India Dance Festival 08/29/15

India Dance Festival Anuj Mishra belongs to the famous traditional family of musicians gharana of Varanasi. Anuj is thirteenth generation of artists in his traditional musical family. His forefather Late Shri Shivkishore Mishra was renowned Sarangi player . His grandfather Late Sbhri Nanhu Mishra was a famous Tabla mastero and his father Pt. Arjun mishra is very famous and renowned kathak guru, dancer and choreographer learned under Late shri Ramnarayan Mishra in Kolkata and then by great legend Padamvibhushan Pt. Birju Maharaj. The training of Anuj Mishra started at age of 17 after his high school as he was busy in studies at early age and his father was touring all over the world for performances. Anuj also learned Tabla under the guiedence of Pt. Ravinath Mishra and some vocal by Ustad Gulshan Bharati. Anuj performed kathak in all major dance festivals and events in India and abroad. He worked with many dance companies and renowned choreographers as Karine Saporta, Mallika Sarabhai, Kumudini Lakhia, Rukmini Chaterjee, Lata Pada and more . Anuj won several national and international dance competitions he is a national gold medalist, he also got prestigious title of Shringarmani, Nritya Kawomudhi also Anuj got very prestigious and one of the biggest award “Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar” from Sangeet Natak Academy, National Academy of music, dance and drama from India, performed in big festivals like Sawai gandharva, lucknow mohatsava, Taj mohatsava, Kathak mahotsava, Taj Mahotsava, Konark dance festival, Kalaghoda festival etc and also performed in Many countries as France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Poland, Belgium, Norway, England, Canada, Israel, Lebanon, Martinique, Guadalupe etc. He is getting more and more opportunities for more performances in India and abroad. Anuj had done Masters in Kathak from Khairagarh university, Madhya Pradesh and now perusing his P.H.D in Kathak. Anuj is presently Artistic director of Kathak Academy and president of Anuj Arjun Mishras Dance Company [AMC] and also impaneled as establish artist in ICCR [Indian council for cultural relation] and main member of CID [International dance Council] from Europe. Saturday, August 29, 2015 7:30:00 PM University Theater – University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) Sharmila Sharma belongs to a family of artists. Her first stage experience, at the early age of only three. This debut performance captivated the hearts of the audience an she won the first prize After initial training in folk dances, as well as in kathak from her mother Tara Sharma, Sharmila joined the renowned Kathak Kendra in New Delhi Sharmila’s talent blossomed under the tutelage of Pandit Rajendra Kumar Gangani latterly from the guidance of renowned Pandit Birju Maharaj She became A professional dancer at the age of fourteen, and she has been performing in national and international Festivals ever since. Sharmila established herself in Paris, where she began teaching Kathak and She conducts workshops and gives Kathak recitals on a regular basis A tireless dancer, she travels and performs, flitting between Europe and India, where connoisseurs and general audiences alike appreciate her art In this classic art form which is technically rigorous with a lot of virtuosity, Sharmila is constantly on the look out to find new ways of developing her creativity in beauty, with her intelligence and delicate sensitivity. She has done solo performances in prestigious festivals in India at Taj Mahotsav Agra, Khajurao Dance Festival Khajurao, Chakradhar Samaroh in Raigarh, Bharat Bhavan, BhartiyaVidhya Bhavan Chennai, Bharat Bhavan Bhopal, “Chal Man Ganga Yamuna Teer” Festival Allahabad, Naad Niranjanam festival at Tirupati balajee mandir, and many others. She performed and choreographed Ballet “Geet-Govind” for National Television Channel Delhi Doodarshan, Matri Udbodan Ashram Patna.

