Vocal Concert – Khayal Sangeet 04/07/12

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)

Santoor Concert 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. Saturday, September 10, 2011 7:00:00 PM Allen Library Civic Auditorium, 300 N. Allen Drive, Allen TX 75013 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 Dance Festival 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. Saturday, August 27, 2011 7:30:00 PM University Theater, University of Texas at Dallas (UTD), Richardson, TX 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.

Vocal Recital Pandit Sanjeev Abhyankar, the maestro from the Mewati Gharana, is an artist of international acclaim in the field of Hindustani Classical 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’. Sunday, May 22, 2011 4:00:00 PM Allen Library Civic Auditorium, 300 N. Allen Drive, Allen TX 75013

CALCUTTA QUARTET Calcutta Quartet is a unique quartet of North Indian Classical Music with a blend of North and South Indian rhythm. Four master musicians join hands to make one of India’s best known Quartet on North Indian Classical Music with wonderfully rich blend of North/South Indian rhythm. Dev Shankar and Jyoti Shankar, senior students of Ustad Amjad Ali Khan/popularly known as violin brothers, provide rich traditional ragdaari and contemporary melodies. Violin brothers have done doctorate from Trinity College of Music, London and are proficient in both Eastern & Western Classical Music. They have worked in major recordings with Pt.Ravi Shankar, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Oscar winning film director Late Mr.Satyajit Ray, etc. They have also been certified as finest violin players by none other than Mr.Zubin Mehta. They have played in such major music festivals as Dover Lane Music Conference, Salt Lake Music Conference etc. and travelled in US, Europe, UK & other countries quite successfully. Some of the press comments about violin brothers: “Those present were just stunned by their performance” – Times Of India. “Create magic with their nimble fingers on the strains of the violin” – The Telegraph. The brothers Jyoti and Deb today are much involved violinists, tuneful and clean with precise articulation – Business Standard. Violin Brothers will be accompanied on Mridangam by N. Shankar and on Tabla by Pt. Subhen Chatterjee. 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. Saturday, May 07, 2011 7:30:00 PM Davidson Auditorium, The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD), 800 West Campbell Road, Richardson, TX 75080

Madhya Laya – A Taal Vadya Ensemble presenting Rhythms and Ragas of India Madhya-Laya is a group of young percussionists with various instruments. It is a dailogue between various performers creating a new dimension in the field of Tala Vadya. This group consists of both folk and classical instruments like Pakhawaj, Tabla, Dholak, Harmonium, Sarangi, Hudka, Daff (with stick), Madal, Dafali and Matka. Madhyalaya creates new aspects of Tala Vadya Kachahari where instruments crafts innovative rhythms and sounds by floating with each other. This is a group led by Akhilesh Gundecha. Sarwar Hussain (Sarangi); grandson of late sarangi maestro Ustad Abdul Latif Khan; adds mystic touch of beautiful melodies and also present some solo raga presentation. . The conception, planning, preparation, coordination and execution have received very high praises among music lovers and artists circle. This group has performed at Saptak Music Festival, Ahmedabad; World Trade Fair, New Delhi; Shivpuri Festival, Shivpuri; Shravan Mahotsava Ujjain;Chakradhar Festival, Raigarh; Ustad Allauddin Khan festival, Maiher; The Rotary Music Festival, Aurangabad; Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal;Bangalore Habba and Sawai Gandharva Festival- Pune. The conception, planning, preparation, coordination and execution have received very high praises among music lovers and artists. Saturday, April 23, 2011 7:30:00 PM Allen Library Civic Auditorium, 300 N. Allen Drive, Allen TX 75013

Ustad Shahid Parvez (Sitar) – Live in Concert Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan is privileged with both belonging to an illustrious musical family, and for achieving success in not only preserving the tradition but in pushing its boundaries to even greater heights of aesthetic beauty. He is one of the most brilliant musical gems of the famous Etawah Gharana and belongs to the seventh generation of this musical lineage. His family has produced the most revered and influential figures in Hindustani Classical Music including the likes of Sahabdad Khan, Imdad Khan, Enayet Khan, Waheed Khan and Vilayat Khan. A very young Shahid Parvez was initiated into the rich music of the Gharana by his illustrious father and Guru Ustad Aziz Khan, a famous musician and a noted composer and the son of the legendary Sitar and Surbahar virtuoso Ustad Waheed Khan. As is the custom, Ustad Aziz Khan first initiated his son into vocal music and tabla, before training him on the Sitar over many years with all the intensity and rigor that had made this Gharana famous. The young Shahid Parvez was recognized as a child prodigy and had started performing in public by the time he was only eight years of age. For Ustad Shahid Parvez, the Sitar and Self are identical entities, and music is not just a discipline but life itself – vibrating and pulsating and full of color. Few instrumentalists have enjoyed so much of love and admiration as Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan has, from the music loving fraternity worldwide. He is a Top Grade artist of All India Radio (AIR). and a recipient of numerous national and international awards. He has performed in all major musical festivals in India and abroad including the Festival of India held in the US, Europe, USSR, Canada, Middle East, Africa and Australia, enthralling the audience everywhere. With numerous LP records, audio and video cassettes, CDs and DVDs, numerous awards and accolades, and a distinguished performance career in India and around the world, he is widely recognized as one of the greatest sitar-players of the world. Sunday, April 10, 2011 Venue: Allen Library Civic Auditorium, 300 N. Allen Drive, Allen TX 75013 4:00:00 PM Allen Library Civic Auditorium, 300 N. Allen Drive, Allen TX 75013