renditions a rare emotional content and thoughtfulness, making him stand out amongst his peers. Recognizing this musical brilliance, numerous awards and accolades continue to come Sandipan’s way. He is the first recipient of the prestigious Ustad Bismillah Khan Puraskar 2006, awarded by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, the apex institution of performing arts in India. Very recently, the artist received the Sangeet Ratna Puraskar (2011) from the Salt Lake City Music Conference (Kolkata) in acknowledgment of his creative contribution. An “A-Grade” vocalist of Doordarshan (Indian National Television) and the All India Radio. He has extensively toured Europe, U.K., Australia, USA, Sultanate of Oman (Muscat) and Singapore, and has successfully catered to the global audience with his rich musical repertoire. Sandipan is also actively engaged in grooming the younger generation of music-learners through his scientific voice training methods, and rigorous musical discipline.

Hindole has had his training from Sri Shibsankar Karmakar, a worthy disciple of late Ustad Karamatullah Khan and has been taking advanced talims from the Tabla Maestro Pandit Sankha Chatterjee of the Punjab Gharana. He has also been receiving training in the South Indian Rhythm style from Bidwan Pandit S. Shekhar, the great Mridangam exponent. Hindole has been appreciated by Tabla Maestros like Pandit Swapan Chowdhury, Pandit Kumar Bose, Pandit Anindo Chatterjee, Ustad Sabir Khan, to name a few. He is a regular artist of the All India Radio and Television (India). He has accompanied eminent musicians like Ud Shahid Parvez, Ud Shujaat Khan, Sri Partha Bose, Pandit Ganesh Mohan, Pt Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Ud Aashish Khan, Pt Kamal Mallick, Pt Tejendra Narayan Majumdar, Alam Khan; Veena Sahasrabudhe, Tanima Thakur, Sanjeev Abhyankar, Sandipan Samajpati and several others. He has travelled extensively throughout India and abroad. He has travelled to countries like Singapore, Malayasia, Sultanate of Oman (Muscat), Germany, France, and England to name a few. He has also been regularly travelling to the USA and Canada for teaching assignments and concerts. Hindole has rendered performances in the different prestigious classical music conferences.

India Dance Festival will present several fine dance performances by some of the leading artists featuring Kathak styles. Kathak, the dance style from north India has the charm and subtlety associated with miniature paintings. Nurtured in the holy precincts of the Hindu temples Kathak was further enhanced with Persian influence during the Mogul reign in India. Over the centuries, it has attained refinement and enriched itself by the establishment of distinct styles and gharanas.

Madhu Natraj is a performer, choreographer, educator and leading arts entrepreneur in Kathak and contemporary Indian dances. Madhu was chosen as one of India's 50 young achiever's by ' India Today'. She has received several awards, recent amongst which are the 'Bismillah Khan Yuva puraskar' from the central Sangeet Natak Akademi and the Mohan Khokar award for excellence in dance. She studied Kathak from her mother Dr Maya Rao and from Smt. Chitra Venugopal. Although she trained in contemporary dance in New York, Madhu returned to India with a vision to create a unique dance company with its own distinctive contemporary Indian dance identity – the Natya STEM Dance Kampni. A graduate of commerce, journalism & choreography, She has also trained in Indian martial arts, ritualistic/folk dance traditions, pedagogy and Yoga. She believes dance is a potent medium for change in the public domain. Ranging from education, social issues, creativity, documentation to healing, her projects aim to materialize this philosophy. Madhu has created over 75 choreographic works (short pieces & productions) in the 16 years of the Kampni's existence. She is also a Panellist at important Design, Cultural and Academic institutions and is often invited to perform, design programs and Choreographic works for prestigious cultural institutions and festivals.

Rita Mitra Mustaphi has been teaching and performing dance in the Twin Cities since 1978. A graduate of Rabindra Bharati University of Performing Arts in Calcutta, India she is a disciple of the living legend Pandit Birju Maharaj in Kathak style of Indian classical dance. Mustaphi, in her 27 years of professional dance, has choreographed more than 50 new works and performed locally, nationally and internationally. Her selected awards include two McKnight Fellowships for choreography, dancer fellowships, and cultural collaboration awards from Minnesota State Arts Board and leadership award from the Council of Asian Pacific Minnesotans, 2011 Lifetime achievement award from the India Association of Minnesota and 2012 Education Award from the Ordway Center of Performing Arts in the category of Excellence in Vision. In 1997, Mustaphi has performed as a troupe member of Pandit Birju Maharaj at Carnegie Hall, New York. She performed at the prestigious international Kathak Dance Festival, New Delhi, India in 2003 organized by the Kathak Kendra, the National Institute of Kathak dance in India. Her presentation of Sudha's Story, a poetry enactment was reviewed by India Today, the newsmagazine as ‘poetry in motion - the piece de resistance'. Hindustan Times in India writes 'From Minnesota with magic in her steps she creates a spirit that sets her apart at the festival'. Mustaphi is also a roster artist for Minnesota State Arts Board and COMPAS, the organizations that promote global education of multicultural arts.

Anurag Sharma has a passion for dance that inspired him to start learning from Rita Mustaphi in September of 2004. Anurag attended International Kathak Festival at Chicago in October 2004 and attended Kathak workshops from Pandit Birju Maharaj, Saswati Sen, Pandit Chitresh Das, Smt Anjani Ambegaokar and Smt. Kumudini Lakhia. His performance credits with Katha Dance Theater include The Ramayana Project, Black Candle, Sadhana to Sufism, Dots & Feathers, Katha – The Story, Soul to Sole, and Retrospect. He also performed as a lead male dancer for Anila Sinha Foundation in th production of Raj-Nartaki.