Hindustani Vocal Recital – Khayal Sangeet Pandit Sanjeev Abhyankar, the maestro from the Mewati Gharana, is an artist of international acclaim in the field of Hindustani Classical Music and devotional music. An extremely popular artist, he is the inspiration for the young generation. Blessed with an exceptionally sweet voice, his vocation in life was clear right from the age of 3. Born in 1969, Sanjeev started learning Hindustani Classical Music, from the tender age of eight. He has been groomed by his mother Smt. Shobha Abhyankar, Pandit Pimpalkhare ji and Padmavibhushan Pandit Jasraj ji. Though his aim had been to pursue a career in music since childhood, he has acquired a bachelor’s Degree in Commerce. Sanjeev rendered his first stage performance in Mumbai, at the age of 11. Since then, he has traveled extensively all over India, performing in all the prestigious conferences and art circles, several times. He has spread the fragrance of Indian Classical music in USA, Canada, Australia, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. He has received many awards which include the President’s award from the All India Radio in 1990, the prestigious F. I. E. Foundation National Award 1996, The coveted National Award 1998 as the best male playback singer, for the Hindi film ‘Godmother’, the title ‘Sur Ratna’, Rotary Vocational Excellence Award 2002 and Pandit Jasraj Gaurav Puraskar, to name a few. He has also given playback for films such as ‘ Maachis’, ‘Nidaan’, ‘Sanshodhan’ , ‘Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar’ and ‘Banaras’. Saturday, May 30, 2015 7:00:00 PM Allen Library Civic Auditorium, 300 N. Allen Drive, Allen TX 75013 Milind Kulkarni’s natural flair for Harmonium reflects the eternal essence of Hindustani Classical Music as handed down in the true “Guru Shishya Parampara”. Milind took his initial training from Pandit Vsantrao Gurav and later on he has been taking the lessons from Pt. Pramod Marathe from Gandharva Mahavidyalaya. Milind earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Music, specializing in Harmonium at Centre for Performing Arts, Pune University, Pune. He has accompanied many prominent vocalist, instrumentalist and Kathak Dance performers. Milind is a regular performer of All India Radio & Doordarshan (T.V.) network. Ajinkya Joshi started his initial training in music at the age of seven from Shantilal Shah, one of the senior disciples of well-known tabla player Pt. Suresh Talwalkar. At the age of sixteen, Ajinkya moved to Mumbai and underwent intensive training in tabla for more than ten years from Pt. Suresh Talwalkar. Ajinkya is the recipient of the Vishnu Digambar Paluskar Award (1999). He has accompanied his guru in various tabla solo concerts all over India. He has been awarded the National Scholarship for young artistes by the Government of India. He has accompanied various artists in India and has also toured Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Canada and USA for concerts.

Singing Strings Niladri Kumar is the most popular Indian classical and fusion musician of the current generation and leading sitarist of India . He performed on the sitar from a young age and toured and released albums as an adult. He created a unique instrument, a modified sitar, which he named zitar. Born to sitar player Pandit Kartick Kumar, a disciple of Pt. Ravi Shankar he was considered a child prodigy. He started learning sitar under his father at the age of four. Kumar gave his first public performance at the age of six at Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry. Niladri Kumar began his career with great musiciansLaxmikant-Pyarelal in the late 1980s. He was a part of the Masters of the Percussion tour alongside Zakir Hussain. Kumar has also worked with Jonas Hellborg and V. Selvaganesh on their album Kali’s Son and with John McLaughlin on album Floating Point. Kumar has also worked with