April 26 – Ud. Abir Hossain (Sarod) & Ud. Tari Khan (Tabla)

Sarod Recital – Meditative Strings Ustad Abir Hossain was born in a musical family of Barddhaman, West Bengal, India. His family claims a lineage of three generations of musicians on the paternal side. Abir started his musical journey at the very tender age of five under the guidance of Golam Emam (father) and Mimakshi Emam (mother). At the age of twelve he came under the tutelage of sarod Legend Padma Bhushan Late Pandit Buddhadev Das Gupta of the Senia-Shajahanpur Gharana. Later he joined the prestigious ITC Sangeet Research Academy (SRA) in the year 2002 and not only did he continue to train with Pandit Buddhadev Dasgupta ji but also came under the guidance of Padma Sri Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty ji of Patiala Gharana.Abir is a regular artist of All India Radio & Doordarshan. He has so far enchanted audiences in India and abroad by performing in music festivals and conferences at several venues. He is the GURU at World’s one of the most renowned Classical Musical Organization “ITC Sangeet Research Academy” to flourish the culture of Hindustani Classical Music among the next generation. A disciple of legendary Ustad Mehdi Hassan and Ustad Shaukat Hussain Khan, Ustad Tari Khan has captured audience imaginations worldwide as a both a ghazal and tabla maestro. Raised by a classical vocalist father and groomed by two legendary Ustads during a golden era of music, he represents a unique product of melodic and rhythmic pedigree. In the last several years he has given many vocal & tabla solo concerts in prestigious sold-out venues across India, Pakistan, Europe, Australia, US, and Canada and drawn critical acclaim. In recent years, Tariji has continued to evolve, as a composer, by crossing generas with film and with western artists, and as an ambassador of eastern music with the Doris Duke foundation. Saturday, April 26 4.00 PM 4020 Hedgcoxe Road, Suite 150, Plano, Texas 75024 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_mqiO1iyPQhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6JZi-Cv-LM Tickets: ICMC Members: Free; General: $50; Students: $30

Fall Fest 2024 ICMC presents Fall Fest 2024 presenting a medley of several short vocal and instrumental performances, by ICMC member musicians. 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 six 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, November 16, 2024 4:00:00 PM Kathak Rhythms Studio, 4020 Hedgcoxe Road, Suite 150, Plano, TX 75024

Violin & Bansuri Duet – Sublime Melodies Manas Kumar is one of the finest Hindustani classical violinists in the concert circuit today. Having inculcated musical instincts from the age of five, he received his initial violin education from his father, Shree G Chaumua. When he was 11 years of age he underwent intensive training for 18 years from Pt. Bidyut Misra of Guwahati, a lecturer in the virtue of violin at the State College of Music, Assam. Manas is a physics graduate and he holds a degree in music from the prestigious Bhatkhande University, Lucknow. He has been acclaimed as an top-grade performing artiste by the All India Radio & is a proud recipient of the very prestigious ‘ Ustad Bismillah khan Yuva Puraskar’ by Sangeet Natak Academy (New Delhi) in 2020 and ‘Surmani’(1st rank) presented by the Sur Singar Samsad, Mumbai in the year 2008. He has also been conferred upon the 1st Prize at the Pt. V.D. Paluskar Music Competition in 2007 & has secured the prestigious senior scholarships presented by the Center for Cultural Resources and Training & the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. Manas has enthralled audiences across India & globally at numerous prestigious music festivals and conferences like the Sankat Mochan fest(Varanasi) , Raag Kaal Festival, Haridas Sammelan, Uday Swar by Pancham Nishad, Ustad Alladiyakhan Mahotsav , Hridayesh Music festival, Arohi music Festival for young talent , Sharda music festival to name a few. He has rendered recitals for many popular Television programs, Radio broadcasts & popular Music Albums and Film scores. His music spans across genres of Hindustani Classical & Fusion. A co-founder of the classical fusion band ‘Samarpan’ he performs regularly with this band across the country as well as abroad, while his work as a composer has also been commended critically. At present, he is a faculty of music at Sharda Sangeet Vidyalaya, Mumbai. Manas has worked with the likes of Shankar Mahadevan, Ranjit Barot, Hariharan & Ravi Chary to name a few. Saturday, September 28, 2024 4:00:00 PM Kathak Rhythms Studio, 4020 Hedgcoxe Road, Suite 150, Plano, TX 75024 S. Akash, son of Sri. M. N. Satish Kumar and Smt. Vani Satish, started showing keen interest in music at the tender age of three and half years. He hails from a family of musicians and music lovers. At the age of four, he was put under the tutelage of Pandit Venkatesh Godhkindi, a renowned flutist. At that very young age, although unable to follow music notations in writing, he was able to grasp subtle intricacies of music. Akash is currently learning vocal to flute (gayaki ang) from Pt. Jayateerth Mevundi, and has been under the tutelage of the maestro for over 15 years. He has performed at various renowned stages around the globe, and he is a recipient of several prestigious awards as well. Young and talented Amit Kavthekar (“GANDA-BANDH SHAGIRD” of Late Ustad Allarakha) has rhythm running in his veins. At the early age of six, he was being groomed in the art of playing tabla by the legendary Ustad Allarakha. He has also been fortunate enough to be taught tabla intricacies by Ustad Zakir Hussain – a maestro in Indian classical music an international phenomenon in the fields of percussion and world music.Amit has played with many eminent Indian Classical Musicians such as Ustad Zakir Hussain and Sivamani on Zee TV in India, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan at Google Talks, Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan at Berklee College of Music, Ustad Ashish Khan at Learnquest Festival at Regis College MA, Pt. Buddhadev Dasgupta in Baithak, Boston MA, Pt. Kushal Das at MIT, Pt. Shivkumar Sharma in his Documentary directed by Jabbar Patel in India, Pt. Jasraj in his vocal recital in Pune India and many others. Recently, Amit played at the United Nations Day Concert 2018 with Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Ayaan Ali Bangash and Amaan Ali Bangash as well as with the Refugee Orchestra project. Amit has frequent collaborations with western classical, jazz and fusion musicians – He is a member of the Purnalokha quartet along with David Balakrishnan of the grammy winning Turtle Island Quartet. He has also played with the Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra and is also a founder member of the band Sawaari, which explores music from different parts of the world. Recently, Amit started working with renowned and one of the best Jazz guitar players Al Di Meola and now he is the integral part of Al Di Meola acoustic trio Project. Amit is currently teaching Tabla in the New England School of Music based in Massachusetts. He also teaches master classes and workshops in universities.

Sitar & Sarod Recitals – Meditative Strings Ustad Waseem Ahmed Khan’s lineage is enviable. An exponent of the Agra gharana, Khan is a direct descendent of the stalwarts who created this stylistically unique and rich repertoire. The Agra style is heavily influenced by the dhrupad gayaki; During the 19th century, it embraced influences of the ‘khayal,’, a lighter form of Persian music and underwent some changes. This amalgamation of dhrupad and khayal coupled with distinctive vocal styles lent by Khan’s forefathers have given an uncommon set of features to the Agra gharana. Khan is the sole living direct descendent of this major style that has existed in India since the 13th century. Waseem Ahmed Khan was born in 1974 to Ustad Naseem Ahmed Khan. Naseem was the son of Basheer Khan, another exponent of the Agra gharana who has made significant contributions to this style. From the age of six, his immersive training or taalim began with his maternal grandfather, Late Ata Hussain Khan (1899-1980), who used the pen name, “Ratan Piya” and is well-known for some of the most beautiful compositions of the Agra repertoire. Thus, Waseem was blessed from both his maternal and paternal sides with one of the richest repertoires of north Indian classical music. Khan has carved a niche for himself as an exponent of the Agra gharana. His open-throated delivery of nom-tom alap is detailed. Khan is known for picking up special words or sentences