A disciple of legendary Ustad Mehdi Hassan and Ustad Shaukat Hussain Khan, Ustad Tari Khan has captured audience imaginations worldwide as a both a ghazal and tabla maestro. Raised by a classical vocalist father and groomed by two legendary Ustads during a golden era of music, he represents a unquie product of melodic and rhythmic pedigree. As Tariji was a rising star in the early 70s and touring with Mehdi Hassan as an accompanist, he was under continuous talim, from the ghazal legend. Once established as one of the foremost percussionists in India and Pakistan, Tariji turned his performance prowess to ghazals and quickly established himself as a leading vocalist. His rendition preserves Ustad Medhi Hassan’s depth and feeling while displaying his unique innovation, leaving audiences spellbound. Tariji has received the highest global accolades for the better part of four decades, including Pakistan’s coveted Pride of Performance, her highest award for artistic excellence. In the last several years he has given many vocal concerts in prestigious sold out venues across India, Pakistan, Europe, Australia, US, and Canada and drawn critical acclaim. In recent years, Tariji has continued to evolve, as a composer, by crossing generas with film and with western artists, and as an ambassador of eastern music with the Doris Duke foundation.

Azim Khan is a prominent musician and singer who has been performing in the US for the past 25 years. He comes from a family of accomplished musicians notably his father, a well known music arranger of Pakistan, Mr. Namdar Khan. Azim is a class A violinist, however he is also very talented at playing other instruments, such as guitar and percussion. He offers music classes for guitar and violin in western classical, Indian classical and popular Indian movie music.

Jason Taj, a disciple of Ustad Tari Khan, excels as a tabla player and guitarist. Jason started his formal training in music at the age of seven. With his father being a ghazal singer, and his older brother, also a tabla player and disciple of Ustad Tari Khan, he naturally followed their lead and absorbed the art very quickly. Jason’s taiyari and virtuosity during his pre-teens earned him the nickname “machine gun”. At the age of 12 he had already accompanied artists such as Pervez Mehdi, Fida Hussain, Ghulam Abbas, and Hariharan. He quickly established himself as a sought after accompanist and has becoming sought after internationally. Along with accompanying his Ustad, he has performed more recently with Talat Aziz and Ustad Ashish Khan. Following in the footsteps of his Ustad, Jason has also collaborated across generas and worked with various DJ’s, western light and jazz musicians. He is also a sought after dhol player. Jason is a business administration major at University of North Texas.

Creator of the Mohan Veena and the winner of the Grammy Award, Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt has mesmerized the world with his pristine pure, delicate yet fiery music. Being the foremost disciple of Pt. Ravi Shankar, Vishwa Mohan belongs to that elite body of musicians which traces its origin to the Moughal emperor Akbar's court musician Tansen and his guru the Hindu Mystic Swami Haridas. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt has attracted international attention by his successful indianization of the western Hawaiian guitar with his perfect assimilation of sitar, sarod & veena techniques, by giving it a evolutionary design & shape and by adding 14 more strings helping him to establish the instrument Mohan Veena to unbelievable heights. With blinding speed and faultless legato, Bhatt is undoubtedly one of the most expressive, versatile and greatest slide player s in the world. Being a powerhouse performer, Vishwa's electrifying performance always captivates the audience whether in the United States of America, Europe, Gulf countries or his motherland India. Vishwa Mohan has become the cultural ambassador of India by carrying the Herculean task of glorifying and popularizing Indian culture and music throughout the world. It was no surprise that Vishwa Mohan with his sheer virtuosity and limitless supply of melodies won the highest music award of the world, the Grammy Award in 1994 along with Ry Cooder for their World Music Album, 'A Meeting By The River' enhancing his celebrity status not only as a star performer but also as an improviser and a soulful composer.

Subhen Chatterjee will accompany on Tabla. Subhen Chatterjee bases his style of playing to Lucknow Gharana that he learnt from his illustrious Guru tabla maestro Pandit Swapan Chowdhury. Not restricting himself to one single Gharana-Subhen went on to learn the intricacies & beauty of other Gharanas that he introduced in his playing & which has made his style of playing so unique & distinctive. Subhen has also created India’s leading fusion band, KARMA, which is still the only of its kind from the eastern part of India. Subhen’s recent collaboration with renowned percussionist, SIVAMANI, has enabled him to form another unique fusion band called FRIENDS OF DRUMS whose main objective is to help the lesser known yet very talented musicians sharing stage with renowned ones.

Pandit Nayan Ghosh is acclaimed in India and around the world as one of India's foremost musicians, with an unusual dimension – the only maestro with superlative command on two diverse instruments the Sitar and the Tabla. Artistic brilliance, rich repertoire and a magnificence of tone are his hallmarks. Deeply loved by the senior most stalwarts of the music scene like Pt. Ravi Shankar, Yehudi Menuhin, Ud. Vilayat Khan, the legendary Ud. Ahmedjan Thirakwa and many others besides enjoying an unusually high level of respect from all his contemporaries and younger musicians, he is already held as an important reference source for a whole new generation of music seekers. Son and disciple of the 20th century Tabla wizard Pt. Nikhil Ghosh and nephew of Pt. Pannalal Ghosh, “the Father of Indian Classical Flute”, Nayan has inherited the rich and learned legacy from his five or six predecessors and carries it with a dignity and grace that is rare. His sitar recitals sparkle with intense melodiousness and rich delineations, bringing out the depth and the true spirit of the raga. He has performed at all major festivals in India and toured extensively US, Canada, Europe, Australia, Far East, North Africa, etc. Presently, as Director of India’s leading music academy, the SANGIT MAHABHARATI in Juhu, Mumbai, Nayan is imparting advanced training to numerous young aspiring musicians. He is also presently a Distinguished Guest Professor at IIT-Bombay, teaching tabla, sitar, vocal and musicology at the Cell for Human Values. Nayan has played a vital role in the completion of his late father’s magnum-opus THE OXFORD ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF THE MUSIC OF INDIA, which was published worldwide in 2011 after a full 50 years of intensive and extensive research.

Praveen Sheolikar an exceptionally talented violinist of India. Steeped in Gayki-Ang, in Praveen's hands the violin expresses itself in an utterly sensitive and emotive manner. Praveen hails from a family with a musical tradition. His granfather Pt. Rambhau Sheolikar of Raipur was a great musician and his father Pt. Vasantrao Sheolikar is a well known violinist of Madhya Pradesh and a recipient of the coveted “SHIKHAR SAMMAN” which is the highest award conferred by the M.P. government in the field of performing art. Praveen started taking lessons from his grandfather at the age of 9 years and then mastered the technique and subtleties of violin under the watchful eyes of his father. Praveen has given many successfull performance all over India and Rome (Italy). He is an 'A' Grade artist of All India Radio. He has also performed in prestigious Akashvani Sangeet Sammelan held in Udaypur 2006. He has presented his diverse repertoire at numerous music concerts at many prestigious music festivals.

