Sahana Banerjee - Sitar
Dibyarka Chatterjee - Tabla
Come join us at the Chhandayan Center for an evening concert of Sitar Music. The performance will also be streamed live.
Sahana Banerjee
Sahana Banerjee is one of the leading female sitar players of India belonging to Rampur Senia Gharana. Sahana was born in a family of rich musical heritage and was readily recognized as a child prodigy at an early age of four. Her father Prof. Santhosh Banerjee, a celebrated Sitar & Surbahar player of India and former Head of the Department of Instrumental Music of Rabindra Bharati University, in Calcutta. Prof. Banerjee was a disciple of famous Veenkar Ustad Md. Dabir Khan of Rampur Senia Gharana whose family lineage traces back to Mian Tansen himself. Sahana has also received extensive training on vocal music from her illustrious mother Mrs. Chhabi Banerjee, daughter of Sangeetacharya Kashinath Chattopadhyay of Rampur Sahaswan Gharana.
Sahana’s unique presentation reflects the traditional Veenkar Dhrupad Style of Rampur Senia Gharana maintaining the purity of Raga along with her own aesthetical blends of Gayaki. She is a recipient of the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar, (National Award) awarded by Sangeet Natak Academy, New Delhi. She is a Grade ‘A’ artist of All India Radio and National Television and has been giving recitals since 1995. Sahana is an empaneled artist of SPICMACAY, an organization for the preservation and promotion of India music and has given several concerts in different cities of India.
In 1990, she won the Pandit Nikhil Banerjee Challenge Trophy at the Dover Lane Music Conference and was conferred the Best Instrumentalist award. Apart from India, Sahana has extensively performed for prestigious festivals and Concerts in Europe, UK, USA, Australia, Middle East, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh & Morocco. Some of the major performaces are like Darbar Festival (London), Theatre De la Ville (Paris), Mawazine festival (Morocco), LearnQuest Festival (Boston), Bozar Fest (Belgium), Elb Philharmonie (Hamburg), Welthaus (Germany) …etc. Sahana has also performed in many occidental music festivals in collaboration with famous musicians of Europe, some of which were broadcasted by National Radios of France, Venice, Swiss Romande & Radio Klara (Belgium).
Dibyarka Chatterjee
Dibyarka Chatterjee is the son and disciple of Pandit Samir Chatterjee, and as such represents the Farrukhabad Gharana of tabla playing. He spent his childhood in India where he was already performing in concerts as well as on Akaashvani Kolkata (National Radio - Kolkata Station). Upon moving to New York City with his family he has continued to perform regularly with both Indian and Western music. Dibyarka has had the honor and privilege of performing and touring with maestros like Pandit Jasraj, Pdt. Budhhadev DasGupta, Pta. Lakshmi Shankar, Utd. Shujaat Khan to name only a few. He has collaborated in world music projects with groups like the Dance Theater of Harlem, the Battery Dance Co., and with fusion musicians/composers like Salman Ahmad (Junoon), Douglas Cuomo, Gary Lucas & Najma Akhtar amongst others. Dibyarka has a Masters in Fine Arts from Goddard College (VT). His academic pursuits mainly focused on the history, theory, and philosophy of Indian Classical Music, and in this he has received guidance from some of the most respected musicologists in India. As a guest lecturer Dibyarka regularly conducts classes and workshops at numerous institutions such as Columbia University, Dartmouth College, New York University, Manhattan School of Music, Ithaca College etc. He has been teaching tabla extensively in the NY & NJ area for more than a decade now, and is affiliated with many of the institutions that promote Indian Classical Music and Dance.