in a bandish (fixed composition) and improvising in the true Agra style with bol-bant, a method of expanding lyrics based on rhythm. Apart from khayal renditions, Khan’s thumri performances have also received accolades from connoisseurs and lay audiences He is currently based in Kolkata, where he teaches his own students in the guru shishya parampara. Simultaneously, he trains students at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy in the capacity of a ‘Musician Scholar’ and lends his expertise to various other scholarly projects of this institution. Saturday, September 14, 2024 4:00:00 PM Kathak Rhythms Studio, 4020 Hedgcoxe Road, Suite 150, Plano, TX 75024 aving imbibed primary lessons in music since childhood, Siddhesh Bicholkar has been privileged to receive guidance from his First Guru, Shri Sharad Mathkar in Goa and later, placed under the tutelage of Pt. Tulsidas Borkar, renowned Harmonium exponent and Guru. The difficult and lesser known art of Jaltarang was taken up by Siddhesh with inspiration from Shri Sharad Mathkar, who personally crafted his first set of Jaltarang apparatus. Siddhesh gained valuable knowlegde about Instrumental recitals and depths of Classical Music from Pt. Tulsidas Borkar, enabling Siddhesh to present Jaltarang Recitals, a very rare occurence in Indian Classical Music. He has been the recipient of many eminent music scholarships including accolades by the Govt.of India and its H.R.D. Ministry and many other awards to add to his long list of achievements. He is presently employed as a classical music teacher at Sharda Sangeet Vidyalaya, Mumbai. Sanjay Deshpande is a talented Tabla Player based in Pune, India. He was born in a music loving family and was introduced to the art of playing Tabla under Late Pt. Sabade at Pune Bharat Gayan Samaj. Later he took Taleem (lessons) from the renowned Tabla player Pt. Suresh Talwalkar of Delhi-Farookabad Gharana, in a Guru Shishya Parampara for 6 years. He also had the privilege of understanding the beauty of Punjab Gharana under the guidance of world renowned Tabla maestro Ustad. Alla Rakha Khan Saheb. At present he is taking guidance from Shri. Yogesh Samsi and Pt. Vivek Joshi. Sanjay is recipient of the coveted “Ahmedjaan Thirakwaa Scholarship” for Solo Performance. He has accompanied renowned artists like Smt. Vasundhara Komkali, Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar, Pt. Smt. Malini Rajurkar, Pt. Jasraj, Dr. Prabha Atre, Pt. Dinkar Kaikini, Dr. Ashwini Bhide-Deshpande, Smt. Veena Sahastrabudhe and many others. He has performed in major conferences such as Sawai Gandharwa Music Festival Pune, Paluskar Smarak Conference, Shankarlal Samaroha in New Delhi, I.T.C. Sangeet Sammelan. Dowerlane Conference, Kolkata. Sanjay has performed abroad in countries like USA, UK, UAE, Canada, Australia, Switzerland, Russia, Holland, Qatar, Sri Lanka, South Korea etc. He has also participated in the “World Vocal Festival” in Sweden. He is empanelled as guru at the Lalit Kala Kendra, University of Pune. He has number of recordings released. His fusion album “Wind From Ayuta” with Korean musicians won the Best album award of the year – 2002 in South Korea.

Vocal Duet Recital – Khayal, Tappa, Thumri & Bhajans Ustad Waseem Ahmed Khan’s lineage is enviable. An exponent of the Agra gharana, Khan is a direct descendent of the stalwarts who created this stylistically unique and rich repertoire. The Agra style is heavily influenced by the dhrupad gayaki; During the 19th century, it embraced influences of the ‘khayal,’, a lighter form of Persian music and underwent some changes. This amalgamation of dhrupad and khayal coupled with distinctive vocal styles lent by Khan’s forefathers have given an uncommon set of features to the Agra gharana. Khan is the sole living direct descendent of this major style that has existed in India since the 13th century. Waseem Ahmed Khan was born in 1974 to Ustad Naseem Ahmed Khan. Naseem was the son of Basheer Khan, another exponent of the Agra gharana who has made significant contributions to this style. From the age of six, his immersive training or taalim began with his maternal grandfather, Late Ata Hussain Khan (1899-1980), who used the pen name, “Ratan Piya” and is well-known for some of the most beautiful compositions of the Agra repertoire. Thus, Waseem was blessed