Hindustani Vocal Recital 05/17/14

Hindustani Vocal Recital – Khayal Sangeet 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. Saturday, May 17, 2014 7:00:00 PM Allen Library Civic Auditorium, 300 N. Allen Drive, Allen TX 75013 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.

Sarangi & Mandolin Jugalbandi 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 “. Saturday, April 19, 2014 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. 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 Live in Concert – A Rare Afternoon Concert 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. Sunday, March 02, 2014 2:00:00 PM Allen Library Civic Auditorium, 300 N. Allen Drive, Allen TX 75013 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.

The Art Stage 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. Saturday, February 22, 2014 2:00:00 PM DFW Hindu Temple – Youth Center 1605 N. Britain Rd, Irving TX 75013 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) andPriyanka Parikh (Kathak).

Vocal Recital – Khayal, Thumri & Bhajans 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. Saturday, November 16, 2013 7:00:00 PM Allen Library Civic Auditorium, 300 N. Allen Drive, Allen TX 75013 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.

Music Festival of India – Swarsudha – A Hindustani and Carnatic Music Jugalbandi This concert is in part sponsered by Texas Instruments, Inc. 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. Saturday, October 26, 2013 7:00:00 PM Allen Library Civic Auditorium, 300 N. Allen Drive, Allen TX 75013 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.

Vocal Concert – Khayal, Thumari and Bhajans 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. Saturday, September 21, 2013 7:00:00 PM Allen Library Civic Auditorium, 300 N. Allen Drive, Allen TX 75013 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 This concert is in part sponsered by the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) 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. Saturday, September 07, 2013 7:30:00 PM UniversiUniversity Theater – University of Texas at Dallas (UTD)ty Theatre, UT-Dallas 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.

Magic of Mohan Veena This concert is in part sponsered by Encore Enterprises, Inc. 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. Saturday, May 18, 2013 7:00:00 PM Allen Library Civic Auditorium, 300 N. Allen Drive, Allen TX 75013 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.

Singing Strings – Sitar & Violin Jugalbandi 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. Saturday, April 20, 2013 7:00:00 PM Allen Library Civic Auditorium, 300 N. Allen Drive, Allen TX 75013 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.