Vinay Desai - Santoor
Vivek Pandya -Tabla
Come join us at the Chhandayan Center for a Sunday afternoon performance of Hindustani Instrumental Music on the sitar, performed by Vinay Desai and accompanied on tabla by Vivek Pandya. The performance will also be streamed live.
Vinay Desai
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.
Initially, Vinay received knowledge in vocal, harmonium and 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 the blessings and direct guidance of Padma Vibhushan Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, Vinay began his studies under Takahiro Arai. He later moved back to the USA to learn from Kunal Gunjal. To expand his knowledge in music, Vinay has learnt from different maestros such as Parthasarathi Chatterjee, Jay Gandhiji and Suryaksha Deshpande. Vinay learnt from Pandit Shivkumar Sharma until his passing. Vinay resides in Shanti Mandir, a beautiful Ashram located in Walden, NY. .
Vivek Pandya
Vivek has been regarded as a tabla prodigy who can carry the legacy of the maestros to date. Vivek belongs to a family of musicians. His father, Kalpit Pandya, and his uncle, Viral Pandya, learned Indian Classical Music, and they both used to practice at home regularly. Vivek was naturally inclined towards the tabla at the young age of three years due to early exposure to music from his family. Vivek’s uncle, Viral ji, slowly set his hand on the tabla. At age five, Vivek was accepted as a disciple of the world-renowned maestro Pandit Anindo Chatterjee. This journey has been continuing to date.
Vivek has accompanied renowned young artists and respected legendary musicians all around the globe. He has performed at several music festivals across India, such as Mumbai, Pune, Kolkotta, Bangalore, and Solapur, to name a few. Vivek has also performed across the USA in New York, New Jersey, Phoenix, Texas, Delaware, and more.
He has released two albums, one with santoor player Vinay Desai, called Chidaksha. He also featured in an album called 20 for 20, along with Inbal Segev, NY philharmonic member, Yale University, and Juilliard Grad.
Vivek has been awarded to conduct an extramural lecture series under MSU university in Baroda twice. To spread the legacy and culture of Indian Classical Music, Vivek has started to teach a few young students who will be the future of this great art.