Surshringar Concert – Ancient Strings 05/01/10

Surshringar Concert – Ancient Strings The Surshringar is a combination of three stringed instruments, namely the ii’ ahati veena, the rabab and the kachchapi veena. The small gourd and the neck to which the strings are attached are features of the mahari veena; the finger-board with the metal plate is very much like the type of rabab; and the main body is similar to that of the kachchapi veena, popularly called the kachchapi sitar, with its flat gourd resembling the back of a tortoise. There are six main strings which are placed on a flat bridge and two additional strings for the drone and the rhythmic accompaniment. Pandit Joydeep Ghosh, a prof of Khairagarh University of India, is hailed as one of India’s leading Surshringar artistes of the present generation. He is a foremost torch bearer of the distinctive Sahajahanpur Gharana which was founded by the Great Sarod Maestro Late Ustad Mohammed Ameer Khan. He has developed an unbeatable mastery over his instrument and specialized in maintaining the purity of Ragas while displaying the most rare playable materials which are the assets of his own Gharana. He initiated his training in Surshringar & Sarod under the able guidance of the Maestros like Late Pandit Anil Roychowdhury, Late Pandit Radhika Mohan Moitra and Pandit Buddhadev Dasgupta all belonging to Shahajahanpur Gharana. Subsequently Pt.Ghosh was under the tutelage of the versatile Master Pandit Bimalendu Mukherjee, a doyen of the famous Imdadkhani Gharana of Sitar & Surbahar. Under his brilliant guidance, Joydeep has adopted the typical aspects and the special features of Imdadkhani Gharana in his own style. In due course, Joydeep has developed the idea and the technique of playing Surshringar under the expert supervision of Pandit Bimalendu Mukherjee, the rudiments of which trace back to the Great Surshringar maestro, Late Ustad Mohammed Ali Khan of Senia Gharana and traditionally conveyed to Late Kumar Birendra Kishore Roychowdhury of Gauripur and later to his disciple Pandit Bimalendu Mukherjee. Saturday, May 01, 2010 7:00:00 PM TI Auditorium, School of Engineering & Computer Science, UTD, Richardson, TX

Sitar Concert “Kushal Das is one of those artists who appear once in a generation..”, commented tabla virtuoso Swapan Chaudhuri. The critics and connoisseurs have acknowledged Kushal Das as a worthy successor of his idol, the legendary maestro Late Nikhil Banerjee. Kushal Das, sitarist par excellence, is distinguished by his profound understanding of music and the aesthetics of knowledge of raga improvisation. His concerts are marked for their aesthetic appeal and insight with a fine command of technical expertise. Kushal Das, a north Indian solo Sitar & Surbahar artist was born to a highly enriched musical family of Kolkata, India. His grandfather late Sri Bimal Das was a renowned Esraj player while his father Sri Sailen Das is a sitarist of high repute. Kushal started his training at age of five and had the proud privilege of having learnt from great musicians – Pandit Manas Chakraborty, Sanjoy Banerjee, Ramkrishna Basu and late Ajoy Sinha Roy. The critic’s connoisseurs have acknowledged him as a worthy successor of his idol, the late maestro Pandit Nikhil Banerjee. His concerts are always marked for their aesthetic appeal and insight with a fine command of technical expertise. With maturity as his forte Kushal thus has the predominant virtue of Indian heritage & music. Kushal has participated in most of the major concerts all over the country. His tours abroad since 1987, covered USA, Canada, several European countries and Bangladesh and have been marked with great success and appreciation. Sunday, April 18, 2010 5:00:00 PM Allen Library Civic Auditorium, 300 N. Allen Drive, Allen TX 75013

Vocal Concert – Khayal Sangeet Jayateerth Mevundi hails from the land of great vocalists and maestros of Hindustani Classical Music, like Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, Dr. (Mrs.) Gangubai Hangal, Pt. Mallikarjun Mansur, Pt. Basavraj Rajguru and Pt. Kumar Gandharva and so on. Born in the year 1972, Jayateerth, according to many connoisseurs and critics of Hindustani Classical Music, is considered to be a torchbearer of Kirana Gharana. Jayateerth received his initial training in music under the tutelage of Sangeet Ratna Pt. Arjunsa Nakod of Gwalior Gharana for about 10 years. Since the year 1994 on wards he has been receiving musical lessons under the able guidance of Pt. Shripati Padegar, who is a disciple of great vocalist Pt. Bhimsen Joshi of Kirana Gharana. Jayateerth Mevundi has won many accolades and awards , to name a few : Second prize in “AIR” Hindustani Classical vocal competition during 1988-89, at Ahmedabad.First prize in the competition held at Dharwad in 1989-90, organized by “Karnataka Kathak Kendra”. First prize in the competition organized by :“Sangeet Research Academy”, Calcutta.He was awarded a scholarship for 3 years (1986-88) by “Karnataka Sangeet Nrutya Academy”, Bangalore and Mrs. Yamunabai Shahane Shastreeya Gayana Shishyavrutti by “Gaanavardhan” in 1993, Pune. He is a recipient of “Pt. Jasraj Gourav Puraskar” for the year 1995. Mewati Gharana Sangeet Gourav Puraskar is also awarded to Jayateerth for the year 2000.Jayateerth has participated in several music conferences including the Mysore Dasara Festival, Sawai Gandharva Music Festival at Pune, Alladia Khan music conference, Kumar Gandharva Music conference etc. Saturday, March 20, 2010 7:00:00 PM Allen Library Civic Auditorium, 300 N. Allen Drive, Allen TX 75013

The Art Stage 2010 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. Saturday, March 13, 2010 4:00:00 PM Neighborhood Arts & Music School (NAMS) 8102 Stonebrook Parkway, Frisco, TX 75034 Art Stage – performing artists include:Vocals: Amit Kelkar, Lalitha Tekkalur , Farzana Alam, Yogesh Ratnaparakhi, Richa Purohit, Kavitha Srinivasan and Savithri Pattabhiraman Instrumental: Matt Gaskins (guitar), Neel Bhatt (Tabla), Shantanu Bhattacharya (Tabla), Amit Kelkar (Harmonium), Kaustubh Dharwadkar (Santoor), Ranak Alam (Tabla), Parth Kuntawala (Tabla), Divya Kasety (violin), Vijay Pattabhiraman (violin), Yaswanth Poondla (violin), Rohin Maganti (violin), Sruthi Tekkalur (violin), Divya Samy (violin), Revanth Poondla (violin), Sohni Patel (violin), Mihir Patel (violin), Jeevan Betigeri (keyboards), Yash Vyavharkar (Tabla), Paras Doshi (Sitar), Birinder Singh Nijjar (Tabla) and Sudhir Dave (flute)