Kushal Das - Sitar

Samir Chatterjee - Tabla

Come join us at the Kreeger Auditorium for an evening sitar concert by renowned artist Kushal Das accompanied by Samir Chatterjee. This concert is supported by our community partner-the :KalpaVriksha, Centre for Performing Arts.

Kushal Das

Kushal Das, a North Indian solo sitarist was born to a highly enriched musical family of Kolkata. His grandfather Late Shri Bimal Chandra Das was a renowned Esraj player and his father and uncle are both sitarists of high repute. His father Shri Sailen Das is a disciple of Pt. Lakshman Bhattacharya. Later he became a disciple of Pt. Ravi Shankar. His uncle Shri Santanu Das is a disciple of Late Ustad Ali Akbar Khan.

Kushal started his talim from the age of five under the guidance of his uncle and father. Later He received intensive and rigorous training in advanced sitar techniques and the art of creating music under the affectionate guidance of Prof. Sanjoy Bandopadhyay, a renowned sitar maestro and academician. Kushal is also proud for having the privilege of learning from great musicians like Late Pt. Ajoy Sinha Roy, vocal lessons from Pt. Manas Chakraborty (Kotali Gharana) and Late Pt. Ramkrishna Basu.

With a profound knowledge of music and raga improvisation Kushal is now considered to be one of the foremost torchbearers of the tradition of Indian Classical Instrumental Music. The critics and connoisseurs have acknowledged him as a worthy successor of his idol, the legendary maestro Late Pt. Nikhil Banerjee. His concerts are always marked for their aesthetic appeal and insight with a fine command of technical expertise. With maturity as his forte Kushal has the predominant virtue of Indian heritage and music. An A-rated musician of All India Radio and Television, he is a recipient of Sangeet Visharad from Pracheen Kala Kendra of Chandigarh and Suramani from Sur Singar Samsad of Mumbai.

Kushal has participated in most of the major concert festivals in India. His tours abroad since 1987, which includes USA, Canada, England, Scotland, Germany, France, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland and Bangladesh were marked with outstanding success and audience appreciation.s

Samir Chatterjee

Samir Chatterjee is a virtuoso Tabla player from India. He travels widely across the world throughout the year performing in numerous festivals as a soloist or with other outstanding musicians from both Indian and non-Indian musical traditions. Samir performed at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo, Norway in 2007. He also performed a few times at the United Nations General Assembly. His compositions are widely acclaimed as well as his writings. Samir is a firm believer in the transforming effect of music on the society and all aspects of his work reflects this conviction.

Chatterjee began his studies early with Pandit Bankim Ghosh, Pt. Balaram Mukherjee, Pt. Rathin Dhar and Mohammad Salim. His later formation as a musician occurred under the guidance of Pt. Amalesh Chatterjee (since 1966) and Pt. Shyamal Bose (since 1984). All of Samir's teachers have been from the Farrukhabad Gharana (school) of Tabla-playing, which he now represents.

Samir is rated ‘A’ as an artiste of Indian national radio and television. He can be heard on numerous recordings featuring as soloist, accompanying many of India's greatest musicians and in collaboration with western musicians of outstanding caliber. In concert Samir has accompanied many of India's greatest musicians including Pt. Ravi Shankar, Ud. Vilayat Khan, Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, Pt. Jasraj, Pt. Nikhil Banerjee, Pt. V.G. Jog, Pt. Shivkumar Sharma, Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, M. S. Gopalakrishnan, Ud. Amjad Ali Khan, Ud. Salamat Ali Khan, Smt. Lakshmi Shankar, Pt. Manilal Nag, Ud. Ali Ahmed Hussain, Ud. Aashis Khan, Dr. L. Subramanium, U Srinivas, Ud. Naseeruddin Sami, Smt. Veena Sahashrabuddhe, Ud. Shujat Khan, Ud. Saheed Parvez, Pt. Ajoy Chakraborty, Ud. Nishat Khan, Ud. Rashid Khan, Pt. Tejendra N. Mazumdar, Pt. Debashish Bhattacharya, Smt. Arti Anklekar, Smt. Kaushiki Chakraborty, to name only a few.

Samir Chatterjee lives in the New York-New Jersey area, and has been a catalyst in the fusion of Indian and Non-Indian music, in his own creations and others as well. He performs with Pauline Oliveros, William Parker, Branford Marsalis, Ravi Coltrane, Joshua Bell, Yoko Ono Lenon, David Liebman, Oliver Lake, Dave Douglas, Ned Rothenberg, Mark Dresser, Mark Feldman, Jerome Harris, Eric Friedlander, Steve Gorn, Glen Velez, Boby Sanabria, Jin Hi Kim, Min Xiao-Fen, Dance Theater of Harlem, Boston Philharmonic, Minnesota Orchestra, Ethos Percussion group, Da Capo Chamber Orchestra, Boston Musica Viva and other jazz, classical and avant guard musicians and ensembles. He also collaborates with Sufi-Rock singer Salman Ahmad of Junoon from Pakistan. He is the composer and director of Indo-Flame – a blend of Indian and Flamenco dance and music, Chhand-Anand - a world percussion ensemble, RabiThakur – a ballet on the life of Tagore, Meghadootam – a feature program of music and dance on an ancient Indian poem, and Dawn to Dusk and Beyond – on the effect of music on humans and nature. He performs with Sanjay Mishra on his CD "Blue Incantation" featuring Jerry Garcia as guest artist.

