We invite you to join some accomplished Indian Music Artists for a discussion of the relationship between Indian Vocal and Instrumental Music
Abhik Mukherjee - Sitar
Partha Bose - Sitar
Samarth Nagarkar - Vocal
Abhik Mukherjee
Abhik Mukherjee is a Kolkata-born sitar player of the Etawah-Imdadkhani gharana. He was initiated to sitar at the age of six by his father, Sri Tarit Mukherjee, and Sri Bimal Chatterjee, while simultaneously receiving vocal instruction from Sri Kaylan Bose. He has since taken talim from Pandit Arvind Parikh and Pandit Kashinath Mukherjee, themselves disciples of the legendary Ustad Vilayat Khan. He is a gold medalist in musicology from Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata, and has also received a scholarship from the Ministry of Culture, India.
Abhik’s first public performance was at the age of nine at the Governor’s House, Kolkata. He has since performed in ten countries on four continents. Some memorable concerts include performances for the inauguration of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial (Washington D.C.); at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City); at the Indian Habitat Center (Delhi); on Doordarshan (Kolkata); and a summer tour of Italy, Germany, and Switzerland. Abhik currently lives in New York City and is a founding member of Brooklyn Raga Massive, an Indian classical music artists’ collective.
Partha Bose
Partha Bose is acknowledged as a rising star in the world of classical Indian music. Initiated to the Sitar at age 6, Partha went through intensive training in the truest traditions of Guru Shishya Parampara under the tutelage of Pandit Monoj Shankar of the Maihar Gharana. In academic pursuits too he showed flashes of talent and graduated in Economics from Presidency College, University of Calcutta. The young virtuoso first broadcast over All India Radio at the age of 11 and began performing in music festivals
and on television in his teens. Gradually the promising youngster blossomed into a mature musician – lauded by connoisseurs all over India as a leading instrumentalist of his generation, representing an imaginative synthesis of the musical heritage of Ravi Shankar and Nikhil Banerjee, coloured by his own creativity. Sterling performances
at prestigious venues in India, including Dover Lane Music Conference (Calcutta), India International Center (New Delhi), Maha Mrityunjay Mahotsav (Varanasi), further established Partha's reputation. Partha had the rare privilege of performing at the residence of Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Pandit Kishen Maharaj and Shrimati Girija Devi and being blessed by these living legends. International recognition followed, as audiences
in USA, Canada, Germany, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, UK, Austria, Italy, Holland, Madagaskar and Bangladesh were overwhelmed by Partha's unique blend of tradition and imagination and also his uncanny ability to communicate with listeners anywhere in the world.
The academic elite in some of the reputed universities of USA, Canada and Europe were witness to Partha's articulate expression in workshops and lecture demonstrations. Partha Bose was honoured by the Government of India when he was invited to lead a cultural delegation to African countries on the historic occasion of Golden Jubilee Celebrations of India's Independence.
Samarth Nagarkar
Samarth Nagarkar is known for his captivating performances of authentic, traditionally rich approach towards raga- exposition and gayaki. He is described by critics as one of today’s foremost torchbearers
of Indian classical vocal traditions.
After years of rigorous training under Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar, Samarth graduated as Grade A scholar of the ITC Sangeet Research Academy, Kolkata in 2009. Prior to this, he trained under Pt. Dinkar Kaikini in Mumbai. By virtue of this intense and extensive guru-shishya parampara training Samarth’s performance repertoire encompasses styles, ragas and compositions of three prominent gharanas – Gwalior, Agra and Jaipur.
Samarth has performed in several noted venues and concert platforms in India and the USA such as the ITC Sangeet Sammelan, Bangalore, Devnandan Ubhayakar Yuva Sangeet Utsav, Bangalore, Habitat Center, Delhi, N.C.P.A., Mumbai, The Ali Akbar College of Music, California, Basant Bahar, California and
Universities such as Stanford, Indiana, UT Southwestern, UPenn and PSU.
The most notable of the awards and accolades Samarth has received is the President’s Award for 1st prize in the All India Radio National Music Competition, 2000. The Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India awarded him a Fellowship in 2009.
A former head of K. K. Kapoor Sangeet Research Academy, Lucknow, Samarth is also known for his articulate and informative lecture-demonstrations and interactive workshops on Indian Music.
Currently based in New York Samarth is performing all over North America. He is only the faculty of reputed institutions such as Chhandayan Center for Indian Music.
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