Born in 2000, in a family steeped in music, Ishaan Ghosh took to Tabla naturally and gave his first brief solo tabla performance at the age of 2-1/2. In 2008, Ishaan played Tabla Jugalbandi concerts with his father and Guru Pandit Nayan Ghosh in Switzerland, France and Spain at International Music Festivals. At 9, he was invited to perform along with his father in the Indo-Occidental Symbiosis “Jugalbandi Festival” at the Kala Mandir in Kolkata and the Sangeet Natak Academy-organized “Tabla Samaroha” in Kolhapur. In 2010, he accompanied his father on an extensive concert tour of USA, Hawaii and Mexico. Of recent in 2012, Ishaan has also performed at prestigious venues in India like the Sangeet Research Academy (SRA), the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA), the 150th birth anniversary of Ustad Allauddin Khan in Maihar, the Pannalal Ghosh Birth Centenary Celebrations at Mumbai’s Nehru Centre auditorium. It is rare to see a child of this age with an unusual level of musical instinct and maturity in musical thought. He continues to pursue the study of the Tabla and devote time to its practice, in addition to academic studies at Mumbai’s prestigious Jamnabai Narsee School. He is simultaneously receiving training in Sitar and vocal music from his father.

Anand Bhate is recognized as one of the top vocalists of the younger generation of the great Kirana tradition. Anand has been a disciple of the great classical vocalist, Bharat Ratna Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, doyen of the Kirana gharana. Anand has performed all over India and abroad in many prestigious music conferences like Sawai Gandharva Sangeet Mahotsav, Pandit Jitendra Abhisheki Sangeet Samaroha, Learnquest Music Conference, etc. Recipient of numerous awards he has many published albums to his credit. He won the National Award for Best Playback Singer for the movie Balagandharva. He shows a remarkable versatility in presenting a wide variety of music, from the Khayal gayaki to the semi-classical exponents like Thumri, Natyageet and Bhajans/Abhagas. Anand was a gifted child prodigy. Connoisseurs were spellbound by Anand’s luminous rendering of Balgandharva’s gayaki and affectionately conferred on him the ‘title’ Anand Gandharva at an early age of 10. Meanwhile, Anand had also begun his initial training in classical music with Pandit Yashwantrao Marathe. Anand became a disciple of the great Pandit Bhimsen Joshi in 1988. Under Bhimsenji’s guidance, Anand has emerged as a notable Khayal-singer of the younger generation is the torch bearer of the Kirana gayaki.

Suyog Kundalkar is an established harmonium player of the younger generation. He studied under the guidance of Smt.Ranjana Godse initially and since 1997 he has been a devoted student of the renowned harmonium soloist, accompanist and musicologist Dr. Arawind Thatte. He has accompanied maestros like Dr. Gangubai Hangal, Pt. Balasaheb Poochwale, Gaansaraswati Kishori Amonkar, Girija Devi, Dr. Prabha Atre, Malini Rajurkar, Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar, Ud Rashid Khan, Ashwini Bhide-Deshpande, Pt.Mukul Shivputra, Pt. Madhup Mudgal , Arati Anklikar-Tikekar, Sanjeev Abhyankar, Jayateerth Mevundi, Manjiri Asanare, Anand Bhate and others. He has toured extensively all over India and abroad. He is recipient of many awards; among them are the prestigious “U.Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar” given by Sangeet Natak Academy and “Rasikagrani Dattopant Deshpande Puraskar”. He is a graded artist of the All India Radio and Doordarshan. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in music from ''Lalit Kala Kendra'' (Centre for Performing Arts- Pune University) and is on their panel as a Guru.

Bharat Kamat is well known for his sensitive Tabla accompaniment that reflects his deep musical understanding. Born in a family steeped into the tradition of music, Bharat is the grandson of the late Master Shantaram Kamat who was an accomplished singer and a famous ‘Natya Sangeet’ artist. He was introduced to the tabla at the age of four by his father, Pt. Chandrakant Kamat before coming under the tutelage of the well-known tabla maestro, Late Pt. Samta Prasad. Over the years, Bharat has accompanied several eminent artists of Hindustani music including the late Pt. Jitendra Abhisheki, late Pt. Mallikarjun Mansur, Vi. Kishori Amonkar and Pt. Jasraj. He has extensively accompanied Pt. Bhimsen Joshi to whom he attributes his musical refinement and maturity. Winner of the Akashvani Music Competition award (1991), Bharat has several recordings to his credit. Bharat has performed in leading music festivals in India and has toured abroad.

Performing musicians: Sohni & Mihir Patel (Violin duet), Amie Maciszewski (Sitar), Ritu Trivedi (Kathak), Meerambika Kulkarni (Kathak), Chittranjan Mohan Gupta (Vocals), Himanshu Koshe (Vocals), Rajshree Gore (Vocals), Kiran Sathaye (Vocals), Kalindi Sathaye (Harmonium), Mahesh Ruikar (Tabla), Neel Bhatt (Tabla), Neerav Dalal (Tabla) and Shantanu Bhattacharya (Tabla).

Complimentary dinner & refreshments will be served at end of the concert.

ICMC presents a unique program presenting a medley of several short vocal, instrumental and dance performances, by performing and amateur musicians of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. This event is arranged in a baithak style concert format, where one will truly enjoy wide variety of musicians in an intimate manner. This event is FREE to general public. If you have interest in performing at this or similar events in future, please send an e-mail to webmaster@icmcdfw.org. All participants are required to have an active ICMC membership through June 30, 2013.