from both his maternal and paternal sides with one of the richest repertoires of north Indian classical music. Khan has carved a niche for himself as an exponent of the Agra gharana. His open-throated delivery of nom-tom alap is detailed. Khan is known for picking up special words or sentences in a bandish (fixed composition) and improvising in the true Agra style with bol-bant, a method of expanding lyrics based on rhythm. Apart from khayal renditions, Khan’s thumri performances have also received accolades from connoisseurs and lay audiences He is currently based in Kolkata, where he teaches his own students in the guru shishya parampara. Simultaneously, he trains students at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy in the capacity of a ‘Musician Scholar’ and lends his expertise to various other scholarly projects of this institution. Saturday, June 15, 2024 4:00:00 PM Kathak Rhythms Studio, 4020 Hedgcoxe Road, Suite 150, Plano, TX 75024 Having imbibed primary lessons in music since childhood, Siddhesh Bicholkar has been privileged to receive guidance from his First Guru, Shri Sharad Mathkar in Goa and later, placed under the tutelage of Pt. Tulsidas Borkar, renowned Harmonium exponent and Guru. The difficult and lesser known art of Jaltarang was taken up by Siddhesh with inspiration from Shri Sharad Mathkar, who personally crafted his first set of Jaltarang apparatus. Siddhesh gained valuable knowlegde about Instrumental recitals and depths of Classical Music from Pt. Tulsidas Borkar, enabling Siddhesh to present Jaltarang Recitals, a very rare occurence in Indian Classical Music. He has been the recipient of many eminent music scholarships including accolades by the Govt.of India and its H.R.D. Ministry and many other awards to add to his long list of achievements. He is presently employed as a classical music teacher at Sharda Sangeet Vidyalaya, Mumbai. Sanjay Deshpande is a talented Tabla Player based in Pune, India. He was born in a music loving family and was introduced to the art of playing Tabla under Late Pt. Sabade at Pune Bharat Gayan Samaj. Later he took Taleem (lessons) from the renowned Tabla player Pt. Suresh Talwalkar of Delhi-Farookabad Gharana, in a Guru Shishya Parampara for 6 years. He also had the privilege of understanding the beauty of Punjab Gharana under the guidance of world renowned Tabla maestro Ustad. Alla Rakha Khan Saheb. At present he is taking guidance from Shri. Yogesh Samsi and Pt. Vivek Joshi. Sanjay is recipient of the coveted “Ahmedjaan Thirakwaa Scholarship” for Solo Performance. He has accompanied renowned artists like Smt. Vasundhara Komkali, Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar, Pt. Smt. Malini Rajurkar, Pt. Jasraj, Dr. Prabha Atre, Pt. Dinkar Kaikini, Dr. Ashwini Bhide-Deshpande, Smt. Veena Sahastrabudhe and many others. He has performed in major conferences such as Sawai Gandharwa Music Festival Pune, Paluskar Smarak Conference, Shankarlal Samaroha in New Delhi, I.T.C. Sangeet Sammelan. Dowerlane Conference, Kolkata. Sanjay has performed abroad in countries like USA, UK, UAE, Canada, Australia, Switzerland, Russia, Holland, Qatar, Sri Lanka, South Korea etc. He has also participated in the “World Vocal Festival” in Sweden. He is empanelled as guru at the Lalit Kala Kendra, University of Pune. He has number of recordings released. His fusion album “Wind From Ayuta” with Korean musicians won the Best album award of the year – 2002 in South Korea.

Vocal Recital – Khayal Sangeet Sabina Mumtaz Islam is a child prodigy born in a cultured family in Guwahati, Sabina’s remarkable musical journey was set off by her father Late Janab Nurul Islam.While obtaining bachelor’s degree in English Literature as honors from Cotton College and Diploma in Tourism & Management and Computer Science from IGNOU, she simultaneously enriched herself musically. In the year 1988, she became ‘Sangeet Visharad’ from Bhatkhande Sangeet Vidyapeeth. Sabina’s classical sojourn further flourished when she joined ITC Sangeet Research Academy, Kolkata in 1997, the hub of classical music, trained by Janab Jainul Abedin and then under Late Pandit Sunil Bose – an exponent of Agra Gharana. She later came under the tutelage of Vidushi Subhra Guha, one of the doyens of the same Gharana, acquiring the prestigious scholarship in 1999. As a