various music directors in Hindi cinema, including A.R. Rahman, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and Pritam. Niladri was conferred the Sangeet Natak Akademi’s Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar, awarded to young musicians, in March 2007. Niladri has also won MTV Immies award for the Best Classical/Fusion Instrumental for his album If. Kumar has created a unique instrument, the “zitar”, which is a combination of sitar and guitar. The concept initiated from a traveling sitar, which was modified by Kumar to create rock guitar sound out of it. Kumar reduced the number of strings on the instrument from 20 to five. He also added an electric pickup inside the instrument so that it would sound more like a guitar. His first full album composed using the instrument, titled Zitar, was released in 2008. Kumar wrote the first track for the album Priority in 2003. Over the next five years he improved the track and subsequent track by gauging audience reaction during live performances. He improvised the tracks adding components from various genres such as rock, electronic and lounge. He also won the MN Mathur Award in the 51st Maharana Kumbha Sangeet Samaroh for his contribution to Indian classical music in March, 2013. He has also performed on several popular hindi film songs track including Bunty Aur Babli (Chup Chup Ke), Gangster (Na Jaane Koi), Omakara (naina thag lenge), Life In Metro (Alvida), Dhoom 2 (Crazy Kiya Re), Dabangg 2 (Tere naina bade dagabaaz re), Maazii (Mora Jiya) and several others. He has perfomed traditional classical concerts at all major festivals in India and all prestigious venues all over the world. Sunday, May 10, 2015 3:00:00 PM Allen Library Civic Auditorium, 300 N. Allen Drive, Allen TX 75013 Aditya Kalyanpur is a talented tabla player and percussionist beyond his years, who has made a distinguished career working with some of the most prestigious names in Indian classical, jazz, and fusion genres such as Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, AR Rahman, Shankar Mahadevan, Pandit Jasrajji, Larry Coryell, George Brooks, Kenwood Denard, Boston based jazz band Natraj, Mickey Hart, John Mclaughflin. Kalyanpur was first seen with his Guru Ustad Zakir Hussain for the famous “Wah Taj!” television commercial at the age of 11. Having the honor of being recognized as an “A” Grade Artist of All India Radio, he has given public performances along with his guru. Since then he has lent the enchanting music of his tabla to numerous commercials. Honored with the title of Taal – Mani, Aditya Kalyanpur is the recipient of ITC’s prestigious Vidyasagar Award as well as the Sangeet Visharad. A commerce graduate, Aditya Kalyanpur has also achieved the distinct title as a Music Diplomat from Mumbai University. He has received scholarship from the Centre for Cultural Resources and Training in New Delhi. In addition to many awards given in India and the United States, Kalyanpur is one of the first tabla players ever to be invited to Estonia for the prestigious Orient Arts Festival. As a soloist and accompanist, he has performed at other prestigious music festivals in India and abroad including the Edinburgh festival in Scotland, the Earagal Arts Festival in Ireland, and the Jazz Yatra in Bombay, India.On a more local scene, Kalyanpur has also appeared at the Great Lakes Folk Festival held every year in Lansing, Michigan, and many other festivals and competitions held across the United States. As a mark of his true versatility as a musician, Kalyanpur has performed solo for many bands and instrumental groups, including the world famous The Rolling Stones and also recorded for their saxophonist, Tim Ries. Aditya Kalyanpur is currently the leader of his fusion band Fuzikk, and a member of the world renowned group Bombay Jazz comprised of jazz legends Larry Coryell, George Brooks and Indian Flute Maestro Pandit Ronu Mazumdar.

Ustad Nishat Khan – Live in Concert Ustad Nishat Khan transcends musical barriers with his provocative expression and spellbinding technical mastery. Undeniably the foremost virtuoso of the sitar, he is the torchbearer of seven generations and the 400-year old tradition of India’s most renowned musical family. Maestro Khan stands at the threshold of the future of sitar and Indian music with his uniquely invigorating, contemporary approach. The son and disciple of Ustad Imrat Khan, Nishat has been dazzling audiences since the age of seven and his command of the instrument is unparalleled. The explosive passion of his music envelops the mind and the soul in blissful harmony. Maestro Khan’s virtuosity has been compared to such luminaries as Jimi Hendrix (Chicago Sun Times) and J.S. Bach (Washington Times) because of the ingenious and deeply personal interpretation of his rich musical heritage. Exemplifying the humanity and universality of music, Maestro Khan has mastered not only the North Indian classical idiom but also realms as diverse as Gregorian chant, Western classical music, abstract jazz, and Flamenco. His sensitive phrasing and remarkable intuition for other musical traditions illustrate the freedom and versatility that has led to collaborations with the world’s leading performers and composers such as John McLaughlin, Philip Glass, Paco Pena, Evelyn Glennie, and Django Bates. He has performed at major venues internationally, including Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center in New York , and the Royal Albert Hall in London . In January 2004, the President of Croatia received Maestro Khan in Zagreb , where he performed “Meeting of Angels” with Gregorian chant. Later that year, he was invited to perform alongside Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, Jeff Beck, John McLaughlin and others at the Crossroads Festival in Dallas , Texas . In Summer 2007 he toured across India in a fiery fusion with violinist Vanessa Mae. In 2008 he toured Europe with his pioneering project, “Spirit & Passion” featuring Flamenco guitar great Paco Pena, and in the Fall he will perform a solo concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London . Nishat Khan is dedicated to preserving and teaching his family’s musical tradition; he has taught at UCLA and many other prestigious universities, and he routinely conducts master classes internationally. Future projects will continue to showcase his remarkable foresight as a composer and artist, integrating the brilliant complexity of his North Indian heritage with his refreshing and unprecedented innovations on the sitar. Saturday, April 04, 2015 7:00:00 PM Allen Library Civic Auditorium, 300 N. Allen Drive, Allen TX 75013 Gourisankar, a leading Tabla maestro of the present generation, studied Tabla under the able guidance of his father Pandit Shiv Sankar Karmakar. Since 1979, he has been under the tutelage of the tabla maestro Pandit Sankha Chatterjee. Gourisankar is an “A” Grade artist of All India Radio and Television. His talent and creativity are manifest in classical performances, experimental East-West World Music collaboration and North-South musical interactions. He has performed numerous solos and has accompanied most of India’s eminent artists, as well as many famous artists from around the world. In 2008, Gourisankar established the “School of Indian Percussion and Music” (SIPM) in Austin, Texas. Many of his students perform regularly and have benefited greatly from his teaching expertise and dedication.

The Art Stage ICMC presents its annual event presenting a medley of several short vocal, instrumental and dance performances, by performing and amateur musicians of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. This event is FREE to general public. The primary reasons for this concert are to bring awareness about Indian classical music in the community and also to stage upcoming talent. Since its inception in 1983, ICMC has built the most comprehensive concert series and is regarded as the premier producer of Indian classical music and dance in Dallas/Fort Worth and the surrounding area, by consistently presenting more than seven culturally diverse concerts a year for the sole benefit of its members and the general public. ICMC’s mission is to entertain, to interest, to educate, to train and to provide spiritual nourishment to its members and the general public, and to significantly contribute to the multiethnic heritage and the cultural vitality of the city, through its concerts. Saturday, March 21, 2015 2:00:00 PM Jonsson Performance Hall – University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) Art Stage 2015 musicians include: Vocals – Chittranjan Gupta, Devki Pande, Drishty Mistry, Vrashank Shukla, Surendra Mistry, Seema Bhattacharya, Kiran Sathaye, Diya Nariani, Arushi Sen, Sumeesha Gupta, Neha Bidnurkar, Suparna Ukey, Chetan Moghe, Tanvi Deshpande, Varenya Shrikant, Samhita Kumar & Shibani Sinha. Kathak – Ruchi Kale, Ishani Kale, Ritu Trivedi, Sanika Bhave, Amrita Mahendra, Juhi Agarwal, Meghna Thakur, Rishika Prakash, Mrinmayee Wadekar, Shreya Rajhans, Ria Bhasin & Komal Redkar. Sitar – Neena Sharma & Usha Shrivastava Harmonium – Kalindi Sathaye & Surendra Mistry Tabla – Neerav Dalal, Shantanu Bhattacharya, Surendra Mistry, Emad Siddiqui, Shahrukh Taj, Shreyas Dravekar, Ayan Kichambare, Prakash Shrivastava & Mahesh Ruikar. Violin – Aastha Trehan, Sohni Patel & Mihir Patel.