The primary reasons for this concert are to bring awareness about Indian classical music in the community and also to stage upcoming talent. Since its inception in 1983, ICMC has built the most comprehensive concert series and is regarded as the premier producer of Indian classical music and dance in Dallas/Fort Worth and the surrounding area, by consistently presenting more than seven culturally diverse concerts a year for the sole benefit of its members and the general public. ICMC's mission is to entertain, to interest, to educate, to train and to provide spiritual nourishment to its members and the general public, and to significantly contribute to the multiethnic heritage and the cultural vitality of the city, through its concerts.

Pandit Shantanu Bhattacharyya is foremost among the young maestros of Hindustani classical vocal music. President’s Gold Medal winner Shantanu is a Top graded artist of All India Radio and Doordarshan. Possessing the rare feat of having won simultaneous top positions in Khayal and Thumri at All India Radio music competition, Shantanu Bhattacharyya’s singing has been described by senior maestros including Guruma Vidushi Meera Banerjee, as a true reflection of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. Shantanu groomed in music first by his mother Ira Bhattacharyya and then Sri Amalendu Pal, Sri Bhismadev Bhattacharyya, Sri Sukhendu Goswami and Sri Sudhir Banerjee; Shantanu in subsequent years learned expansively from worshipped names of the Patiala-Kasur Gharana; Pandit Prasun Banerjee, Vidushi Meera Banerjee and Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty. Associating also with other great artists while a scholar at Kolkata’s ITC Sangeet Research Academy in the ‘90s, he perfected himself into a musician aiming to combine the best of all styles, focusing centrally on the gayaki of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. Shantanu has performed at numerous festivals & venues in India, United States, Canada, Italy, United Kingdom, Finland, France, Germany and Singapore.

Kunal Gunjal is a young and promising santoor artiste of the young generation. Having a musical background from his father, Shri.Ulhas Gunjal who is a disciple of internationally renowned santoor exponent, Padmavibhushan Pt.Shivkumar Sharma, Kunal started learning santoor from Dr. Dhananjay Daithankar (Senior Disciple of Pt.Shivkumar Sharma).Kunal is now learning under the guidance of Pt.Shivkumar Sharma and is his Youngest Disciple, striving to make a name amongst the Cognoscenti who have made invaluable contributions to the metamorphosis of Indian Classical Music. Besides having performed with Pt. Shivkumar Sharma on stage, Kunal has performed in various prestigious music festivals and conferences like Pune Festival, 17th Devnandan Ubhyakar Yuva Sangeet Utsav, National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) and MUSIC TODAY to name a few. Kunal’s outstanding mastery over melody and rhythm has helped him leverage the uniqueness which the Santoor can offer to create a unique experience for eclectic audiences. Effortlessly and deftly, Kunal draws out a wide range of emotions from the 100 strings of the Santoor ranging from the introspective to the resounding.

Durba Bhattacharya is promising vocalist and accomplished harmonium artist. Imbibing music from her parents, her mother Tapati Banerjee being a vocalist, Durba Bhattacharyya was nurtured in the basics of Hindustani vocal music at a very early age by Ustad Mazhar Ali Khan of Patiala gharana. She joined ITC-SRA in 1987, aged 12, receiving tutelage from Pt. Ajoy Chakrabarty, first as a general class student and later as a scholar between 1992 and 1996. Durba also took specialized lessons from Vidushi Meera Banerjee, the veteran musician who was a shagird of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. Since her marriage in ’97, she has been learning from Shantanu Bhattacharyya, her Gurubhai-turned-husband, who was also a former scholar here.

Rhythm represents life. Music also becomes lively and enjoyable with the help of the rhythm. The slow and fast tempo in soft or bold tones brings tremendous variety to an otherwise monotonous musical event. A matured musician therefore needs a matured percussionist without whom his recital does not bloom. One such percussionist is Pandit Samar Saha. Numerous musical performances by renowned artists started throbbing with life with the magical touch of his fingers on the tabla. He belongs to the Benaras gharana. Born in Calcutta, Samar's initial training started at very tender age under the guidance of his father Shri Sudhanga Bhusan Saha and brother Shri Tarak Saha - a tabla player of repute. His formal training started under the tutelage of Shri Satchidananda Goswami and then flowered under the able guidance of Shri Krishna Kumar Ganguly (Natubabu) of Banaras gharana. At a very young age Samar showed to be a performer of great promise. Frequently featured on Radio and TV in their musicals, Samar has participated in almost all the prestigious music conferences in India, USA, Canada, various countries in Europe and Asia. Samar Saha is a full time faculty member of Sangeet Research Academy since its very inception in 1978.

India Dance Festival will present several fine dance performances by some of the leading artists featuring Odissi and Kathak styles. Kathak, the dance style from north India has the charm and subtlety associated with miniature paintings. Nurtured in the holy precincts of the Hindu temples Kathak was further enhanced with Persian influence during the Mogul reign in India. Over the centuries, it has attained refinement and enriched itself by the establishment of distinct styles and gharanas. Odissi, a recognized form of Indian classical dance, is from the eastern state of Orissa. Odissi dates back to 2nd century B.C. and is well known for its grace, fluid movements and strong footwork. Odissi postures can be seen in the sculptures of ancient Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist temples and caves of Orissa.

Shibani Patnaik is flourishing as one of the leading dancers in her generation today. She is an energetic dancer with a strong technical background who strikes the perfect combination of power and grace. Shibani has been extensively trained in Odissi by the Late Padmashree Guru Gangadhar Pradhan, Aruna Mohanty, Manoranjan Pradhan, and Yudhistir Nayak from Orissa Dance Academy in India. Shibani has performed extensively throughout North America and India. She has also performed and given lecture demonstrations at various dance festivals, fundraisers, universities, libraries and museums. Shibani and her sisters, known as the “Patnaik sisters” helped superstar Madonna choreograph a piece in Odissi style for the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards which was broadcasted to millions of viewers throughout the world. They also collaborated with Ricky Martin on an Odissi piece for his 2007 world tour. Shibani was awarded the 2006 Devadasi award in Orissa. Stanford University presented Shibani with the 2001 Asian-American Performing Arts Award, and the Chapell-Lougee Scholarship to conduct research in Orissa. In 2002, while Shibani was a student at Stanford University, she organized and introduced a four year Indian classical dance program to the official curriculum.

