Vocal Concert – Khayal Sangeet 03/09/13

Vocal Concert – Khayal Sangeet 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. Saturday, March 09, 2013 7:00:00 PM Jonsson Performance Hall, University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) 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.

The Art Stage 2012 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). Saturday, December 01, 2012 3:30:00 PM DFW Hindu Temple – Youth Center 1605 N. Britain Rd, Irving TX 75013 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.

Music Festival of India – Vocal & Santoor Recitals 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. Saturday, September 29, 2012 7:00:00 PM Allen Library Civic Auditorium, 300 N. Allen Drive, Allen TX 75013 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 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. Saturday, September 08, 2012 7:30:00 PM University Theater, University of Texas at Dallas (UTD), Richardson TX 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.

Vocal Concert – Khayal Sangeet 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. Saturday, August 25, 2007 7:00:00 PM Allen Library Civic Auditorium, 300 N. Allen Drive, Allen TX 75013 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.

Flute and Mandolin Jugalbandi 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. Saturday, April 21, 2012 7:00:00 PM Allen Library Civic Auditorium, 300 N. Allen Drive, Allen TX 75013 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.

Vocal Concert – Khayal Sangeet 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. Saturday, April 07, 2012 7:00:00 PM Jonsson Performance Hall, University of Texas at Dallas (UTD)

Magic of Strings – Sitar & Sarod Recital 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. Saturday, March 24, 2012 7:00:00 PM University Theatre, UT-Dallas 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.

The Art Stage 2011 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. Saturday, November 12, 2011 7:00:00 PM Allen Library Civic Auditorium, 300 N. Allen Drive, Allen TX 75013 Vocals:Amit Kelkar, Manasi Singh, Rhea Parikh, Malvika Nangia, Aria Abhyankar, Vibha Godse Gore, Kiran Sathaye and Anandamayee Majumdar Instrumental:Mihir Patel (violin), Amit Kelkar (Harmonium), Kalindi Sathaye (Harmonium), Anshu Saran (Harmonium), Divya Kasety (violin), Sohni Patel (violin), Sruthi Tekkalur (violin), Divya Samy (violin), Rajal Shah (violin), Neerav Dalal (Tabla), Shantanu Bhattacharya (Tabla), Parth Kuntawala (Tabla), Ranaq Alam (Tabla), Yash Vyvharkar (Tabla), Birinder Singh Nijjar (Tabla), Mahesh Ruikar (Tabla) and Uttiya Chowdhury (Tabla) DanceMeerambika Kulkarni (Kathak) and Megna Murali (Kathak)

Music Festival of India 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. Saturday, October 15, 2011 7:00:00 PM Allen Library Civic Auditorium, 300 N. Allen Drive, Allen TX 75013 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)