Samir Chatterjee has been teaching for the last 35 years and many of his students are established performers. He is the Founder-Director of CHHANDAYAN, an organization dedicated to promoting and preserving Indian music and culture. He has authored a comprehensive 654-page book entitled A Study of Tabla, a guide book to Indian music titled Music of India and Those Forty Days, a journal of an austere practice regimen. He is on the faculty at Manhattan School of Music, University of Pittsburgh and New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. He also taught at the Yale University, Columbia University, New York University and Princeton University, among many other major institutions in the USA, Europe and India. He also contributes to several newspapers and periodicals. He won gold medal for his proficiency in a musical examination and has two Master degrees, in English and History.

Sitar - Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan

Tabla - Pdt. Samir Chatterjee

Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan

Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan is widely recognized as one of the greatest sitar players of the world. The recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including the Government of India's Padma Shri and the Sangeet Natak Academy Award, Shahid Parvez Khan regularly tours across India, Europe, North America, Asia and Australia, enthralling audiences everywhere.

Shahid Parvez’s music is both novel and evolving. His unique tone and astute artistic sense have become his hallmark as a respected performer and composer. The power of his music emanates from the highly charged sound he conjures on stage. He emphasizes the unique capabilities of this sitar itself while drawing upon numerous musical influences easily recognizable to a knowing ear. He has achieved success in not only preserving tradition, but also pushing its boundaries to even greater heights of aesthetic beauty.

Shahid Parvez Khan represents the seventh generation of the sitar’s first family, the Etawah Gharana. A very young Shahid Parvez was initiated into the rich traditions of the Gharana by his father and guru, Ustad Aziz Khan - the famous musician and son of legendary sitar and surbahar virtuoso Ustad Waheed Khan. His family has produced the most revered and influential figures in Hindustani Classical Music including Ustad Sahabdad Khan, Ustad Imdad Khan, Ustad Enayet Khan, and Ustad Vilayat Khan.

Samir Chatterjee

Samir Chatterjee is a virtuoso Tabla player from India. He travels widely across the world throughout the year performing in numerous festivals as a soloist or with other outstanding musicians from both Indian and non-Indian musical traditions. Samir performed at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo, Norway in 2007. He also performed a few times at the United Nations General Assembly. His compositions are widely acclaimed as well as his writings. Samir is a firm believer in the transforming effect of music on the society and all aspects of his work reflects this conviction.

Samir began his studies early with Pandit Bankim Ghosh, Pt. Balaram Mukherjee, Pt. Rathin Dhar and Mohammad Salim. His later formation as a musician occurred under the guidance of Pt. Amalesh Chatterjee (since 1966) and Pt. Shyamal Bose (since 1984). All of Samir's teachers have been from the Farrukhabad Gharana (school) of Tabla-playing, which he now represents.

Samir is rated ‘A’ as an artiste of Indian national radio and television. He can be heard on numerous recordings featuring as soloist, accompanying many of India's greatest musicians and in collaboration with western musicians of outstanding caliber. In concert Samir has accompanied many of India's greatest musicians including Pt. Ravi Shankar, Ud. Vilayat Khan, Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, Pt. Jasraj, Pt. Nikhil Banerjee, Pt. V.G. Jog, Pt. Shivkumar Sharma, Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, M. S. Gopalakrishnan, Ud. Amjad Ali Khan, Ud. Salamat Ali Khan, Smt. Lakshmi Shankar, Pt. Manilal Nag, Ud. Ali Ahmed Hussain, Ud. Aashis Khan, Dr. L. Subramanium, U Srinivas, Ud. Naseeruddin Sami, Smt. Veena Sahashrabuddhe, Ud. Shujat Khan, Ud. Saheed Parvez, Pt. Ajoy Chakraborty, Ud. Nishat Khan, Ud. Rashid Khan, Pt. Tejendra N. Mazumdar, Pt. Debashish Bhattacharya, Smt. Arti Anklekar, Smt. Kaushiki Chakraborty, to name only a few.

Samir Chatterjee lives in the New York-New Jersey area, and has been a catalyst in the fusion of Indian and Non-Indian music, in his own creations and others as well. He performs with Pauline Oliveros, William Parker, Branford Marsalis, Ravi Coltrane, Joshua Bell, Yoko Ono Lenon, David Liebman, Oliver Lake, Dave Douglas, Ned Rothenberg, Mark Dresser, Mark Feldman, Jerome Harris, Eric Friedlander, Steve Gorn, Glen Velez, Boby Sanabria, Jin Hi Kim, Min Xiao-Fen, Dance Theater of Harlem, Boston Philharmonic, Minnesota Orchestra, Ethos Percussion group, Da Capo Chamber Orchestra, Boston Musica Viva and other jazz, classical and avant guard musicians and ensembles. He also collaborates with Sufi-Rock singer Salman Ahmad of Junoon from Pakistan. He is the composer and director of Indo-Flame – a blend of Indian and Flamenco dance and music, Chhand-Anand - a world percussion ensemble, RabiThakur – a ballet on the life of Tagore, Meghadootam – a feature program of music and dance on an ancient Indian poem, and Dawn to Dusk and Beyond – on the effect of music on humans and nature. He performs with Sanjay Mishra on his CD "Blue Incantation" featuring Jerry Garcia as guest artist.