Sunaina Rao has been training in the field of Kathak since the age of six. Her mother and guru, Akhila Rao, is a disciple of Guru Sri. Ganesh Hiralal and Guru Smt. Asha Joglekar of Mumbai. Sunaina has performed extensively in the United States as well as the in India at prestigious shows and venues. Sunaina was awarded the title of "Singaar Mani" by the Sur Singaar Samsad for her performance at the prestigious Kal-Ke-Kalakar Sangeet Sammelan in 2010 and "Natya Pravina" by Yuva Bharati. She has also attended workshops conducted by various Kathak maestros - Pandit Birju Maharaj, Smt. Kumudini Lakhia, Smt. Archana Joglekar and Nirupama Rajendra to name a few. She has completed her Upantya Visharad in Kathak with honors from the Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, India. She is a partner and an assistant teacher at her mother's dance school, Kathak Rhythms, based in Plano, TX. Besides pursuing her passion through Kathak, professionally, Sunaina is a 2013 Pharm.D. Candidate at The University of Houston College of Pharmacy.

Anjali Magi has done her Kathak Nrityalankar (Masters in Kathak) from the prestigious Gandharva Mahavidyalaya under able guidance of guru Smt Radhika Sathe. She runs her own dance school called "Nrityanjali" and the motto of her school is to promote Kathak in the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) metroplex. She has performed at various prestigious events in the DFW metroplex area like the Environment Protection Agency (EPA), Discover India festival, Kalamaalika, World dance conference conducted by the ICHF, and several others. She was actively involved in a project 'Young Audiences' where she visited various schools in Dallas and surrounding area to introduce the American kids to Indian dance culture. She has performed at various festivals and event in the US such as classical dance annual festival at Omaha, Nebraska; the Hindu temple in Oklahoma City, etc.. Anjali and her students perform at various charity events that sponsor various under privileged children in India. She has judged various dance competitions at the Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas.

Pt. Vinayak Torvi is a well known artist for Hindustani vocal music, who has carved a niche for himself in the realm of music. Gifted with powerful resonant voice with rare rhythm and rich melody , he has been capturing music lovers all over. Born in the family of Keerankaars, he absorbed the 'Sanskaaras' of music. A child prodigy, blessed with parents loving encouragement and deep involvement in music, Vinayak began early lessons at a tender age of nine, from Vidwan Tammanna Gurav and then continued with Vidwans Narayanachar Dandapur and Narayan Rao Muzumdar of Dharwad. What groomed him into this perfect singer are his twelve years of gurukulavasa under Gayanacharya Gururao Deshpande who was the doyen of 'Gwalior Gharana'. He absorbed the intense, intricate treasures of classical music in the Gwalior as well as Agra Gayaki, from Gururao. Torvi acquired Bachelor's and Master's degrees in music securing first rank, from Karnatak University, Dharwad. As a post graduate student at the university, he had the rare fortune of tutelage of stalwarts like Gangubai Hangal, Pt. Basavaraj Rajaguru and Pt. Mallikarjuna Mansoor. Talented Torvi well utilized this exposure to various styles of music and molded his singing to emerge as a versatile full-fledged musician. With his unique voice culture, he is proficient in presenting varieties of raagas with due justice. He has composed many Bandish and Taranas. He also excels in light classical music and bhakti sangeet in Kannada, Marathi and Hindi. He is an acclaimed AIR (All India Radio) and Doordarshan artist. He has participated in major music conferences and festivals all over India and toured abroad.

Shantilal Shah was born and raised in the culturally and artistically vibrant city of Banaras, India. His basic taalim was under Pandit Mahadev Prasad Mishra of Banaras Gharana. He is a worthy disciple of Taal-Yogi Pandit Suresh Talwalkar. During his initial years as a Tabla player, Shantilal Shah remained a gold medalist from the Sangeet Natak Academy of Lucknow, and also won the National Talent Scholarship awarded by the Govt. of India. A Sangeet Prabhakar from the Prayaag Sangeet Samiti of Allahabad, he is also a graded artist of the All India Radio & Television. Shantilal Shah has been performing all over India and many western and Asian countries. He has had the opportunity to share the stage with some of the greatest names in Indian Classical music, like Sangeet Martand Pt. Jasraj, Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, Pt. Jeetendra Abhisheki, Rohini Bhate, Pt. Rajan-Sajan Mishra, Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar, Smt. Laxmi Shankar, Ud. Sujaat Khan, Bhajan Sopori, Veena Sahasrabuddhe, Padma Talwalkar, Arati Ankalikar, Shama Bhate and others. Shantilal Shah has proven himself to be one of the most successful Tabla-Gurus of the present generation. He began teaching in Pune in the early 80s under the banner of one of the leading performing art organizations of the city, Nad-roop. Later he moved to Tampa, Florida, USA to join the faculty of the Pandit Jasraj School of Music as the resident Tabla Guru. In 2003, Shantilal Shah moved to Houston, TX to join the Anjali Center of Performing Arts, and present he is the Tabla Guru with Swaralayam Arts Forum.

Amit Kelkar's musical education began at a very young age at home from his mother Smt. Suniti Kelkar and her father Shri. Narayan Gadgil. Amit taught himself to play the harmonium and performed for the first time on stage at the age of 14. He has provided harmonium accompaniment to several renowned artists over the years, including Pt. Sanjeev Abhyankar, Dr. Prabha Atre, Smt. Minoo Purushottam and Prasad Khaparde. Amit is also a versatile singer and music composer. He is currently learning hindustani vocal music from Dr. Mohankumar Darekar. Amit performs ghazals and light music frequently in the DFW metroplex. Amit holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering and also has released three CD-albums released in the United States.

