Society of Poetry and Indian Music
News & Events
Ghazal, Thumri and Kheyal Festival
Saudha, Society of Poetry and Indian Music presents this unique and exotic festival that offers hypnotic performances of the extremely musically exuberant, magical and enrapturing genres of Pan-Indian (India as a sub-continent) classical and highly popular semi-classical music.
Performance on 05/03/2016:
Raynes Park Library (23 Approach Rd, London SW20 8BA) hosts the first day of the festival on 5 March 2016. The door will open at 6pm. The first day features prominent Carnatac vocalist, musicologist Smt Manorama Prasad who will be accompanied by critically acclaimed musicians Sri Balu Raguraman on violin and Sri M Balachandar on Mridangam as well as notable Thumri singer of Benaras Gharana Dr Aswin Kalbag.
Smt Manoroma Prasad came from a a well known family of musicians in Bangalore. Combining performance across the UK and for the... BBC with her work as a musicologist at a number of universities and schools including Cambridge, SOAS and Trinity School of Music, Smt Prasad says "music gives me a lot of pleasure and sometimes I wonder where has all this come from".
Dr Aswin Kalbag is the desciple of the maestro of Benaras Pandit Chhannulal Mishra. Apart from singing in extremely mellifluous voice, Dr Kalbag is also engaged in in-depth research on different faculties of Thumri along with collecting them from every possible source. Ticket for this session: £10 & £8 (concession for pensioner and child)
Fot tickets please visit the link below:
Performance on 12/03/2016:
Second day of the festival will happen at Morden Assembly Hall (Tudor Drive, Morden, SM4 4PJ) on 12 March 2015. The door will open at 6.30pm.
This session presents an experimental blend of Kheyal, Thumri and Ghazal with visually colourful Kathak and seamlessly melded recitation of the verses from traditional both oriental and occedental poets like Lorca, Hafiz Tagore, Shelly, that connotes the mode of the profound music. This hypnotic ormance will be led by a UK based singer Chandra Chakraborty and will be accompanied by the Tabla Maestro Sanju Sahai and a critically acclaimed musician Rekesh Chauhan on Harmonium, Schubert vocalist Erik Schelander (recitation) and a Kathak dancer of that artistic level.
Chandra Chakraborty is one of the finest North Indian vocalists and disciple of Late maestro Pandit A Kanan, Smt Malabika Kanan and currently exploring the exuberant source of Thumri and the techniques of Benaras Gharana under the tutelage of Vidushi Girija Devi Padma Vushan. Chandra has been performing since the age of 6. She is a National Scholar, Gold Medallist and ex-scholar of famous Sangeet Research Academy, Kolkata. Chandra has performed almost all over the world including South Africa and Pakistan. She was the principle vocal teacher of Indian Consulate, Johannesburg and a lecturer of Witwatersrand University, South Africa. http://www.chandrachakraborty.info/ for detail)
Ticket for this session: £10 & £8 (concession for pensioner and child)
For tickets of this event, please visit the link below:
Performance on 13/03/16:
Rich Mix (35-47 Bethnal Green Rd, London E1 6LA) will host the finale of the festival that features two leading classical performers of Indian classical music Roopa Panesar (Sitarist) and Sanhita Nandi (vocalist).
The door will open at 6.30pm.
Smt Sanhita Nandi is one of the most acclaimed artists of Hindustani Classical Vocal of current times. She presents herself as a representative exponent of Kirana Gharana.
Smt Sanhita was groomed by Late Pandit A. Kanan, the senior most gurus of the ITC Sangeet Research Academy,Kolkata. She got added exposure under Pandit Vinayak Torvi for few years. After years of practice, and under the profound influence of Gharana maestros, she assimilated the distinctive features of the Kirana Gharana. To further enrich the aesthetic improvisation of the Kirana Lineage and traditional compositions, Sanhita came under the advanced tutelage of Ustad Mashkoor Ali Khan and continues to hone her fine musical skills under him. Sanhita Nandi is currently based in New Jersey (USA) and New Delhi (India) and performs frequently in India and abroad at all the prime music festivals and concerts. She has received great recognition and reviews on her mastery over the delivery of pitch, tonal precision, use of microtones and tone-fragments, the main characterization of Kirana Gharana. (http://sanhitanandi.com/ for detail).
Roopa Panesar is one of the finest Sitar players to emerge on the Indian music scene in the UK. She has been receiving accolades from audiences and peers alike for her outstanding ability and quality of music. Her soulful and unique style of playing has left her listeners captivated in true sense. With the incredible emotional depth of her sound, she has touched the hearts of audiences far and wide and received blessings from many eminent musicians in the world of Indian classical music. Roopa has also been teaching the sitar for a number of years and is involved in numerous projects to inspire and educate the next generation of Indian classical musicians. As well as being deeply rooted in the classical tradition, Roopa has collaborated with musicians from different genres such as Mercury Prize Winner, Talvin Singh, Laura Wright and Dirk Brosse to name a few. Roopa has toured extensively in UK, Europe and USA performing at prestigious venues and released her debut album ‘Khoj’ in 2011. (http://www.roopapanesar.com/about.htm for detail).
Accompanying artists:
Sanju Sahai is currently one of the finest and most sought after Tabla players of his generation. Belonging to the Benares Gharana (lineage) and being the 6th generation of Tabla players in the lineage, he began playing at an early age. A phenomenal and outstanding Tabla player, he is well known for mesmerising and captivating his audience with his power, virtuosity and complete spontaneity. (http://www.sanjusahai.com/ for detail).
Rekesh Chauhan, accompanying Harmonium is a Pianist, Guitarist, Songwriter, Recording artist, Producer, Composer and for every other medium imaginable, his sound is truly a testament for tomorrow’s style. His music and style defines the reverberation amongst the new generation of listeners of contemporary world music as his music amalgamates both Western and Indian styles. (http://www.rekeshchauhan.com/bio.html for detail).
Ticket for this session: £12 & £10 (concession for pensioner and child).
For tockets of this event, plese visit the link below:
The festival also entails two free workshops on Indian classical music as therapy (which will cover significant length and breadth of Indian classical music as a form of art and as a way of therapy with in-depth discussion and demonstration) at Wimbledon library (Wimbledon Hill Rd, London SW19 7NB) on 28 February 2016 at 5pm and 3 March 2016 at 3pm.(Please book your place in the library in advance to avoid frustration). This is event is supported by London Borough of Merton Council.
Please contact Pushpita Gupta on 07737828922 for detail.
Venue: From Mar 5, 2016 to Mar 13, 2016 in Various London Venues
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