Pandit Rajeev Taranath is one of India's most distinguished exponents of the sarod. A top disciple of the legendary late Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, he is the recipient of many honors including India's highest government award in the arts, the esteemed Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2000.

Hailed a prodigy in Hindustani vocal music, he had been earlier trained by his father Pandit Taranath and other eminent musicians and was a concert and radio artist before he was twenty. Rajeev Taranath's distinctive musicianship demonstrates striking imaginative power, technical excellence and emotional range. He is respected for the clarity of musical understanding which he brings to the unfolding of a raga and the beauty of the tone he evokes from the sarod.

Recent international performances include such venues as the Oberlin Conservatory, the Sydney Opera House, The Smithsonian Institution (Wash DC), Theatre De Ville (Paris), Ruben Museum (NY) and Tropeninstitut (Netherlands) among others.  

"Rajeev Taranath, illustrious disciple of the renowned maestro, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, has evolved a style characterised by the quintessential features of his gharana — depth and profundity in the exploration of raga and the dexterous weaving of sparkling permutations in layakari. The artiste's musical expression is distinguished by an innate sense of dignity..." - The Hindu, India (January 20, 2006)

"One can detect, in the very first notes played by Rajeev Taranath, the inimitable mark left by his master Ali Akbar Khan. The same steady touch combines with a depth both forceful and caressing. A miraculous resonance and coherence together with a uniquely dense tonality pervade his music." - Christian Ledoux, Theatre de Ville 2008

Rajeev Taranath's tone is radiant and rich, charged with the sensitivity of his soul...." – The Hindu, Delhi , May 2001

http://www.rajeevtaranath.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdQ7L58yYRk



Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan is widely recognized as one of the greatest sitar-players of the world. His dazzling virtuosity and innovative genius have earned him a legacy as a giant of the sitar. Shahid Parvez 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 Hindusthani Classical Music including the likes of Sahabdad Khansahab, Imdad Khansahab, Enayet Khansahab, Waheed Khansahab and Vilayat Khansahab.

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 Khansahab. 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. Dogged perseverance and hard work over the years have been rewarded with an extra-ordinary technical prowess and a mastery over 'Layakari'. One of the numerous achievements of Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan is to have mastered both Vocal Music and the 'Tantrakari Baaj' and then fuse them in such a way as to bring this complex amalgam within the easy reach of all.

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 A.I.R. and a recipient of numerous national and international awards including the 'Sur Shringaar', the 'Kumar Gandharva Samman', the "M.L. Koser Award', etc. He is also a recipient of the prestigious "Sangeet Natak Academy Award" of 2006. 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.

(Photo courtesy by Marcus Simpson Photography).

http://www.shahidparvezkhan.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMFy2UAATV4



Santoor Maestro Pandit 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 Maestro, Pandit 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. The champion maestro changed the art of playing santoor for ever. Maestro 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 innovative techniques of playing the Santoor also facilitates in the playing of "Krintans, Ekharatans, Boltans" broadening the utility of the Santoor in various traditional art forms. His improvisations on the shape and string arrangements have resulted in deeper and more classical sound for the Santoor.

Tarun Bhattacharya is recognized the world over for his wizardry in Ragdari, as well as, Layakari (mathematical calculations) and plays music that touches the inner soul. He has been the recipient of numerous felicitations like pre Grammy nomination in 97, excellence in world music USA, and his CD "Kirwani" has been acclaimed as the top 10 in the world. Pt. Bhattacharya received his talim (music instructions) from his father Pt. Rabi Bhattacharya, Pt. Dulal Roy and finally from the great Bharat Ratna Pt. Ravi Shankar. One of the most celebrated torch bearers of Indian classical music  he has virtually traversed the globe many times over performing in some of most awe inspiring venues and cities as Royal Albert Hall, Palacede- beaux (Brussels), Theater- De-La-Viile (France), Apollo Theatre (Spain), Jubilee Auditorium (Canada), Kremlin (Russia). The mesmerized list of admirers include Prince Charles, George Harrison, Paolo Solaris and many more of respected figures across the Globe.

Tarun Bhattacharya is also a Visiting Professor at the Nupur Dance Academy, USA.

http://www.tarunji.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJxjpjiQovY

Due to last moment visa/passport issues, Pandit Kaivalyakumar will not be able to perform on Saturday April 6, 11am in NYC!