With music blown into his breath by father Pt. Malhar Kulkarni, Rupak Kulkarni has blossomed under the finest tutelage of flute maestro Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, to become an outstanding exponent of Maihar Gharana. As a ganda bandh shagird of Pt. Chaurasia since the tender age of 9, Rupak with arduous training and hard work, has mastered "Dhrupad, Khayal and Tantrakari ang" equally well. With concerts across the world in many countries such as Australia, America, Russia, Japan, Africa, etc. Rupak has acquired a dignified maturity in his playing at an early age. In India, Rupak has performed in all major music festivals -Sawai Gandharva (Pune), Tansen Samaroh (Gwalior), Bharti Vidya Bhavan (Kolkata), Gunidas Sammelan (Mumbai). Rupak has lent his musical prowess to many melodies hitting the chart busters. Has worked with renowned music directors from Bollywood. Films such as Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gam (K3G), Fiza, Mr. and Mrs. Iyer and many more have him playing in not just the main songs but also in the background scores, arousing emotions varying from pathos to exuberance. Rupak has collaborated with many renowned musicians from the West as well.

Snehasish Mozumder is among those few established musicians in India who has mastered the art of playing Mandolin, and has blended it perfectly into the style of Hindustani Indian Classical Music. He started his initial training at the age of four with Tabla and then Mandolin under the guidance of his grandfather late Sri Bibhuty Ranjan Mozumder and then he took training under his father Sri Himanshu Mozumder and his uncle late Sri Ranjan Mozumder. Gradually he switched over to his cousin Tejendra Narayan Majumdar who is a well-known sarod player. He continued his study under late Acharya Ajoy Sinha Roy who was a beloved disciple of Baba Allauddin Khan Saheb,the founder of Maihar Gharana and he takes lesson of laykari under the guidance of Pandit Anil Palit who is a senior most disciple of Pandit Kishan Maharaj. Finally he came under the tutelage of Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty. Snehasish, has performed many major festivals in India like Sankat Mochan Utsav of Varanasi, Swami Haridas Sangeet Sanmelan of Mumbai,Indian Habitat Centre of Delhi, Bhowanipur Sangeeet Sanmelan, GolPark Ramkrishna Mission of Kolkata and Saltlake Music Conference of Kolkata etc, and also he has toured Europe, UK and USA and made a very good name amongst the music lovers. He is the recipient of Surmani and Jadubhatta Awards.

Subhen Chatterjee will accompany on Tabla. Subhen Chatterjee bases his style of playing to Lucknow Gharana that he learnt from his illustrious Guru tabla maestro Pandit Swapan Chowdhury. Not restricting himself to one single Gharana-Subhen went on to learn the intricacies & beauty of other Gharanas that he introduced in his playing & which has made his style of playing so unique & distinctive. Subhen has also created India’s leading fusion band, KARMA, which is still the only of its kind from the eastern part of India. Subhen’s recent collaboration with renowned percussionist, SIVAMANI, has enabled him to form another unique fusion band called FRIENDS OF DRUMS whose main objective is to help the lesser known yet very talented musicians sharing stage with renowned ones.

Manjusha Patil-Kulkarni trained under Pandit KaneBua in Gurukul system for 12 years. After that she has continued her training under the tutelage of Dr. Ashok D. Ranade and Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar. Manjusha has been gifted with a forceful & seasoned voice. Tunefulness, command over lay and taal, purity in exposition of Raga, complex Taan patterns, speed & clarity of taan are a few highlights of her singing. She also excels in Semi Classical Music & Light Music, especially Marathi NatyaSangeet. Manjusha has performed at prestigious platforms such as Sawai Gandharva Music Festival, Tansen Samaroh, Kala Academy, Goa etc. and has toured extensively both in India and outside India. Recipient of many prestigious awards, including Sangeet Natak Academy’s Ustad Bismilla Khan award. Manjusha is a 'A' Grade artist of the All India radio. She will be accompanied on Harmonium by Rajiv Paranjpe. She will be accompanied on Tabla by Mayank Bedekar, a disciple of Pt. Suresh Talwalkar.

Sitarist Indrajit Banerjee is one of the leading exponents of the Maihar Gharana. He was born in a musical family, unique due to the large number of accomplished artists in Hindustani Classical Music. Some of these family members include his guru, Pandit Kartik Kumar (Sitar), Pandit Barun Kumar Pal (Hamsa Veena), Niladri Kumar (Sitar), Partho Das (Sitar), Aparna Roy (Surbahar). He got inspiration from his sitarist mother, Manju Banerjee, who was a disciple of late Nikhil Banerjee, and afterwards, Santosh Banerjee. Indrajit's training began with his maternal grandfather, Bankim Kumar Pal, who was the disciple of Inayat Khan, and Birendra Kishore Roy Chowdhuri (Kochi Babu). He then took training under Pandit Manilal Nag of Bishnupur Gharana. Later on, he took intensive training from his uncle, Pandit Kartik Kumar, who is a senior disciple of Pandit Ravi Shankar. Indrajit has a special touch on Sitar combined with technical virtuosity and sensitivity. The use of subtle meends (glide) and chikari Strings towards the end of Jod is quite unique and fascinating. Indrajit is an A-grade artist of All India Radio and television and also an approved artist of I.C.C.R (Govt. of India). He has been awarded several prestigious awards. He is a graduate of Arts from Calcutta University and 'Sangeet Bibhakar' . He has performed in numerous music festivals in India and abroad (Europe, USA, Caribbean, Canada, Alaska, Hawaii, Brazil, Middle East, etc. ). Presently he teaches in Rhythm and Raag in Chicago for the spring and fall semesters and summer in Samhati (France) and in Kolkata India.

Partho Sarothy's virtuosity on the sarod makes his exploration of the raagas an exercise in harmony and tranquility, and his serious meditative approach makes his music literally soar to unscaled heights of fulfillment. Partho started his musical training under his father, late Sudhamoy Chowdhury, who was a disciple of Pt. Radhika Mohan Moitra, the great sarod maestro. Then he took lessons for nearly a decade from Ustad Dhyanesh Khan – son and disciple of legendary sarod player Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. Since 1980, Partho has been under the direct guidance of Bharat Ratna Pandit Ravi Shankar, India’s greatest musician. He is also fortunate to have the great vocalists Pt. Prasun and Meera Banerjee as his parents-in-law. With this long and illustrious training under these great gurus, combined with an inherent creative sensibility, Partho Sarothy’s music is truly a symphony in serenity. Born in 1960, Partho is based in Kolkata, the cultural Mecca of India. He has been performing for the last 40 years in India and all over the World as a soloist and also with his great guru Pt. Ravi Shankar as an accompanist in the Kremlin Hall in USSR, The Carnegie Hall in USA, The Royal Albert Hall & Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, and other numerous places around the World.

