Santoor - Vinay Desai
Tabla - Mir Naqibul Islam
It is believed that the Santoor came to India from Persia. And, there is also a parallel belief that there Santoor is an ancient Indian instrument and it used to be called Shatatantri Veena, a type of Veena with a hundred strings. In the structure, sound and playing technique, Santoor resembles a few other instruments, such as the Kanun, hammer dulcimer, etc.
In this concert we will get to get hear two talented musicians from upstate New York: Vinay Desai on santoor and Mir Naquibul Islam on tabla.
Initially, Vinay received knowledge in vocal/harmonium/tabla from Shafiq Rahman in his teens. After completing his college in both Pre-pharmaceutical science as well as Pre-Law in Delaware, Vinay sought out to learn Santoor in India. In 2011, with blessings and direct guidance of Padma Vibhushan Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, Vinay began his studies under Takahiro Arai. He later moved back to USA to learn from Kunal Gunjal. To expand his knowledge in music, Vinay has learnt from different Maestros such as Parthasarathi Chatterjee, Jay Gandhiji, Suryaksha Deshpandejii.
Vinay learnt from Pandit Shivkumar Sharma until his passing. Vinay resides in Shanti Mandir, a beautiful Ashram located in Walden, NY.
This concert will be in person at the Chhandayan Center and will also be streamed live.
Vinay Desai
Initially, Vinay received knowledge in vocal/harmonium/tabla from Shafiq Rahman in his teens. After completing his college in both Pre-pharmaceutical science as well as Pre-Law in Delaware, Vinay sought out to learn Santoor in India. In 2011, with blessings and direct guidance of Padma Vibhushan Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, Vinay began his studies under Takahiro Arai and Dhananjay Daithankar. He later moved back to USA to learn from Kunal Gunjal. To expand his knowledge in music, Vinay has learnt from different Maestros such as late Pandit Ramesh Mishraji, Parthasarathi Chatterjee, Jay Gandhiji, Suryaksha Deshpandejii, and sits with Maestros who come through Shanti Mandir for performances to expand his knowledge and receive the invaluable blessings of them all.
His music is influenced by his stay in Ashrams and ancient practices of meditation and yoga. His music is interwoven with the general feeling of peace and stillness interspersed with lively, powerful and rhythmic phrases. He currently resides at Shanti Mandir, Walden where he manages their spiritual centers around the world and continues his studies and performances of Santoor regularly.
Mir Naqibul Islam
An avid student of Tabla, Mir has trained in the traditional guru shisya style of Indian Classical music from Pt. Ashoke Paul, the disciple of the great tabla guru Pt. Jnan Prakash Ghosh. Now living and working in New York City, and a member of Brooklyn Raga Massive, he performs regularly with musicians from a wide variety of other genres, bringing tabla to Jazz, Middle-Eastern music and other contexts. Mir is developing a unique musical aesthetic bringing together the musical influences of traditional Farukhabad style tabla and 21st century New York.