We will have the honor to have Vocalist Ustad Mashkoor Ali Khan, another great maestro from the Kirana Gharana to perform for this concert.

Ustad Mashkoor Ali Khan  

has musical blue blood in his veins owing to his family lineage. A direct descendant of the family of the great Ustad Abdul Karim Khan and the much legendary Sartaj-e-Mousiqui, Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan who were the founders of the famous Kirana Gharana. Ustad Mashkoor Ali Khan is the son of the great Sarangi-nawaz, Padmashree Ustad Shakoor Khan, who was the grand nephew of Ustad Bande Ali Khan Beenkar who composed numerous bandishes under his pseudonym 'Sabras".

www.mashkooralikhan.com/



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.

Coming from a musically oriented family, 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 Himangshu Mazumder and his uncle late Sri Ranjan Mozumder. Gradually he switched over to his cousin SriTejendra Narayan Majumdar who is a well-known sarode player of the country. 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 Missionof Kolkata and Saltlake Music Conference of Kolkata e.t.c, and also he has toured Europe, U.K. , and USA and made a very good name amongst the music lovers . He is the recipient of Surmani and Jadubhatta Awards.

http://www.mandolinclassic.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwjXPa2SZ2Y



Born in a music loving and musically dedicated family, Kanika Pandey was initiated into music by her father Pt. S. S. Pandey. 

Her journey in music began much before she started her actual formal taleem (training).

An accomplished sangeet guru himself, her father Pt. S. S. Pandey was also the head of dept. of vocal music at the prestigious music college in Jaipur thus music was an integral part of her growing up years. After receiving a solid foundation in music from her father, in 1995, kanika began her taleem (training) under the tutelage of the finest maestros, Pts. Rajan and Sajan Mishra of Banares gharana, learning the subtle nuances and stylistic techniques of the art form. Kanika carries with her a rare artistic blend of Kirana and Banares gharana. Her training is very evident in her shruti shuddha swara, gradual unfolding and development of the raga, combining the poetry and its expression into singing. Besides maintaining the technical aspects, Kanika also gives a lot of focus on the aesthetics and the mystical/spiritual aspect of Hindustani music, thus resulting in a unique style that is technically fine and yet very soulful and aesthetically appealing. She has been a recipient of several prestigious awards and scholarships including an International fellowship from the Ford Foundation (2004), Junior Fellowship from the Dept. of Culture, Govt. of India (2002) and scholarship from the ministry of HRD, govt. of India (1992-94), scholarship from Rajasthan Sangeet Natak Academy (State academy of music, dance and drama) (1989-90). She was also awarded “Bhamashah” award from the Maharana Mewar Foundation, Udaipur (1994). Kanika has performed on stage throughout India, Europe and the United States. Her gurus, Pts. Rajan and Sajan Mishra and Pt. S. S. Pandey have nurtured and continue to foster her art while helping her to develop a style undeniably her own.

http://kanikapandey.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARxMnhZNWw8



Subhajyoti Guha, a highly talented, young tabla player from Kolkata, India, is one of the NEW GENRE of tabla exponents who are taking this world pleasing North Indian percussion instrument to greater heights in the 21st century.

Coming from an educated and musical family, Subhajyoti was introduced to tabla at an early age of five by his father Dr. Smriti Ranjan Guha, a disciple of late Ustad Keramatullah Khan of Farukkabad Gharana. Few years later the internationally well-known tabla maestro and trainer Pandit Sankha Chatterjee, also a disciple of late Ustad Keramatullah Khan and late Ustad Allarakha Khan of punjab Gharana, took Subhajyoti under his tutorship and Subhajyoti has been the disciple of pandit Chatterjee since then. Subhajyoti's intense dedication and love for his art has won him quite a few laurels. Namely, THE PRESIDENT'S AWARD from ALL INDIA RADIO in 1989, THE DOVER LANE TALENT SEARCH AWARD in 1990-91, THE HIRENDRA KUMAR GANGULY AWARD , from WEST BENGAL STATE ACADEMY OF PERFORMING ARTS, in 1993, TAAL MANI AWARD from SUR SRINGAR SAMSAD of Mumbai in 1996 and the degree of SANGEET VISHARAD from PRACHEEN KALA KENDRA of CHANDIGARH in 1997. At present, he is a grade 'A' tabla player of All India Radio & T.V.  He is performing regularly in India and also abroad in USA, Canada and Europe both as a soloist and an accompanist; To name a few,  Pandit Buddhadev Dasgupta, Pandit Manilal Nag, Late Pandit A.T.Kanan, Pandit Ram Narayan, Ustad Aashish Khan, Pandit Barun Pal, Ustad Shahid Parvez, Pandit Brij Narayan, Ustad Irshad Khan, Smt Sisirkana Dhar Chaudhury, Vidushi Purnima Chaudhuri, Smt Jaya Biswas, Smt Kankana Banerjee and many others. Through these performances Subhajyoti has won the hearts of his listeners and his talent has also been acknowledgement by maestros like Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan.