Arup Chattopadhyay is recognized as one of the most outstanding and sought after Tabla artists of this generation. As a premier disciple of world-renowned maestro Pt. Shankar Ghosh, Arup has established himself as a top-notch accompanist as well as a formidable soloist. He began studying Tabla at age six with his father, the eminent Tabla player, Shri Pankaj Chattopadhyay, and later came under the tutelage of Pt. Shankar Ghosh, with whom he continues to train. Having achieved grade-A status as an artist, Arup's performances are broadcasted on radio and TV throughout India. He has accompanied many of the leading musicians of India such as Pt. Ravi Shankar, Ustad Rais Khan, Ustad Aashish Khan, Ustad Shahid Parvez, Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Pt. Nayan Ghosh, Pt. Ajay Chakarbarti, Lakshsmi Shankar, Pts. Rajan and Sajan Mishra, Ustad Rashid Khan, the late V.G. Jog, Pt. Manash Chakravarty, Pt. Arun Bhadhuri, Pt. Samaresh Choudhury, Tejendra Narayan Majumdar, Kushal Das, Partha Bose, Partha Sarathi, and Debashish Bhattacharya, among a host of others. Since 1998 Arup has been honored to accompany the living legend Pt. Ravi Shankar in tours throughout the US, Canada, Europe, and India, including performances in Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, and Barbican Hall in London. Arup is also a highly sought after teacher of Tabla. He was previously a professor of Tabla at Baratiya Vidya Bhavan in London (Institute of Indian Culture) and has been a member of the faculty at UC San Diego since 1999.

ICMC presents a unique program presenting a medley of several short vocal and instrumental performances, by performing and amateur musicians of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. This event is arranged in a baithak style concert format, where one will truly enjoy wide variety of musicians in an intimate manner. The primary reasons for this concert are to bring awareness about Indian classical music in the community and also to stage upcoming talent. Since its inception in 1983, ICMC has built the most comprehensive concert series and is regarded as the premier producer of Indian classical music and dance in Dallas/Fort Worth and the surrounding area, by consistently presenting more than seven culturally diverse concerts a year for the sole benefit of its members and the general public. ICMC's mission is to entertain, to interest, to educate, to train and to provide spiritual nourishment to its members and the general public, and to significantly contribute to the multiethnic heritage and the cultural vitality of the city, through its concerts. This event is FREE to general public. If you have interest in performing at this or similar events in future, please send an e-mail to webmaster@icmcdfw.org. All participants are required to have an active ICMC membership through end of the year.

Anupama Bhagwat, a refreshingly versatile sitarist of the current generation, has performed to critical acclaim in India, USA/Canada, UK, Italy, France, and Brazil. One of the leading disciples of the world-renowned Pandit Bimalendu Mukherjee - a doyen of the famous Imdadkhani Gharana, her sensitivity and erudition has taken her to the highest echelons of the modern genre, while remaining true to tradition. She has imbibed the vigor that is a hallmark of her Gharana: scintillating fast taans, mastery of the meditative alaap and brilliant fluency of melody (raag bhava), all the while maintaining her technical virtuosity. Academically she has completed the Sangeet Visharad and obtained her Masters in music from Indira Kala Sangeet Vishwavidyalaya. During this span of time she had successfully completed the M.A. (music) and obtained her B.Sc. in mathematics. Anupama has established herself with performances at prestigious festivals and venues worldwide, including: Ustad Amir Khan Smriti Samaroh (Indore), Assisi, Turin (Italy), Nice (France) Swami Haridas Samaroh, Saptak (Ahmedabad), Sankat Mochan Samaroh (Varanasi), India International Center (New Delhi), Sangeet Research Academy (Kolkata), Lotus World Music Festival (USA), MIT Fall Concert Series (USA), Baba HarBallabh Samaroh-Vasant Utsav (Jalandhar), and many others.

Hailing from Silchar in Assam, Pritam Bhattacharjee is a young rising star in the Hindustani music firmament. Pritam began his initial training under his mother Smt. Monjushree Bhattacharjee at the tender age of three. He was then trained under Shri. Amarendra Chakraborty of Kirana Gharana. His lifelong ambition of learning under the Mewati Maestro Sangeet Martand Pandit Jasrajji realized, when the living legend accepted him as his disciple. Pritam has performed solos in many a concerts and prestigious festivals in India and abroad. Prominent among them being the Motiram Sangeet Samaroha in Hyderabad, Harballabh Music Festival in Jalandhar, and many festivals. He has also traveled extensively and performed with his Guruji all over India and abroad. Prominent among them being the Doverlane Music conference in Calcutta, Gunidas Sangeet Samaroha in Delhi, Saptak Music Festival in Ahmedabad, Swar-Utsav in Delhi, Jaipur, Indore, Mumbai etc., in India and at the ICCR’s 50th anniversary celebrations in South Africa (Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg), Kenya, Namibia, Tanzania, Mauritius and the United States. In 2001 Pritam has composed more than 200 compositions in different forms of music .He has several CD’s released in his credit. Currently he is faculty at the Pandit Jasraj school of music in Atlanta.(USA)

Tarun Bhattacharya has been a pioneering and revolutionary musician who has changed the face of Indian classical music, he has been truly an unparalleled music ambassador of India. The famous Maihar Gharana’s only Santoor player, Tarun Bhattacharya has revolutionized Santoor, the instrument, as well as it’s style of play. He displayed for the first time ever (1980) that one could 'meend' or glide notes at the lower octave in a hammered instrument like Santoor. He changed the art of playing santoor for ever. Tarun Bhattacharya is the inventor of "mankas" or fine tuners that help in the tuning of this 100 stringed instrument fast, with a long lasting effect and a very high degree of accuracy. His improvisations on the shape and string arrangements have resulted in deeper and more classical sound for the Santoor.