scholar of ITC Sangeet Research Academy, she has undergone rigorous training from her guru in the famous guru-shishya tradition and for the last 25 years still continues to do so. She is permitted to give guidance in the absence of her Guru in the Academy. At the same time she also adheres to the astute guidelines from her Guru Padmashree Pandit Vijay Kumar Kichlu, one of the great musicologists/exponents of Agra Gharana. She has now blossomed into a full-fledged performer and performs nationally as well as across the globe. Sabina is an “A” grade artist of All India Radio and Doordarshan in both Khyal and light Classical (Thumri/Dadra/Kajri/Chaiti/Tappa etc.). She also delivers performances in various television channels regularly. She has played back Chaiti in the Bengali debut film Har Har Byomkesh. Sabina is an empaneled artist of ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations) Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Govt. of India in both Khyal and Light Classical Music. Saturday, May 18, 2024 4:00:00 PM Allen Library Civic Auditorium, 300 N. Allen Drive, Allen TX 75013 Sanjukta Biswas was born in a music loving family of Nadia District West Bengal. Sensing a rare talent in his daughter, her father Shri Bharat Chandra Biswas helped and encouraged her in developing this art from an early age. Her earliest lessons in music were from Shri Amalendu Pal and Shri Kalyan Guha Thakurta. As a child prodigy she won the first prize in All Bengal Music Competition at the tender age of ten. She is a first class Graduate with Honors in Music from Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata. After Graduation her exceptional talent enabled her to enter the dream music world ITC Sangeet Research Academy in 1994 first as a general class student and later in 1999 as a scholarship holder under her Guruma Vidushi Subhra Guha of Agra Gharana. Having remained as a scholar at ITC Sangeet Research Academy for five years, Sanjukta at present lives with her Guruma Vidushi Subhra Guha and learns in a true Guru Shishya Parampara. In 2001 she obtained the prestigious first prize in All India Radio Competition in the category of Hindustani Classical Vocal Music. Following this she also receive the coveted ITC SRA Award of a “Promising Artist” at the Music Forum, Mumbai. In 2002 she was awarded the National Scholarship for Young Artistes by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. In 2005 Sanjukta became the recipient of the prestigious Janana Pravha Scholarship for being a promising and budding young musician of West Bengal State. In 2007 Sanjukta won the prestigious “Swar Vilas” Vadodra, All India Competition. Her gayaki provides an impeccable blend of learning with perfect ‘Raagdari’ on the one side and aesthetics with perfect tuneful voice and aakar on the other. Sanjukta also excels as a Thumri, Dadra, Kajri singer in the perfect “Poorab Ang” of Banaras. Anirban Chakrabarty hails from a family of musicians. He started his training under his father Amal Chakrabarty. He has a postgraduate degree in music with first class from Rabindra Bharati University. He is a good vocalist and his keen interest in playing harmonium has driven him to master the gayaki of the Kotali gharana under the tutelage of Pandit Manas Chakraborty, the doyen of Gharana. He has accompanied various artists including Pt. Venkatesh Kumar, Pt. Jayteerth Mevundi, Ashwini Bhide, Aarati Ankalikar, Pt Ganapati Bhatt, etc. Anirban also composes and arranges music in lighter forms. Pandit Gourisankar Karmakar a leading tabla maestro of the present generation, studied tabla under the able guidance of his father, Pandit Shib Sankar Karmakar. Since 1979, he has been under the tutelage of the tabla Maestro Pandit Sankha Chatteriee. 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 with most of India’s eminent artist like Pandit Hariprasad Chourasia, Pandit Jasraj, Pandit Birju Maharaj, Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan etc. In world Music, performed with World famous Drummer Steve Smith, Grammy winner Mamadou Diabate (Kora Player), World famous Steel Pan player Liam Teague and many others. In 2008, Gourisankar established the “School of Indian Percussion & Music” in Austin, Texas. Many of his students have benefited from his teaching expertise, and perform regularly.  