http://www.subhajyoti.com/home.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6VRi1ILg7o



Nitin Mitta is one of the most accomplished and distinctive tabla players of his generation, with a reputation for technical virtuosity, spontaneity, clarity of tone, and sensitivity to melodic nuances.

Nitin received his early training in Hyderabad from Pandit G. Satyanarayana.

Blessed with raw talent, he gave his first solo tabla performance at the age of ten. During his studies he won many accolades, including first prize in the All India Competition held in Calcutta. To expand his repertoire of tabla compositions, he sought the guidance of Pandit Arvind Mulgaonkar of Mumbai, one of the most highly respected mentors of his generation. Under Mulgaonkarji’s tutelage, Nitin not only broadened his tabla vocabulary, but sharpened his understanding of how to bring the material to life in performances through interpretation, improvisation and respect for the dynamics between instrumentalist and rhythmic accompanist. Both of Nitin’s gurus are disciples of the late Ustad Amir Hussain Khan Saheb, legendary doyen of the Farukhabad Gharana.

Apart from being a dynamic soloist, he is a highly sought after accompanist who has performed with some of India’s most celebrated Hindustani classical musicians, including Pandit Jasraj, Dr. Prabha Atre, Pandits Rajan and Sajan Mishra, Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, and Ustad Shahid Parvez, as well as many Carnatic musicians, such as Lalgudi G.J.R Krishnan and Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi.

Nitin has also made a mark as a versatile collaborator in other spheres. He recently joined forces with 2010 Grammy Nominee Pianist Vijay Iyer and electric guitarist R. Prasanna to produce a studio album titled Tirtha that blends elements of contemporary jazz with the North and South Indian traditional ragas and compositions. Another collaboration with R. Prasanna can be heard on the soundtrack of the Oscar-winning documentary Smile Pinky. He has also performed and toured with singer and Juno Award nominee Kiran Ahluwalia.

http://nitinmitta.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOcPiaHJ6QI



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. We hear his tabla ringing in the background of the film Everybody Says I am Fine where Zakir Hussain composed the background score. Honored with the title of Taal - Mani, Aditya Kalyanpur is the recipient of I.T.C'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. A recipient of the National Scholarship for Advanced Training instituted by the government of India, Aditya has also won the prestigious Pandit Jasraj Competition held at the Vedic Heritage Center, Long Island, New York.

http://www.adityatabla.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OwPTNckJqo&feature=player_embedded&list=PL7F87522686EDC29A



Anirban Roy Chowdhury, born in a musical family in Assam is a young promising tabla player, both as a soloist as well as an accompanist. Anirban's training in tabla started at a very young age of 5 years from his father Akhil Roy Chowdhury and afterwards from his elder brother Animesh Roy Chowdhury.