Samir Chatterjee has been teaching for the last 35 years and many of his students are established performers. He is the Founder-Director of CHHANDAYAN, an organization dedicated to promoting and preserving Indian music and culture. He has authored a comprehensive 654-page book entitled A Study of Tabla, a guide book to Indian music titled Music of India and Those Forty Days, a journal of an austere practice regimen. He is on the faculty at Manhattan School of Music, University of Pittsburgh and New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. He also taught at the Yale University, Columbia University, New York University and Princeton University, among many other major institutions in the USA, Europe and India. He also contributes to several newspapers and periodicals. He won gold medal for his proficiency in a musical examination and has two Master degrees, in English and History.

Vocal - Ashwini Bhide Despande
Tabla -  Suryaksha Deshpande
Harmonium - Kedar Naphade

Ashwini Bhide Despande

Ashwini Bhide Deshpande, an outstanding vocalist of the famed “Jaipur-Atrauli” Khayal Gayaki tradition, represents the new generation of veterans worthy of wearing the mantle of the old masters.
Born in a musical family, Ashwini completed “Sangeet Visharad” of the “Gandharva Mahavidyalaya” at the young age of 16 and won the President’s Gold Medal at the All India Radio Music Competition in 1977. After grasping the rudiments of Hindustani Classical music under the late Pt. Narayanrao Datar, she began imbibing all the traditional aspects of stylized Jaipur Gayaki under the strict tutelage of her mother, mentor and Guru, Smt. Manik Bhide.
Thoroughly grounded in the Jaipur Atrauli Khayal Gayaki tradition, Ashwini has developed into an artiste of immense public acclaim earning high praise from discerning critics and music lovers all over the globe. Ashwini’s musicianship is characterized by a blend of tonal sweetness coupled with vitality and emotion and raga structure-architecture. Her raga delineation shows an unerring grasp over the grammar of the raga yet maintaining a soulfulness in her singing. Through this she has succeeded in building up her own loyal audience. She yearns to explore the pathos of rare and complex (“achchop”) ragas characteristic of her Gharana. In this effort she has received invaluable guidance from her Guru the late Pt. Ratnakar Pai, a senior stalwart of the Gharana. This, and of course, her mother’s unstinted support, added to her own mature introspection lead Ashwini to new horizons of the ever-expanding terrain of Hindustani Classical Music.
Although a classicist by temperament and training, Ashwini is equally at ease with lighter varieties like Thumri-Dadra and Bhajans/Abhangs. Add to this, her fluency in Sanskrit enriches her repertoire further by inclusion of stotras/stutis. Ashwini has added to her devotional repertoire by scoring the music herself of many of her devotional presentations.
Ashwini’s debut recording album was released in 1985 by HMV and several more have followed thereafter under various banners including Rhythm House, Times Music, Sony Music, Music Today, Navras Records and Universal Music among others.
In October 2004 Ashwini published a book "Ragarachananjali" of her self-composed bandishes. The book has received rave reviews all over the music world and the effort has been lauded for its musical creativity and artistic presentation. Continuing her creative effort she has followed up with "Ragarachananjali 2", her second book of bandishes in October 2010.
Ashwini has traveled extensively all over the globe participating in various prestigious music conferences and Sangeet Sammelans. Her live concerts have been acclaimed for the sheer presentation delight, as much as for the aesthetic and musical quality. A 'top grade' artiste of Akashwani and Doordarshan, Ashwini has featured in several national programmes and AIR Sangeet Sammelans.
As a teacher of competence, Ashwini devotes quality time to her promising disciples assuring continuity of the rich tradition of the Jaipur Gayaki. Ashwini has regularly participated in lecture-demonstrations on Hindustani Classical Music in various schools, colleges and sangeet sabhas and contributes to the enlightenment of the unexposed audiences in India and abroad.
Ashwini's contribution to Hindustani classical vocal music has been acknowledged by way of awards and citations. In June 2015, she was declared the recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademy Award for 2014. She was the first female Hindustani vocalist to have been decorated with the prestigious "Rashtriya Kumar Gandharva Samman" in 2005 by the Government of Madhya Pradesh. She was a recipient of the Government of Maharashtra “Sanskritik Puraskar” for 2011 and the Sahyadri Doordarshan “Sangeet Ratna” Puraskar for 2010. She was awarded the first “Ganatapaswini Mogubai Kurdikar Samman” in 2014 and the Bangalore Kidney Foundation’s “Pandit Mallikarjun Mansoor Award” in 2013. She was honoured with the "Pandit Jasraj Gaurav Puraskar" on the occasion of the 75th birthday celebrations of the Maestro.
Ashwini, who is currently stationed in Mumbai, finally chose music as her first love forsaking a career in Biochemistry but not before completing her doctorate at the esteemed Bhabha Atomic Research Centre/ University of Mumbai.

Suryaksha Deshpande

Suryaksha Deshpande is fortunate enough to have a good Literary and Musical heritage. His father Shri. Prakash Deshpande is a retired Professor of English and an eminent writer and critic in Marathi and his mother Prof. Hema Deshpande herself is a vocalist. disciple of Pt. Babanrao Haldankar (veteran of Agra Gharana).

He has taken tremendous efforts in balancing his academic career and Tabla training. 1977 born Science Graduate, Suryaksha is a disciple of renowed scholar and performer Pt. Arvind Mulgaonkar of Farrukhabad Gharana (senior disciple of Ustad Amir Hussain Khan Sahab). He has also received training of "Delhi Baaz" from Pt. Sudhir Mainkar - a great Musicologist - disciple of Inam Ali Khan Sahab of Delhi Gharana. He has achieved excellence in competitions held by reputed organizations through out the country & was also felicitated with the prestigious Pt. V.D.Paluskar Award.

He has secured First Rank all over India in Tabla Alankar (Masters Degree) Exam held by Akhil Bhartiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya. He is also a recipient of the prestigious National scholarship awarded by the Dept. of Culture. Govt. of India

He is an 'A' Grade artiste of All India Radio and Doordarshan.

He is a recipient of the Fellowship for Junior Artist by The Dept. of Culture, India.

He has accompanied many great artist like Padmabhushan Dr. N. Rajam (Violin), Padmashree Pt. D.K. Datar (Violin), Padmashree Pt. Satish Vyas (santoor), Pt. Brij Narayan (Sarod), Pt. Ulhas Bapat (Santoor), Smt. Ashwini Bhide-Deshpande (vocal), Shri. Jayateerth Mevundi (vocal), in India and abroad. He has performed with South Indian musicians like Shri. Sriram Parshuram (vocal), Shri. Sridhar Parthsarathy (Mridangam) etc. He has also played in many Talwadya Kachaheri concerts. He conceived the concept of Tabla and Dholaki (a folk percussion) being played together for the first time on stage with his Gurubhai Krishna Musalye-Ghotkar.

He had an opportunity to accompany Ghazal maestro U. Ghulam Ali in New Jersey.

He has successfully conducted many workshops & lecture demonstrations.

A blend of the Traditional Tabla of Farrukabaad Gharana, the expansion process of Delhi Gharana and influence of Laghu is clearly observed in his Tabla. A thoughtful and robust solo, a balanced accompaniment to Vocal Music and an appropriate accompaniment to instrumental music are some of his specialties.

Suryaksha is the owner and founder of Anubhooti school of Indian Classical Music.

Kedar Naphade

Born on January 10, 1972, Kedar Naphade received preliminary training in Hindustani Classical Music from his grandfather, Shri Dadasaheb Naphade and from Shri Arvind Gajendragadkar.

Since he was 10 years of age, Kedar has had the great good fortune of training under the loving and expert guidance of Pt. Tulsidas Borkar, one of the topmost harmonium players in India today. Under his nurturing guidance, Kedar has imbibed the unique style of solo harmonium performance developed by Pt. Borkarji’s guru, Madhukar Pednekar or P. Madhukar.  P. Madhukar was a genius with tremendous mastery over the instrument that is to date unsurpassed. His glorious tradition, which utilizes the strengths of the harmonium to the extreme, is presented to the connoisseur today by his stalwart disciples like Pt. Tulsidas Borkar and Pt. Anant Kemkar and the next generation of disciples consisting of Sudhir Nayak, Seema Mestri-Shirodkar, Kedar Naphade and others.   

Kedar has also had the privilege of training under 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, 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, especially of the Gwalior  and Jaipur gharanas. 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, Lincoln Center, Symphony Space etc. He has accompanied artists of high caliber such as his guru Smt. Padmavati Shaligram-Gokhale, Pt. Phiroz Dastur, Pt. Jasraj, Smt. Veena Sahasrabuddhe, Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar, Smt. Laxmi Shankar and others. Kedar continues to train from Pt. Tulsidas Borkar and maintains an active concert schedule in the U.S.

This performance is partially sponsored by
APCA
(Advancement and Promotion of Charitable Activities),

Sarangi - Kamal Sabri

Tabla - Monir Hussain

Kamal Sabri

Sarangi Maestro Kamal Sabri is the son of Sarangi Legend Ustad Sabri Khan and is carrying forward the rich legacy of the Sania Gharana of Moradabad.  Kamal is the seventh generation of a distinguished family of tradition musicians. He was initiated and trained by his father in the style of the Sania Gharana of Rampur, Moradabad starting at the tender age of 5. Very soon this child prodigy made waves in the musical world with his talent. His musical brilliance and talent as a seasoned accompanist gained immense popularity amongst eminent classical vocalists.

Now an "A" Graded Artist of All India Radio, Kamal is a regular performer on All India Radio and Indian National Television. He has appeared in many Radio Sangeet Sammelans and National Programmes of Music. He has won several awards including 'The Best Instrumentalist'(2000), Surmani'(2001), Sangeet Bhushan Award(2002),'The Young Maestro Award' (1999) conferred by the Indo-Sri Lankan Cultural Council and the 'Young Ustad Khitab (Title) (2005) at the Prestigious Harballabh Music Festival.
Kamal has many other achievements to his credit, including, the privilege to be the youngest Indian musician to participate in "Les 24 heures du raga" (the 24 hours Millennium concert) in Paris, France. He made a record of sorts in that Festival by playing 9 concerts with the all the vocalists, leaving the audience spellbound.  Kamal was invited several times to showcase his musical skills by the BBC, Radio France, Radio Pakistan, Radio Switzerland, Radio Italy, Radio Barbados, Finnish Broadcasting Company, and NRK Norway.

Today he is well known in the International cultural scene. While honing his skills in the traditional style of music, he has also adapted to the changing musical scenario and is constantly trying to set new trends and standards within his tradition. He has worked with renowned musicians like Zakir Hussain, Fateh Ali Khan, Hossam Ramzy, Ricky Niles from Barbados (West Indies), Jukka Tolonen from Finland, the Rondo Vienna Orchestra from Austria.  He performed with Jan Garbarek for the King of Norway.  Kamal has recorded his genre of music for famous Bands like Massive Attack, One Giant Leap, also for Hollywood and Bollywood films.  This multifaceted musician is also a composer, who has delivered powerfully ambient scores for documentary films, such as The Big Question featuring Mel Gibson and Monica Bellucci, Bollywood Boulevard, Mystics of Sufism for BBC, and Red Cross, Mother Teresa. Kamal has also composed music for several albums and orchestras like Dance of the Desert, the Sabri Ensemble, Sarangi Funk, Ellam Anggekkai (South Indian Album), Tera Naam, the Indian Contemporary Music Orchestra, and the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, to name a few.  Kamal continues to explore the vast realm of the music world yet retaining the purity of the Indian Classical Music thorough the strains of his Sarangi.

Monir Hossain

Monir Hossain has established himself as a dynamic tabla performer both as a solo and as an able accompanist with numerous prestigious performances to his credit.
He was born in a musical family, son of ustad Hafiz Hossain and grandson of late ustad Kader Bux of Murshidabad, West Bengal. He is a senior disciple of Tabla Maestro Pandit Samar Saha.  

Some of his notable performances were with Sarod Maestro Pt. Budhadev Das Gupta, Legendary (Late) Ustad Vilayet Khan, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, Pt. Budhaditya Mukherjee, Pandit Debashish Bhattacharya, Lakshmi Shankar, Ustad Fateh Ali khan, Pandit Rajiv Taranath, recently with sitar Maestro Ustad Shahid Parvez and numerous other musicians.

Some of the major venues at which he has played include the Smithsonian Institution, Washington Conservatory of Music (WCM), Toranto Public Library, Colombia University, University of Alabama, Statson University, University of Maryland (UMBC) and numerous other prestigious venues.   Monir also performed tabla solo in Berhampore, West Bengal, India on the occassion of his Grandfather (Late) Ustad Kader Buksh's birthday. Some of the noteworthy vocal performers from Pakistan and Bangladesh that he has performed with include Pakistan's Pop sensation Alamgir,  Shahanaj Rahmatullah, Sabiha Mahboob and Fatema Tuz-zuhrah among many others.  

Sahnai - Hassan Haider

Tabla - Samir Chatterjee

Hassan Haider

Hassan Haider is an acknowledged Sahnai player. His family hails from Allahabad, and he was born in Kolkata (Calcutta) on April 6th 1985. His father Ud. Ali Ahmed Hussain was a famous Sahnai maestro. His family has been representing this art form for generations.

Hassan Haider received his training in Benaras and Senia Gharanas from his father. He also learned from Pt. Arvind Parikh, the famous sitar maestro from school of Ud. Imdad Khan, Ud. Enayat Khan and Ud. Vilayat Khan. Hassan’s great grandfather Ud. Wazir Ali Khan was a musician of distinction. He was the first musician to ever perform the Shahnai at the Buckingham Palace in London, England in 1910 and was awarded by Pt. Motilal Nehru, the father of India’s first Prime Minister Jawharlal Nehru.

Even at this young age, Hassan Haider has already performed at many important music festivals, venues and occasions in India, such as The Autumn Festival of Dance and Music in celebration of India’s 50th year of independence, Dover Lane Music Festival in Kolkata, Harballav Festival in Jalandhar, Uttarpara Sangeet Chakra in West Bengal, Sri Ram Shankarlal Festival in Delhi, Ud. Alauddin Khan Academy in Bhopal, Sangeet Natak Academy in Pune, only to name a few. All of his performances have been well reviewed in newspapers and magazines.

He had toured and performed with his father in several countries outside India. Those include the USA, Canada, U.K., France, Switzerland and Belgium. He is regularly featured on Indian radio and television.       

Samir Chatterjee

Samir Chatterjee is a virtuoso Tabla player from India. He travels widely across the world throughout the year performing in numerous festivals as a soloist or with other outstanding musicians from both Indian and non-Indian musical traditions. Samir performed at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo, Norway in 2007. He also performed a few times at the United Nations General Assembly. His compositions are widely acclaimed as well as his writings. Samir is a firm believer in the transforming effect of music on the society and all aspects of his work reflects this conviction.    

Samir Chatterjee began his studies early with Pandit Bankim Ghosh, Pt. Balaram Mukherjee, Pt. Rathin Dhar and Mohammad Salim. His later formation as a musician occurred under the guidance of Pt. Amalesh Chatterjee (since 1966) and Pt. Shyamal Bose (since 1984). All of Samir's teachers have been from the Farrukhabad Gharana (school) of Tabla-playing, which he now represents.
          
Samir is rated ‘A’ as an artiste of Indian national radio and television. He can be heard on numerous recordings featuring as soloist, accompanying many of India's greatest musicians and in collaboration with western musicians of outstanding caliber. In concert Samir has accompanied many of India's greatest musicians including Pt. Ravi Shankar, Ud. Vilayat Khan, Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, Pt. Jasraj, Pt. Nikhil Banerjee, Pt. V.G. Jog, Pt . Shivkumar Sharma, Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, M. S. Gopalakrishnan, Ud. Amjad Ali Khan, Ud. Salamat Ali Khan, Smt. Lakshmi Shankar, Ud. Aashis Khan, Dr. L. Subramanium, Ud. Shujat Khan, Pt. Ajoy Chakraborty, Ud. Rashid Khan, Pt. Tejendra N. Mazumdar, Pt. Debashish Bhattacharya, to name only a few.
          
Samir Chatterjee lives in the New York-New Jersey area, and has been a catalyst in the fusion of Indian and Non-Indian music, in his own creations and others as well. He performs with Pauline Oliveros, William Parker, Branford Marsalis, Ravi Coltrane, Dave Douglas, Steve Gorn, Glen Velez, Boby Sanabria, Ben Verdery, Dance Theater of Harlem, Boston Philharmonic, Minnesota Orchestra, Ethos Percussion group, Da Capo Chamber Orchestra, Boston Musica Viva and other jazz, classical and avant guard musicians and ensembles. He is member of jazz trio SYNC with Ned Rothenberg and Jerome Harris and quintet Inner Diaspora together with Mark Feldman and Eric Friedlander. He also collaborates with Sufi-Rock singer Salman Ahmad of Junoon from Pakistan. He is also the composer and director of Indo-Flame and Nacho Nacho - both blends of Indian and Flamenco dance and music, Chhand-Anand - a world percussion ensemble and Dawn to Dusk and Beyond – on the effect of music on humans and nature. He performs with Sanjay Mishra on his CD "Blue Incantation" featuring Jerry Garcia as guest artist.
          
Samir Chatterjee has been teaching for the last 35 years and many of his students are established performers. He is the Founder-Director of CHHANDAYAN, an organization dedicated to promoting and preserving Indian music and culture. He has authored a comprehensive 654-page book entitled ‘A Study of Tabla’ and a guide book to Indian music titled ‘Music of India’. He is on the faculty at Yale University, Manhattan School of Music, University of Pittsburgh, New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music and University of Bridgeport in CT. He also contributes to several newspapers and periodicals. He won gold medal for his proficiency in a musical examination and has two master degrees, in English and History.

Since June, 2008 Samir has been working relentlessly towards the musical revival of Afghanistan. He has made several trips to the country working with different levels of the society and administration and within a very short period of time he has been able to make a remarkable difference in the cultural life of the country.

Vocal - Brajeswar Mukherjee

Tabla - Samir Chatterjee

Harmonium - Gourab Chatterjee

Brajeswar Mukherjee

Brajeswar Mukherjee is one of the most promising young vocalists performing Hindustani Classical Music.  Born into a musical family, he started learning from his parents at the early age of four.  He also studied with Sri Asit Roy of the Vishnupur Gharana.  From the late 1990s he has been a disciple of the internationally acclaimed artiste Guru Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty.  Brajeswar has found popularity with lovers of Indian classical music and Bengali raga based songs through his radio programs, live performances, and published albums.

His is the recipient of many awards and honours, including the ‘Dhananjay Smriti Puraskar’ from Calcutta University, the ‘Shrutinandan Puraskar’ from the Shrutinandan Institute (founded by his guru Pt. Ajoy Chakrabarty), the ‘Gaan Vardhan’ from Pune, and the ‘Ustad Bismallah Khan’ Award from the Sangeet Natak Academy in 2016. He is currently a Musician Tutor of the ITC Sangeet Research Academy and also a regular artiste of All India Radio. 

He has been touring throughout the world over the last ten years and has performed with his guru, with the Carnatic vocalist Dr. M. Balmuralikrishna, and also as a solo artist.

Samir Chatterjee

Samir Chatterjee is a virtuoso Tabla player from India. He travels widely across the world throughout the year performing in numerous festivals as a soloist or with other outstanding musicians from both Indian and non-Indian musical traditions. Samir performed at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo, Norway in 2007. He also performed a few times at the United Nations General Assembly. His compositions are widely acclaimed as well as his writings. Samir is a firm believer in the transforming effect of music on the society and all aspects of his work reflects this conviction.    

Samir Chatterjee began his studies early with Pandit Bankim Ghosh, Pt. Balaram Mukherjee, Pt. Rathin Dhar and Mohammad Salim. His later formation as a musician occurred under the guidance of Pt. Amalesh Chatterjee (since 1966) and Pt. Shyamal Bose (since 1984). All of Samir's teachers have been from the Farrukhabad Gharana (school) of Tabla-playing, which he now represents.
          
Samir is rated ‘A’ as an artiste of Indian national radio and television. He can be heard on numerous recordings featuring as soloist, accompanying many of India's greatest musicians and in collaboration with western musicians of outstanding caliber. In concert Samir has accompanied many of India's greatest musicians including Pt. Ravi Shankar, Ud. Vilayat Khan, Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, Pt. Jasraj, Pt. Nikhil Banerjee, Pt. V.G. Jog, Pt . Shivkumar Sharma, Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, M. S. Gopalakrishnan, Ud. Amjad Ali Khan, Ud. Salamat Ali Khan, Smt. Lakshmi Shankar, Ud. Aashis Khan, Dr. L. Subramanium, Ud. Shujat Khan, Pt. Ajoy Chakraborty, Ud. Rashid Khan, Pt. Tejendra N. Mazumdar, Pt. Debashish Bhattacharya, to name only a few.
          
Samir Chatterjee lives in the New York-New Jersey area, and has been a catalyst in the fusion of Indian and Non-Indian music, in his own creations and others as well. He performs with Pauline Oliveros, William Parker, Branford Marsalis, Ravi Coltrane, Dave Douglas, Steve Gorn, Glen Velez, Boby Sanabria, Ben Verdery, Dance Theater of Harlem, Boston Philharmonic, Minnesota Orchestra, Ethos Percussion group, Da Capo Chamber Orchestra, Boston Musica Viva and other jazz, classical and avant guard musicians and ensembles. He is member of jazz trio SYNC with Ned Rothenberg and Jerome Harris and quintet Inner Diaspora together with Mark Feldman and Eric Friedlander. He also collaborates with Sufi-Rock singer Salman Ahmad of Junoon from Pakistan. He is also the composer and director of Indo-Flame and Nacho Nacho - both blends of Indian and Flamenco dance and music, Chhand-Anand - a world percussion ensemble and Dawn to Dusk and Beyond – on the effect of music on humans and nature. He performs with Sanjay Mishra on his CD "Blue Incantation" featuring Jerry Garcia as guest artist.
          
Samir Chatterjee has been teaching for the last 35 years and many of his students are established performers. He is the Founder-Director of CHHANDAYAN, an organization dedicated to promoting and preserving Indian music and culture. He has authored a comprehensive 654-page book entitled ‘A Study of Tabla’ and a guide book to Indian music titled ‘Music of India’. He is on the faculty at Yale University, Manhattan School of Music, University of Pittsburgh, New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music and University of Bridgeport in CT. He also contributes to several newspapers and periodicals. He won gold medal for his proficiency in a musical examination and has two master degrees, in English and History.

 Since June, 2008 Samir has been working relentlessly towards the musical revival of Afghanistan. He has made several trips to the country working with different levels of the society and administration and within a very short period of time he has been able to make a remarkable difference in the cultural life of the country.

Gourab Chatterjee

Gourab Chatterjee was introduced to Hindustani vocal music at the tender age of five by his mother, Shrimati Ajanta Chatterjee.  After her demise he received training under Sri Jainul Abedin.  As a student at the Academy he trained under Pdt. Sree Sunil Bose, a veteran Agra Gharana Guru of the Academy.  Later he became a Scholar of ITC, Sangeet Research Academy, under the tutelage of Guru Pdt. Sri Arun Bhaduri.  He completed his training as a scholar in 2007. Gourab has participated in various programmees throughout India and the world.

Apart from being a vocalist, he is also a well known harmonium accompanist.  He has accompanied many famous musicians including Pdt. Arun Bhaduri, Pdt. Ajoy Chakraborty, Ustad Rashid Khan, Bidushi Girija Devi, and many others.

Vocal - Brajeswar Mukherjee

Tabla - Samir Chatterjee

Harmonium - Gourab Chatterjee

Brajeswar Mukherjee

Brajeswar Mukherjee is one of the most promising young vocalists performing Hindustani Classical Music.  Born into a musical family, he started learning from his parents at the early age of four.  He also studied with Sri Asit Roy of the Vishnupur Gharana.  From the late 1990s he has been a disciple of the internationally acclaimed artiste Guru Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty.  Brajeswar has found popularity with lovers of Indian classical music and Bengali raga based songs through his radio programs, live performances, and published albums.

His is the recipient of many awards and honours, including the ‘Dhananjay Smriti Puraskar’ from Calcutta University, the ‘Shrutinandan Puraskar’ from the Shrutinandan Institute (founded by his guru Pt. Ajoy Chakrabarty), the ‘Gaan Vardhan’ from Pune, and the ‘Ustad Bismallah Khan’ Award from the Sangeet Natak Academy in 2016. He is currently a Musician Tutor of the ITC Sangeet Research Academy and also a regular artiste of All India Radio. 

He has been touring throughout the world over the last ten years and has performed with his guru, with the Carnatic vocalist Dr. M. Balmuralikrishna, and also as a solo artist.

Samir Chatterjee

Samir Chatterjee is a virtuoso Tabla player from India. He travels widely across the world throughout the year performing in numerous festivals as a soloist or with other outstanding musicians from both Indian and non-Indian musical traditions. Samir performed at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo, Norway in 2007. He also performed a few times at the United Nations General Assembly. His compositions are widely acclaimed as well as his writings. Samir is a firm believer in the transforming effect of music on the society and all aspects of his work reflects this conviction.    

Samir Chatterjee began his studies early with Pandit Bankim Ghosh, Pt. Balaram Mukherjee, Pt. Rathin Dhar and Mohammad Salim. His later formation as a musician occurred under the guidance of Pt. Amalesh Chatterjee (since 1966) and Pt. Shyamal Bose (since 1984). All of Samir's teachers have been from the Farrukhabad Gharana (school) of Tabla-playing, which he now represents.
          
Samir is rated ‘A’ as an artiste of Indian national radio and television. He can be heard on numerous recordings featuring as soloist, accompanying many of India's greatest musicians and in collaboration with western musicians of outstanding caliber. In concert Samir has accompanied many of India's greatest musicians including Pt. Ravi Shankar, Ud. Vilayat Khan, Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, Pt. Jasraj, Pt. Nikhil Banerjee, Pt. V.G. Jog, Pt . Shivkumar Sharma, Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, M. S. Gopalakrishnan, Ud. Amjad Ali Khan, Ud. Salamat Ali Khan, Smt. Lakshmi Shankar, Ud. Aashis Khan, Dr. L. Subramanium, Ud. Shujat Khan, Pt. Ajoy Chakraborty, Ud. Rashid Khan, Pt. Tejendra N. Mazumdar, Pt. Debashish Bhattacharya, to name only a few.
          
Samir Chatterjee lives in the New York-New Jersey area, and has been a catalyst in the fusion of Indian and Non-Indian music, in his own creations and others as well. He performs with Pauline Oliveros, William Parker, Branford Marsalis, Ravi Coltrane, Dave Douglas, Steve Gorn, Glen Velez, Boby Sanabria, Ben Verdery, Dance Theater of Harlem, Boston Philharmonic, Minnesota Orchestra, Ethos Percussion group, Da Capo Chamber Orchestra, Boston Musica Viva and other jazz, classical and avant guard musicians and ensembles. He is member of jazz trio SYNC with Ned Rothenberg and Jerome Harris and quintet Inner Diaspora together with Mark Feldman and Eric Friedlander. He also collaborates with Sufi-Rock singer Salman Ahmad of Junoon from Pakistan. He is also the composer and director of Indo-Flame and Nacho Nacho - both blends of Indian and Flamenco dance and music, Chhand-Anand - a world percussion ensemble and Dawn to Dusk and Beyond – on the effect of music on humans and nature. He performs with Sanjay Mishra on his CD "Blue Incantation" featuring Jerry Garcia as guest artist.
          
Samir Chatterjee has been teaching for the last 35 years and many of his students are established performers. He is the Founder-Director of CHHANDAYAN, an organization dedicated to promoting and preserving Indian music and culture. He has authored a comprehensive 654-page book entitled ‘A Study of Tabla’ and a guide book to Indian music titled ‘Music of India’. He is on the faculty at Yale University, Manhattan School of Music, University of Pittsburgh, New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music and University of Bridgeport in CT. He also contributes to several newspapers and periodicals. He won gold medal for his proficiency in a musical examination and has two master degrees, in English and History.

 Since June, 2008 Samir has been working relentlessly towards the musical revival of Afghanistan. He has made several trips to the country working with different levels of the society and administration and within a very short period of time he has been able to make a remarkable difference in the cultural life of the country.

Gourab Chatterjee

Gourab Chatterjee was introduced to Hindustani vocal music at the tender age of five by his mother, Shrimati Ajanta Chatterjee.  After her demise he received training under Sri Jainul Abedin.  As a student at the Academy he trained under Pdt. Sree Sunil Bose, a veteran Agra Gharana Guru of the Academy.  Later he became a Scholar of ITC, Sangeet Research Academy, under the tutelage of Guru Pdt. Sri Arun Bhaduri.  He completed his training as a scholar in 2007. Gourab has participated in various programmees throughout India and the world.

Apart from being a vocalist, he is also a well known harmonium accompanist.  He has accompanied many famous musicians including Pdt. Arun Bhaduri, Pdt. Ajoy Chakraborty, Ustad Rashid Khan, Bidushi Girija Devi, and many others.