Sitar Brothers – Live in Concert “Sur-Mani” Deepsankar Bhattacharjee is the fourth generation sitarist of an enlightened musical family. He embarked on his musical journey at a tender age under the tutelage of his father, Pandit Hara Shankar Bhattacharya. He also trained under the watchful guidance of his dadaguru, Padmabhusahan Ustad Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan Saheb. He is the torch bearer of the JAFFERKHANI BAAJ, a unique style of sitar playing invented and perfected by Ustad Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan saheb. Deepsankar is an ” A-GRADE ” sitarist from ALL INDIA RADIO (AIR). He has performed at various places in India and abroad. His performances in New York and in various cities of Austria, Italy, Belgium, Croatia, Luxembourg, CzechRepublic, Netherlands, France, Germany, Slovenia, Greece, Spain, Sweden have been highly appreciated by the cognoscenti and the commoners alike. Deepsankar has been awarded by several Gold medals and titles from various organizations all over in the world. Saturday, April 27, 2024 4:00:00 PM Allen Library Civic Auditorium, 300 N. Allen Drive, Allen TX 75013 Rohan Dasgupta has been nurturing the art of Sitar playing for nearly 30 years and remains a humble student of music. Felicitated by Yadubhatta award, Surmani title, Pandit Vishnu Digambar award and Gidnaar Ratna award, Rohan is a seasoned performer, composer and teacher, performed in over 16 countries across the globe including India, various European countries, Russia and South America, credited for his dynamic classical solo performances around the world and numerous international collaboration with renowned artists of various genres. Carrying forward the legacy of one of the rarest and intricate style of Sitar ‘Jafferkhani baaj’, he has presented lecture demonstrations and seminars in Santa Cecilia and Giuseppe Verdi Music conservatories in Rome and Milan respectively. He has performed in the prestigious Sangeet Natak Academy and has composed for Indian classical dance drama, classical and contemporary instrumental ensembles internationally. Belonging to a rare style of Sitar playing ‘Jafferkhani Baaj’, of Indore Gharana, Rohan has learnt under the tutelage of Pandit Harashankar Bhattacharya and also from his Dadaguru Padmabhushan Ustad Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan. 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 student 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 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. The next milestone of his creativity and innovation is “Naad- The Everlasting Sound”, a group he has formed to experiment with fusion music. It seems the next inevitable step in Subrata’s career as a mingling and merging of eastern, middle eastern and western styles of music is the trend among makers and lovers of music these days. He is been a part of the Chicago based Indo -Jazz band Flat Earth Ensemble since its inception.

Fall Fest 2023 ICMC presents Fall Fest 2023 presenting a medley of several short vocal and instrumental performances, by ICMC member musicians. 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, August 25, 2007 Saturday, November 04, 2023 4:00:00 PM Venue: Allen Library Civic Auditorium, 300 N. Allen Drive, Allen TX 75013 http://www.cityofallen.org/departments/library/about/ 8:00:00 PM University Theatre, UT-Dallas

Sitar & Sarod Recitals – Meditative Strings Sitarist Pt. Indrajit Banerjee is one of the leading exponents of the Maihar Gharana. He was born in a musical family. 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 Ud. 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. He is an A grade artist of All India Radio and National Television, Panel Artist for Indian Council Of Cultural Relations, has served as Judge for AIR (Kolkata), and is a member of the American Federations of Musicians, and voting member of The Recording Academy (Grammies). Indrajit has been touring extensively toured in the UK, Europe, Caribbean Islands, Lebanon, Hawaii, Alaska, Costa Rica, Brazil and Canada for the last 20 years as a solo sitar artist. He also collaborated with several artists from the West, including STING (Channel V Awards), Steve Smith Yaron Herman, Abbos Kosimov, Goodman Theatre (Sherman Brothers ), Fareed Haque, Jeff Coffin, Stefebn Lessard Bass, Carter Beauford Drums etc. He has several solo sitar albums to his credit and also has been featured in many albums. Indrajit has National and International awards from India and the U.S.A. Indrajit is also a composer and has arranged music for several albums and award winning documentary films. Saturday, October 21, 2023 4:00:00 PM Allen Library Civic Auditorium, 300 N. Allen Drive, Allen TX 75013 Pandit Gourisankar Karmakar a leading tabla maestro of the present generation, studied tabla under the able guidance of his father, Pandit Shib Sankar Karmakar. Since 1979, he has been under the tutelage of the tabla Maestro Pandit Sankha Chatteriee. 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 with most of India’s eminent artist like Pandit Hariprasad Chourasia, Pandit Jasraj, Pandit Birju Maharaj, Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan etc. In world Music, performed with World famous Drummer Steve Smith, Grammy winner Mamadou Diabate (Kora Player), World famous Steel Pan player Liam Teague and many others. In 2008, Gourisankar established the “School of Indian Percussion & Music” in Austin, Texas. Many of his students have benefited from his teaching expertise, and perform regularly. Swarnendu Mandal is a young sarod player and music composer from Kolkata, who is known for his purist and melodious style of playing and is rightly considered to be one of the most prominent torch bearers of the Senia Shahajahanpur Gharana. He is a disciple of Pt. Buddhadev Dasgupta, and currently a senior scholar at ITC Sangeet Research Academy (SRA) and working at the esteemed SRA since 2013. He is also receiving sarod training from Abir Hussian of SRA since 2014. Swarnendu has performed extensively in various notable venues across South Asia and Europe. Notable venues include the following: ITC Sangeet Sammelan (2022), Ministry of Sports and Culture, Taiwan (2019), Performance for the Italian Consulate General (2022) and Krypta, Vienna (2022). He holds degrees in Bachelors of Science (Geology) and Bachelors in Music (Sangeet Visharad). Swarnendu is a graded artist of All India Radio and Doordarshan and has also recently received the prestigious CCRT National Scholarship by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.

Hindustani Vocal Recital – Khayal, Thumris & Bhajans Sandip Bhattacharjee is one of the few prodigies to have lived up to his initial promise. Born in a family with a deep rooted musical background, Sandip was initiated into music by his mother Smt. Krishna Bhattacharjee at the age of four and he continued his talim under Smt. Amita Dasgupta later. When in his teens, Sandip became a residential scholar at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy under the able Guidance of Ustad Mashkoor Ali Khan & Ustad Mubarak Ali Khan, sons and disciples of the legendary Sarangi Maestro late Padmashree Ustad Shakoor Khan. It was essentially here that Sandip was nurtured in the true guru shishya parampara system of training of the Kirana Gharana. Along with his music, Sandip also holds a First class degree in Graduation from Rabindra Bharati University (Kolkata), in classical music. Other than pure classical music he is competent in singing semi classical forms like Bhajans, ghazals and Nazrulgeeti as well. He performs across India and abroad (United States, Europe and Bangladesh). A recipient of the Title “Surmani” from Sur Singar Sansad Mumbai, Sandip also broadcasts regularly over the All India Radio as an “A” Grade artist. Apart from being an able performer Sandip is also a teacher of music. He travels regularly to Guwahati and Digboi (Assam) where he has a substantial following of students in Indian classical music. Sandip has been a faculty at AAICM in New York since 2013. Saturday, September 16, 2023 4:00:00 PM Allen Library Civic Auditorium, 300 N. Allen Drive, Allen TX 75013 Abhijit Kastha was born in a music loving family. He was introduced to the world of table at a a very tender age of 7 under Shri Subir Mukherjee. At the age of 16, he started taking taalim under Pt. Subhankar Banerjee of Farukhabad gharana. He has gained knowledge about the various aspects of table under his guru for 17 years. Abhijit has bachelor’s degree in percussion music (table) from Rabindra Bharati University in 2006. In 2008, he obtained the 1st class in post-graduation from the same university. He is a recipient of many awards and scholarships. He has performed extensively all over India and mesmerized his audience by his performances. At present he is a member of Kajalrekha Music Foundation, established by his Guru. He is working as a regular table faculty at The Fifth Note – Global Center if Excellence under Shakhri Begum Memorial Trust (SBMT), a music institute established by vocal maestro Ud. Rashid Khan. Abhijit is also assocated with the Taalsen Academy, another reputed institution established by his Guru Pt. Subhankar Banerjee and is working there also as regular table faculty. He has accompanied several popular table maestros and performed solo recitals as well. Susmita Chakraborty is an accomplished vocalist as well as an established harmonium player. In spite of being a brilliant student and holding a master’s degree in Zoology she has chosen her carrier in music and follows her passion. She has been singing since the age of five. She has participated in and won numerous vocal competitions; she has a lot of performance experience. Susmita received ten years of Hindustani classical vocal training from Tandra Ghoshal; afterwards, she learned from Pt. Jayanta Bose who is admired as a versatile genius in the global field of music (Vocal, Harmonium & Tabla) and still learning from Bidushi Suranjana Bose. Susmita has also learned other forms of vocal music (Semi-Classical/Light, Najrul Geeti, old Hindi film songs,Bhajans, Ghazal and Thumri) from several respected teachers. Additionally, she enjoys singing regional songs from her native Bengal. She learned Bengali modern songs from the renowned vocalist Haimanti Shukla and Narrulgeeti from Swapna Kanjilal. In 2013, she released an album entitled “Gunjan” as part of a group. In 2014, she released a solo album aptly called “Shraddhanjali” comprised of old classic Hindi songs. In 2014, she toured the USA for musical performances. In 2015, she released a solo album called “Tribute to Lata Mangeshkar” comprised of old classic Hindi songs of Lataji. In 2015, she has recorded a song for Hindi Movie “Anokhi Raat” Title #1 Item content. Click the edit button to change this text. Title #2 Item content. Click the edit button to change this text. Title #3 Item content. Click the edit button to change this text.