Sanghamitra Chatterjee - Vocal
Dibyarka Chatterjee - Tabla
Xander Naylor - Guitar
Manoj Baruah - Violin
The Baithak concert series is dedicated to the fond memories of Mr. Chandrakant Rao.
Sanghamitra Chatterjee
Sanghamitra Chatterjee is one of the leading vocalists of India in the fields of light and light classical music. Gifted with a sweet and melodious voice Sanghamitra has chosen light music as her domain; this includes Adhunik (Bengali modern song), Rabindrasangeet(songs of Tagore), Nazrulgeet (songs of Nazrul), songs of Atul Prasad Sen, folk songs, Hindi Bhajans, film songs, Geet, Ghazals, etc..
She had her lessons in classical music from Pdt. Usharanjan Mukherjee and Sri Dashu Mukherjee. In light music her training has been under Sri Jatileshwar Mukherjee, Sri Ajoy Das,Sri Prasanta Chowdhury, Sri Nikhil Chatterjee and others. She is an upgraded artist of All India Radio and Indian Television. Her proficiency in Tagore songs has earned her a diploma, 'Sangit Sudhakar'.
Sanghamitra's singing is characterized by high aesthetic quality and technical brilliance. She does sensible scanning of the lyric with her original touches of embellishment to it. She adds a new dimension to the emotional contents of the songs through her highly sensitive presentation. Her voice is gifted with a quality that it touches you even before realize it. Much of her musical sensibilities have developed under the guidance of her illustrious husband, Samir Chatterjee, the famous Tabla maestro and musicologist.
Sanghamitra has performed as an individual as well as a group musician with Chhandayan, the Battery Dance Co. of NY, Kathak Ensemble of NY and at important venues like the Smithsonian Institute, Columbia University, American Museum of Natural History both in New York and Washington, Lotus Fine Arts Center, Kansas University,Poland, Bahamas, the whole of India and Sri Lanka. She also has featured in a CD with Jerry Garcia as the guest artist.
Dibyarka Chatterjee
Dibyarka Chatterjee is a young Tabla player from the Farrukhabad Gharana, and is the son and disciple of Pt. Samir Chatterjee. Having grown up in a musical environment, his natural inclination towards Tabla became apparent early in his childhood. At the age of five he was initiated by his father into the ancient system of pedagogy called the guru-shishya parampara (master-disciple tradition).
Dibyarka was born in Kolkata, where even in his childhood he was already performing in concerts as well as on Akaashbani Kolkata's Children's Section (National Radio - Kolkata Station). At the age of ten he moved to New York City with his family; since then he has continued to perform regularly with both Indian and Western music. Dibyarka has had the honor and privilege of performing with renowned musicians like Pandit Jasraj, Pdt. Budhhadev DasGupta, Pta. Lakshmi Shankar, Utd. Shujaat Khan, Pta. Joya Biswas, Utd. Mashkoor Ali Khan, Pdt. Ramesh Mishra, Pta. Shubhra Guha, Pta. Tripti Mukherjee, Pdt. Suman Ghosh to name only a few.
He has collaborated in world music projects with groups like the Dance Theater of Harlem (in 'South African Suite'), the Battery Dance Co. (in “Songs of Tagore”), and with fusion musician/composers like Salman Ahmad (Junoon), Douglas Cuomo, John McDowell (on the award-winning documentary “A Son’s Sacrifice”), Gary Lucas & Najma Akhtar (on their collaborative album "Rishte") etc. He has composed music for, and performed in, two off-Broadway theatrical productions (Nuraldeen's Lifetime & Lee/gendary). He has also performed in many prestigious venues like Carnegie Hall, the United Nations General Assembly, Lincoln Center & Asia Society in NYC, Place des Arts (Montreal), the Google Amphitheater (Palo Alto), Salt Lake Music Conference (Kolkata, India), Pratishruti Festival (Bhopal, India) etc. He has also appeared on numerous radio shows such as The Leonard Lopate Show and New Sounds on NPR, Raag Aur Taal on WKCR etc.
Dibyarka has a Masters in Fine Arts from Goddard College (VT). His academic pursuits are mainly focused on the history, theory, and philosophy of Indian Music. As a guest lecturer, Dibyarka has conducted classes and lecture demonstrations at numerous institutions such as Columbia University, Dartmouth College, New York University, Manhattan School of Music etc. He also teaches Tabla classes regularly at various institutions and locations in NY & NJ.
Xander Naylor
Since relocating to New York City, native son Xander Naylor has become increasingly known in experimental circles for ear-opening forays with his eponymous, free-jazz trio. On his solo debut, Notes, the son of noted Vermont secessionist Thomas Naylor applies a similarly unchained approach, fleshing out humble, cyclical instrumental sketches with both caution and whimsy. The result, while even less accessible than his previous trio work, is nonetheless fascinating, and it reveals a genuinely independent and curious mind.
Guitarist Xander Naylor is exploding onto the scene with his work as a solo artist, composer and leader of Xander Naylor Sound Machine. Spinning through a diverse set of scenes, he has found homes in free improv, indie rock, experimental jazz and, through his years of study with tabla maestro Samir Chatterjee, North Indian music. His latest solo album, Arc, creates a stimulating mash-up that is both startling and comforting in today's tumultuous world.
The Xander Naylor Sound Machine, built of guitar, sax, bass, and drum, employs modern technique in revolutionizing jazz and post-rock grooves. Naylor’s work uses myriad rhythmic influences that are threaded throughout to solidly bond the machine’s language of sound. Executed by an all-star group of musicians who perform all over the world, XNSM supplies a power surge of cohesive sound, allowing you to live fully in the moment and embrace what is possible.
Manoj Baruah
Manoj Baruah is one of most well known violinists in field of classical and folk music of India. He started learning violin at the age of 10 from his older brother Deepak Baruah. Since 1995 Manoj has been receiving guidance in classical music under the tutelage of violin maestra Prof. Sisirkona Dharchoudhury. Simultaneously, he completed a Master Degree from Rabindra Bharti University of Kolkata. Manoj is a regular performer on All India Radio and Doordashan TV, and has toured all over India. In 1997 he received a prestigious national scholarship awarded to him by the Govt. of India. Since 2004 he has been touring all over Europe for performances in U.K., Germany, France, Switzerland, Spain, Holland, Denmark, Italy and Belgium; this is his first tour of the US.