A tabla player of note on the Indian classical music scenario, Subrata is amazingly talented and his accomplishments and achievements in the field of percussion music have earned him name and enviable fame. Subrata is one of the leading tabla players in India today. He has received his taalim under Shri Tamal Krishna Chatterjee, Shri Nripen Karmakar and Shri Tapan Kr. Banerjee before he was finally accepted as a pupil of tabla maestro Pt. Shankar Ghosh, all of whom honed his talent to the level of refinement now witnessed by audiences everywhere. He has since proved himself a worthy exponent of the Farukhabad Gharana. Recognition of his talent has come in the form of such awards as the Sangeet Prabhankar and the Gold Medal and the Saangeet Praveen from Prayag Sangeet Samiti, Allahadad, and Sangeet Bhushan from the Bhatkhande College, Lucknow. Renowned artists whom he has accompanied in the past few years are Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Dr. L. Subramaniam, Dr.N.Rajam, Pt. Buddhaditya Mukherjee, Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan, Ustad Ali Ahmed Hussain, Tarun Bhattacharya, Pt. Ronu Majumdar, Chitraveena Ravikiran, and Pt. Tejendra Narayan Majumdar, Pt. Samaresh Chaudhury. He is a visiting professor at the University of Urbana Champaign ,IL.

Kathak Festival will present several fine dance performances by some of the leading artists featuring Kathak style. Kathak, the dance style from north India has the charm and subtlety associated with miniature paintings. Nurtured in the holy precincts of the Hindu temples Kathak was further enhanced with Persian influence during the Mogul reign in India. Over the centuries, it has attained refinement and enriched itself by the establishment of distinct styles and gharanas.

Prashant Shah is one of the most promising male Kathak dancers of India. Since last two decades, Prashant has been training under the tutelage of Padmashree Kumudini Lakhia, a world renowned Kathak exponent, Choreographer and founder of the Kadamb Centre for Dance and Music in Ahmedabad, India. Prashant’s virtuosity in Kathak technique, especially ‘takkaar’ (rhythmic footwork) and ‘chakkar’ (pirouettes) and his excellent understanding of ‘taal’ and ‘laya’ (rhythm and meter respectively) make him a versatile dancer and enable him to perform a vast repertoire with masculine grace without flowery affectations. Prashant has toured extensively in India and other countries like USSR, UK, USA, France, Holland, Brazil, Italy, Switzerland, China, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and others as a solo dance artist as well as a leading dancer of Kadamb performing unit. He has also been part of various dance compositions choreographed by Sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar and Pandit Birju Maharaj. Few of the prestigious organizations based in India like Kathak Kendra, New Delhi, Indian Council for Cultural Relations and Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi has also invited Prashant to perform in their prestigious festivals. Prashant’s ‘Independence’ -dance production with Nina Rajarani (Bharata Natyam dancer based in UK) , ‘Kathak Pravas’-dance production with Kelly Verma (Kathak dancer based in Holland) and ‘Anokha’ -a joint production of Hip-Hop, Bharata Natyam and Kathak with Kader Attou (Hip Hop dancer- choreographer based in France) are some of the productions which have been successfully performed, toured and critically acclaimed extensively in India and Europe.

A rare combination of talent, intellect and beauty, Yogini Gandhi is amongst the very few dancers who perform two Indian classical dance styles - Kathak & Odissi with equal dexterity and virtuosity. She has received guidance from India’s legendary dance maestros Pt. Birju Maharaj and Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra. Yogini has performed at some of the most prestigious festivals in India like the Sawai Gandharva Mahotsav, Ellora Festival, Kathak Kendra Mahotsav etc. Through the years her performances have received critical acclaim as also appreciation from audiences in India and abroad. She has presented dance concerts and lecture demonstrations in the USA, Australia, Sweden, Denmark etc. Yogini has a unique command over both the rhythmic as well as emotive aspects of dance. A noteworthy feature of her exposition is that she creates an instant rapport with the audience through her articulate oratory. This has also resulted in Yogini becoming a much sought after compere. She has been bestowed with a number of awards and honors to name a few The Rotary Vocational Excellence award, The Shingaar Mani, Outstanding Young Person Award. She is also empanelled with the I.C.C.R. Indian Council for Cultural Relations, A Govt. of India organization in New Delhi and Member of the International Dance Council – UNESCO To share her love and joy of dance, Yogini established ‘Kalanidhi’ an institute where she imparts training in Kathak & Odissi. She is also a visiting faculty at the Centre of Performing Arts, Pune University.

Tejendra Majumdar was initiated to sarod by his grandfather Shri Bibhuti Ranjan Majumdar, nurtured by his father Shri Ranjan Majumdar and groomed for years under the tutelage of Late Ustad Bahadur Khan. After his Ustad's untimely demise, Tejendra continued his riyaz under the supervision of Sri Ajoy Sinha Roy. He bloomed under the guidance of the greatest sarod maestro of our times, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. Tejendra's music sparkles with the very rare combination of virtuosity with classical purity and a deep sense of aesthetics. His style today is a rare fusion of dhrupad, tantrakari and gayaki ang, representing the baaj of Maihar gharana. Tejendra took part in almost all the prestigious concerts and conferences in India and abroad. He has to his credit a number of CDs and cassettes. Today he is one of the most popular classical musicians from India.

Subhra Guha, a competent exponent of the Agra Gharana, is today accepted as one of India's leading female singers. Subhra possesses an extremely melodious voice, full of strength, beauty and grace. She has been trained by Shri Satish Bhowmik, Pandit Sunil Bose, Pt. K.G. Ginde, Pt. D.T Joshi, and Pt. Vijay Kichlu. She has intelligently maintained the balance between the two streams of Khyal and Thumri, keeping intact all the academic excellence with measured blend of aesthetics and musical semantics. Open throated 'akar', her taans and bol-bants are extraordinary features of her gayaki. Her command over laya is outstanding. Today, Guha is acknowledged as one of the finest thumri singers of the Poorab Ang among the younger generation of singers. She is a regular artiste of the A.I.R. and television and has given memorable performances all over India and abroad.

"April 14th vocal recital has been cancelled due to unforeseen (delayed artists visa) reasons. This event will be rescheduled at a later date after artists' receive their visas. Thank you for cooperation."

Canceled due to unforeseen circumstances

Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause