2016 marked the Birth Centenary of two of the most influential Indian musicians of the 20th century, Ustad Bismillah Khan and M.S. Subbulakshmi. You are invited to attend a seminar on their life and work. The seminar will be divided into 3 sessions.
Ustad Bismillah Khan (21 March 1916 – 21 August 2006) (born as Amiruddin Khan), often referred to by the honorific title Ustad, was an Indian musician credited with popularizing the sahnai, a subcontinental wind instrument of the oboe class. While the sahnai had long held importance as a folk instrument played primarily during traditional ceremonies, Bismillah Khan is credited with elevating its status and bringing it to the concert stage. He was awarded India's highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna, in 2001, becoming the third classical musician after M. S. Subbulakshmi and Ravi Shankar to be accorded this distinction.
Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi (16 September 1916 – 11 December 2004), also known as M.S., was a Carnatic vocalist. She was the first musician ever to be awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honor. She is the first Indian musician to receive the Ramon Magsaysay award, often considered Asia's Nobel Prize, in 1974 with the citation reading "Exacting purists acknowledge Srimati M. S. Subbulakshmi as the leading exponent of classical and semi-classical songs in the Carnatic tradition of South India."
Morning Session: 11:00am - 1:30pm
Speakers: Dr. V. K. Viswanathan and Selvi Viswanathan, Kushal Das, Ramdas Palsule, Kiranavali Vidyasankar
Afternoon Session: 2:30pm-5:00pm
Speakers: Selvaganesh, Hidayat Khan, Kamini Dandapani, Roger Lipson
Evening Session: 6:00pm-8:30pm
Speakers: Arati Ankalekar–Tikekar, Vani Sateesh, M. K. Ramasubramanian, Nirmala Ramasubramanian, Ned Rothenberg
This program is partially sponsored by the:
