Kushal Das - Sitar

Samir Chatterjee - Tabla

Come join us for an evening sitar concert by renowned artist Kushal Das accompanied by Samir Chatterjee. The concert will be held at the Victor Borge Auditorium in the Scandinavian Center in downtown New York City.

Kushal Das

Kushal Das, a North Indian solo sitarist was born to a highly enriched musical family of Kolkata. His grandfather Late Shri Bimal Chandra Das was a renowned Esraj player and his father and uncle are both sitarists of high repute. His father Shri Sailen Das is a disciple of Pt. Lakshman Bhattacharya. Later he became a disciple of Pt. Ravi Shankar. His uncle Shri Santanu Das is a disciple of Late Ustad Ali Akbar Khan.

Kushal started his talim from the age of five under the guidance of his uncle and father. Later He received intensive and rigorous training in advanced sitar techniques and the art of creating music under the affectionate guidance of Prof. Sanjoy Bandopadhyay, a renowned sitar maestro and academician. Kushal is also proud for having the privilege of learning from great musicians like Late Pt. Ajoy Sinha Roy, vocal lessons from Pt. Manas Chakraborty (Kotali Gharana) and Late Pt. Ramkrishna Basu.

With a profound knowledge of music and raga improvisation Kushal is now considered to be one of the foremost torchbearers of the tradition of Indian Classical Instrumental Music. The critics and connoisseurs have acknowledged him as a worthy successor of his idol, the legendary maestro Late Pt. Nikhil Banerjee. His concerts are always marked for their aesthetic appeal and insight with a fine command of technical expertise. With maturity as his forte Kushal has the predominant virtue of Indian heritage and music. An A-rated musician of All India Radio and Television, he is a recipient of Sangeet Visharad from Pracheen Kala Kendra of Chandigarh and Suramani from Sur Singar Samsad of Mumbai.

Kushal has participated in most of the major concert festivals in India. His tours abroad since 1987, which includes USA, Canada, England, Scotland, Germany, France, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland and Bangladesh were marked with outstanding success and audience appreciation.s

Samir Chatterjee

Samir Chatterjee is a virtuoso Tabla player from India. He travels widely across the world throughout the year performing in numerous festivals as a soloist or with other outstanding musicians from both Indian and non-Indian musical traditions. Samir performed at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo, Norway in 2007. He also performed a few times at the United Nations General Assembly. His compositions are widely acclaimed as well as his writings. Samir is a firm believer in the transforming effect of music on the society and all aspects of his work reflects this conviction.

Chatterjee began his studies early with Pandit Bankim Ghosh, Pt. Balaram Mukherjee, Pt. Rathin Dhar and Mohammad Salim. His later formation as a musician occurred under the guidance of Pt. Amalesh Chatterjee (since 1966) and Pt. Shyamal Bose (since 1984). All of Samir's teachers have been from the Farrukhabad Gharana (school) of Tabla-playing, which he now represents.

Samir is rated ‘A’ as an artiste of Indian national radio and television. He can be heard on numerous recordings featuring as soloist, accompanying many of India's greatest musicians and in collaboration with western musicians of outstanding caliber. In concert Samir has accompanied many of India's greatest musicians including Pt. Ravi Shankar, Ud. Vilayat Khan, Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, Pt. Jasraj, Pt. Nikhil Banerjee, Pt. V.G. Jog, Pt. Shivkumar Sharma, Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, M. S. Gopalakrishnan, Ud. Amjad Ali Khan, Ud. Salamat Ali Khan, Smt. Lakshmi Shankar, Pt. Manilal Nag, Ud. Ali Ahmed Hussain, Ud. Aashis Khan, Dr. L. Subramanium, U Srinivas, Ud. Naseeruddin Sami, Smt. Veena Sahashrabuddhe, Ud. Shujat Khan, Ud. Saheed Parvez, Pt. Ajoy Chakraborty, Ud. Nishat Khan, Ud. Rashid Khan, Pt. Tejendra N. Mazumdar, Pt. Debashish Bhattacharya, Smt. Arti Anklekar, Smt. Kaushiki Chakraborty, to name only a few.

Samir Chatterjee lives in the New York-New Jersey area, and has been a catalyst in the fusion of Indian and Non-Indian music, in his own creations and others as well. He performs with Pauline Oliveros, William Parker, Branford Marsalis, Ravi Coltrane, Joshua Bell, Yoko Ono Lenon, David Liebman, Oliver Lake, Dave Douglas, Ned Rothenberg, Mark Dresser, Mark Feldman, Jerome Harris, Eric Friedlander, Steve Gorn, Glen Velez, Boby Sanabria, Jin Hi Kim, Min Xiao-Fen, Dance Theater of Harlem, Boston Philharmonic, Minnesota Orchestra, Ethos Percussion group, Da Capo Chamber Orchestra, Boston Musica Viva and other jazz, classical and avant guard musicians and ensembles. He also collaborates with Sufi-Rock singer Salman Ahmad of Junoon from Pakistan. He is the composer and director of Indo-Flame – a blend of Indian and Flamenco dance and music, Chhand-Anand - a world percussion ensemble, RabiThakur – a ballet on the life of Tagore, Meghadootam – a feature program of music and dance on an ancient Indian poem, and Dawn to Dusk and Beyond – on the effect of music on humans and nature. He performs with Sanjay Mishra on his CD "Blue Incantation" featuring Jerry Garcia as guest artist.

Samir Chatterjee has been teaching for the last 35 years and many of his students are established performers. He is the Founder-Director of CHHANDAYAN, an organization dedicated to promoting and preserving Indian music and culture. He has authored a comprehensive 654-page book entitled A Study of Tabla, a guide book to Indian music titled Music of India and Those Forty Days, a journal of an austere practice regimen. He is on the faculty at Manhattan School of Music, University of Pittsburgh and New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. He also taught at the Yale University, Columbia University, New York University and Princeton University, among many other major institutions in the USA, Europe and India. He also contributes to several newspapers and periodicals. He won gold medal for his proficiency in a musical examination and has two Master degrees, in English and History.

Suhail Yusuf Khan - Sarangi

Siddhartha Komaragiri, - Tabla

We are proud to present a Sarangi concert by the rising performer Suhail Yusuf Khan accompanied on tabla by Siddhartha Komaragiri.

Suhail Yusuf Khan

Suhail, a devoted Sarangi player has been hailed as a child prodigy in the world of Indian Classical music. Continuing in the family tradition, Suhail draws from a rich musical heritage and is an eighth generation Sarangi player. A descendant of the Moradabad-Rampur and Senia Gharana of MIYAAN TANSEN, he is the grandson of renowned Sarangi legend, Padmabhushan and Padmashree recipient, USTAD SABRI KHAN, and nephew of the Sarangi genius, USTAD KAMAL SABRI.

At the age of seven Suhail started learning to play the Sarangi under the tutelage of his uncle and Grandfather, in the ‘Guru-Shishya Parampara’ which is the Traditional Indian Schooling method of imparting of knowledge from the Guru “teacher” to the Shishya “student’ . Suhail gave his first live performance at the age of 11, with his grandfather and Uncle. Since then he has performed extensively in India & abroad covering France, Belgium, Italy, all of Scandinavia, Switzerland, South Africa, Nepal, Pakistan, Maldives, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, Malayasia, Sri Lanka; the Middle East and has toured the UK extensively.​

Suhail is a multifaceted artiste who is also a music composer, singer & song writer. His versatility extends to varied genres of music from Indian Classical Music to contemporary Rock Fusion; Jazz Fusion; World Music; Folk Music Fusion. The British Council, New Delhi has Suhail as a Cultural Ambassador from India to the UK. He also has the honour of being a graded musician with All India Radio, the Indian public radio broadcaster.

Suhail is currently studying at Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, USA, reading Ethnomusicology.

Current International projects include:
Yorkston Thorne Khan – with James Yorkston, John Thorne
Hauz Khas Connection – with Hyunpill Shin from South Korea, Vishal Nagar, USA

Siddhartha Komaragiri,

Siddhartha Komaragiri, also known as KVSTabla, is a classically trained tabla player based out of Manhattan, New York City. He began training when he was 7 years old and has been learning from Pt. Samir Chatterjee since he was 12 years old. Throughout his time playing tabla, he has won various awards and national competitions. Outside of Indian classical concerts, Siddhartha has performed at a plethora of luxury weddings as a fusion and classical artist. He also performs at many unique events. Recently, he shared the stage with a couple others to open for Jay Sean at the 2022 Times Square Diwali party (50,000+ people). He also played for multiple Mayyur Girotra runway shows during New York Fashion week.

Tabla - Samir Chatterjee

Harmonium - Kedar Naphade

Come join us at the Chhandayan Center for a tabla solo performed by our founder Samir Chatterjee

Samir Chatterjee

Samir Chatterjee is a virtuoso Tabla player. He travels widely across the world throughout the year performing in numerous festivals as a soloist or with other outstanding musicians from both Indian and non-Indian musical traditions. Samir performed at the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo, Norway. He also performed at the UN General Assembly. His compositions are widely acclaimed as well as his writings. Samir is a firm believer in the transforming effect of music on the society and all aspects of his work reflects this conviction.    

            Chatterjee began his studies early with Bankim Ghosh, Balaram Mukherjee, Rathin Dhar and Md. Salim. His later formation as a musician occurred under the guidance of Amalesh Chatterjee and Shyamal Bose. All of Samir's teachers have been from the Farrukhabad Gharana of Tabla-playing, which he now represents. 

            Samir can be heard on numerous recordings featuring as soloist, accompanying many of India's greatest musicians and in collaboration with western musicians of outstanding caliber. In concert Samir has accompanied many of India's greatest musicians including Ravi Shankar, Vilayat Khan, Bhimsen Joshi, Pandit Jasraj, Nikhil Banerjee, V.G. Jog, Shivkumar Sharma, Hariprasad Chaurasia, M. S. Gopalakrishnan, Amjad Ali Khan, Salamat Ali Khan, Lakshmi Shankar, Manilal Nag, L. Subramanium, U Srinivas, Veena Sahashrabuddhe,  Shujaat Khan, Shahid Parvez, Ajoy Chakraborty, Nishat Khan, Rashid Khan, Tejendra N. Majumdar, Arti Anklekar, Kaushiki Chakraborty, to name only a few. 

            Samir Chatterjee has been a catalyst in the fusion of Indian and Non-Indian music, in his own creations and others as well. He has performed with Pauline Oliveros, William Parker, Branford Marsalis, Ravi Coltrane, Joshua Bell, David Liebman, Oliver Lake, Dave Douglas, Ned Rothenberg, Mark Dresser, Mark Feldman, Jerome Harris, Eric Friedlander, Steve Gorn, Dance Theater of Harlem, Boston Philharmonic, Minnesota Orchestra, and other jazz, classical and avant guard musicians and ensembles. He also collaborates with Sufi-Rock singer Salman Ahmad of Junoon from Pakistan. He is the composer and director of Tablaphilia, Indo-Flame, Chhand-Anand, RabiThakur, Meghadootam, and Dawn to Dusk and Beyond. He performs with Sanjay Mishra on his CD "Blue Incantation" featuring Jerry Garcia as guest artist. 

        Chatterjee has been teaching for the last 50 years. Many of his students are established performers. He is the founding president of Chhandayan. He has authored books titled A Study of Tabla, Music of India and Those Forty Days. He has taught at the Manhattan School of Music, Univ. of Pittsburgh, New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, Yale University, NYU, Columbia University, Princeton University, UCLA, among many other major institutions in the USA, Europe and India. He has master's degrees in English and History.

       Samir made significant contributions towards the musical revival of Afghanistan since 2008. He has received several awards including Sunshine Caribbean Award in 2016, Jadu Bhatta Award from Salt Lake Music Conference, Acharya Varistha Award from Pandit Jasraj Institute, Taal Mani Award from Council of Indian Classical Music, Delhi in 2018, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from SMIPAC Trust, Delhi in 2018.

Kedar Naphade

Born on January 10, 1972, Kedar Naphade received preliminary training in Hindustani Classical Music from his grandfather, Shri Dadasaheb Naphade and from Shri Arvind Gajendragadkar.

Since he was 10 years of age, Kedar has had the great good fortune of training under the loving and expert guidance of Pt. Tulsidas Borkar, one of the topmost harmonium players in India today. Under his nurturing guidance, Kedar has imbibed the unique style of solo harmonium performance developed by Pt. Borkarji’s guru, Madhukar Pednekar or P. Madhukar. P. Madhukar was a genius with tremendous mastery over the instrument that is to date unsurpassed. His glorious tradition, which utilizes the strengths of the harmonium to the extreme, is presented to the connoisseur today by his stalwart disciples like Pt. Tulsidas Borkar and Pt. Anant Kemkar and the next generation of disciples consisting of Sudhir Nayak, Seema Mestri-Shirodkar, Kedar Naphade and others.

Kedar has also had the privilege of training under Smt. Padmavati Shaligram-Gokhale, a veteran singer of the Atrauli-Jaipur gharana. She played a pivotal role in his musical development and sowed in him the seed that developed into a passionate love for the vocal art form. As such, Kedar’s music derives inspiration from the stylistic genius and dexterous wizardry of P. Madhukar as well as the character of the traditional Hindustani vocal art form, especially of the Gwalior and Jaipur gharanas. In addition to classical music, Kedar also plays the semi-classical forms of Marathi Natyasangeet (Stage Music), Bhajans, Thumri, Dhun etc.

Kedar has performed harmonium solo and has accompanied vocalists at numerous concerts in India, Europe and in the U.S. including prestigious festivals and venues such as the Alladiya Khan Smruti Samaroha, Dadar Matunga Cultural Center, Lincoln Center, Symphony Space etc. He has accompanied artists of high caliber such as his guru Smt. Padmavati Shaligram-Gokhale, Pt. Phiroz Dastur, Pt. Jasraj, Smt. Veena Sahasrabuddhe, Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar, Smt. Laxmi Shankar and others. Kedar continues to train from Pt. Tulsidas Borkar and maintains an active concert schedule in the U.S.

Navaneeth Unnikrishnan - Vocal

Manav Khurana - Tabla

Srikar Ayyalasomayajula - Harmonium

Come join us at the Chhandayan Center for a vocal performance by the promising young singer Navaneeth Unnikrishnan. The performance will also be streamed online.

Navaneeth Unnikrishnan

Navaneeth Unnikrishnan was born and raised in Chandler, Arizona, and is now based in New York City. Navaneeth’s parents identified his musical talent when he was around 1. By age two, he could remember and sing thousands of different Malayalam, Hindi, and Tamil compositions, even identifying some of the associated ragas. Navaneeth never formally learned piano/harmonium, but by age 6-7, he started to play different film compositions solely by hearing them. Navaneeth has performed at various musical venues in the US and India alongside many eminent musicians in Kerala, with many of his online videos going viral. In addition, he has received different awards/honors for his vocal performances, including being selected as a Rising Star by the Indian Academy of Performing Arts and receiving both the Mewati Pradeept and Deepak awards from the Pandit Jasraj Institute of Music (PJIM). Navaneeth also recently received a Young Musician’s award from Kerala. He has been learning Hindustani Classical Music for the last 14 years under Dr. Vijayshree Sharma and Pt. Ramesh Narayan of the Mewati Gharana, and alongside that Carnatic Vocal Music for the last 4-5 years under Trivandrum Krishnakumar, a senior disciple of M. Balamuralikrishna. Aside from his musical pursuits, Navaneeth is a sophomore at New York University studying Data Science.

Manav Khurana

Manav Khurana is a talented young tabla player from the Farrukhabad Gharana. His musical inclination became apparent at an early age, and his parents encouraged him to learn Dholak, Piano and other instruments. As a teenager he was initiated into the world of tabla by his dholak Guru, Shri Roger Sookraj. He soon continued his study of tabla under Shri Kumar Raj Gandharva and Sabir Hussain of the Punjab Gharana. Subsequently he began his serious training with Shri Dibyarka Chatterjee at the age of 14. In 2023 he became an initiated disciple (shishya) of tabla maestro Pandit Samir Chatterjee. Manav has already performed with some notable performers of Indian Classical Music including, Shri Biplap Mukherjee, Pandit Hindol Chattopadhyay, Pandit Sugato Nag, and his Guru Pandit Samir Chatterjee. Outside of music, he is currently pursuing his Bachelors degree in Finance.