In the year 1995, Anirban arrived in mumbai and had the privilege of getting direct training from the great tabla Maestro Ustad Allarakha Khan for a period of 7 years. Later on, he continued his training under Ustad Zakir Hussain & Pandit Yogesh Samsi, one of the senior most disciples of Ustad Allarakha Khan.  Anirban's music is the spontaneous expression of his powerful emotions and his deep knowledge of Tabla. His ingenuity has ushered in a purely new style of Tabla playing. It is undoubtedly through his clarity and elegance of performance, both as an accompanist and as a soloist.
Anirban has completed Sangeet Visharad degree ( Bachelor of Music) in tabla from Bhatkhande Sangeet Mahavidyalaya Lucknow & Sangeet Nipun (Masters of Music) from Bangiya Sangeet Parishad.
In 2002, Anirban earned huge appreciations for his performance at BOSCH in Stuttgart, Germany & at Mandappa in Paris.  In 2007, Anirban had a great opportunity to perform tabla solos at World Bank& I.M.F in Washington D.C. Anirban had the privilege of tabla accompaniment with musicians like Anup Jalota, Pankaj Udhas, Ghulam Ali, Rakesh Chaurasia, Rupak Kulkarni, Pandit Dinkar Kaikini,Pandit Arvind Parekh, Pandit Dhruv Ghosh, Pandit Pradeep Barot, Smt. Konkana Banerjee, legendary flute Maestro Pandit Hariprasdhad Chaurasia, Ken Zukerman, pandit Tejemdra narayan Majumder & Grammy Award Winning Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WW2CBTeUcGA



Kedar Naphade received preliminary training in Hindustani Classical Music from his grandfather, Shri Dadasaheb Naphade and from Shri Arvind Gajendragadkar. For over 15 years, he has been a leading disciple of Pt. Tulsidas Borkar, arguably the most acclaimed harmonium player in India today.

Kedar has also had the privilege of training from Smt. Padmavati Shaligram-Gokhale, a veteran singer of the Atrauli-Jaipur gharana. She played a pivotal role in his musical development and sowed in him the seed that developed into a passionate love for the vocal art form. As such, like his guru, Kedar's music derives inspiration from the stylistic genius and dexterous wizardry of

P. Madhukar as well as the character of the traditional hindustani vocal art form.In addition to classical music, Kedar also plays the semi-classical forms of Marathi Natyasangeet (Stage Music), Bhajans, Thumri, Dhun etc.Kedar has performed harmonium solo and has accompanied vocalists at numerous concerts in India, Europe and in the U.S. including prestigious festivals and venues such as the Alladiya Khan Smruti Samaroha, Dadar Matunga Cultural Center in Mumbai, The Lincoln Center in New York, The Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C etc. He has also been featured on NPR. He has shared the stage with luminaries such as his guru Smt. Padmavati Shaligram-Gokhale, Pt. Jasraj, Smt. Veena Sahasrabuddhe, Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar, Smt. Prabha Atre, Smt. Laxmi Shankar, Pt. Phiroz Dastur etc. Kedar continues to train from Pt. Tulsidas Borkar and maintains an active concert schedule in the U.S.

http://www.kedarnaphade.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tE9SKeU-iYM

Ramchandra Joshi has been regarded as one of the established Indian Hindustani Classical harmonium and vocalist musician. Presently he is residing at Edison, New Jersey. As recognition to this expert he has been included as Grade B Artist at All India Radio, Mumbai, India.

He has topped 2nd in All India, in All India Level music competition held by Akashvani (All India Radio) in 1994 in Light Classical Vocal music category. Ramchandra Joshi received proper guidance under the great tutelage of vocalist of Gwalior Gharana Dr. Veena Sahasrabuddhe, who resides in Pune, India. He has been inducted to the world of music at the tender age of 8 years. Joshi started receiving training in Indian classical music from Sangeet Mahabharati, Mumbai, founded by Late Pt. Nikhil Ghosh. He has been trained under the expert tutelage of Mrs. Krishna Mukherjee who happens to be disciple of well-known exponent Begum Parveen Sultana at Sangeet Mahabharati, Mumbai. Ramchandra Joshi has also undergone training from Mrs. Sraboni Mukherjee in Light Classical Music like Thumri, Hori, who is disciple of renowned Thumri exponent, Shobha Gurtu. Throughout his professional career Ramchandra Joshi has performed at many places in India, USA and UK and Switzerland. Ramchandra Joshi has also given an excellent performance in Swara Vilaas, Mumbai in the year 1996; performed at Hori Festival held at Mumbai, in March, in the year 2001; He also performed at Maharashtra Mandal- London, Leicester, Corydon; Ganesha Festival Lucerne 2001; Concert in Altendorf with Demonstrating Ragas and Seasons; Bharatiya Temple-North Wales, Rama navami , Ganeshotsav in the year 2005; Maharashtra Mandal- San Jose California USA; Classical, Semi classical Concerts in New Jersey and Philadelphia.

http://youtu.be/tBiynRl5toY