Srikar Ayyalasomayajula

Srikar grew up in central New Jersey and currently lives in Brooklyn. He has learnt Harmonium from Guru Sri Hemant Kulkarni in New Jersey for over ten years. Srikar has performed harmonium solo pieces in a number of concerts and competitions in harmonium growing up, including winning first prize in national competitions conducted by Marathi Vishwa, Academy of Indian Music and Fine Arts, Bharat Sevashram, etc. Apart from solo performances, Srikar has also provided dynamic as energetic Harmonium saath to artists from around the world regularly for over a decade. Srikar was also the Music Chair of Michigan Sahana, the premier Indian Classical Music and Dance Organization at the University of Michigan and had been organizing and performing in their concerts throughout his time at the university. After graduating, Srikar had been continuing to be a part of both classical accompaniment and fusion collaborations across the country. Apart from music, Srikar currently works at Google as a Software Engineer in New York City.

Chhandayan Youth Concert

Anish Dharam - Harmonium

Aditya Phatak - Tabla

Come visit us at the Chhandayan Center see some of our young more advanced performers show their skills..

Anish Dharam will perform an instrumental piece accompanied by Aditya Phatak on tabla.
Then Aditya Phatak will perform a tabla solo accompanied by Anish.

Anish Dharam

Anish has been learning Harmonium under the guidance of Dr. Kedar Naphade, a senior disciple of Pt Tulsidas Borkar for the past three years. Prior to that, Anish leaned from Shri Hemant Kulkarni for over 7 years. Anish also learned Keyboard under the guidance of Shri Bobby Chatterjee.

Anish is 18 years old and a freshman at Brown University, Rhode Island. He is planning to major in Math, Computer Science and Music.

Anish has performed at various events in the US as well as in India. Marathi Vishwa’s various programs in NJ, Pandit Jasraj Institute’s Mewati Sangeet Parv in New York, here at Chandayan, and in Pune, Hyderabad in India.to name a few

Anish also sings in choir and he was a member of highly acclaimed JP Steven's Chamber choir. Anish has performed in various state and national-level honor choirs. He was also part of the high school Musical drama club and performed a major role in high school musicals Greece and Mama Mia!

Besides music, Anish enjoys reading, practicing Jiu Jitsu, and doing math.

Aditya Phatak

Aditya Phatak is a regular performer of tabla and Hindustani Classical Vocal music based out of the New York Metropolitan Area. He was initially inspired by his grandfather Deepak Phatak and guided by his uncle Shivraj Phatak. In February of 2008, he came under the loving mentorship of Pt. Samir Chatterjee in the formal Guru-Shishya (master-disciple) relationship. Since then, Aditya has had the opportunity to perform at Carnegie Hall,The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Woodstock Drum Boogie Festival. He has also performed twice on NYC Radio through the Brooklyn Raga Massive festival and had the opportunity to perform with world-renowned instrumentalists Pt. Barun Kumar Pal and Steve Gorn on tour in the Northeast United States. Notably, Aditya recorded tabla on the song “Abundance in Millets” which was commissioned by Honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi and written by Indian-American singer-songwriters Falu and Gaurav Shah. The song was nominated for the 2024 Grammy Awards. Aditya also studied Hindustani Classical vocal music with Smt. Rucha Jambhekar for eleven years and is now studying vocal music with Shree Kiran Lele. When he’s not pursuing his passion for music, Aditya is a sophomore at Columbia University studying Applied Mathematics.

Indo Jazz Ensemble
Alex Glass - Guitar
Arjan Dogra - violin
Kate Pass - Bass
Kyle Kalebdjian-Clark - Oud
Lio Spinelli - piano
Aditya Phatak - tabla
Akihito Gorai - Drums

Come see a unique indo-jazz fusion ensemble featuring a group of exciting young performers.

Alex Glass

Alex Glass (b. 2000) is a composer and pianist from the Philadelphia area currently based in New York City. A composer since the age of seven, Alex has since developed a compositional style influenced by classical piano repertoire, jazz harmonic and melodic language, odd rhythms and meters, and innovative textures and timbres. Alex has had the opportunity to work with prestigious ensembles such as JACK Quartet, Argus Quartet, Ensemble Chartreuse, SPLICE Ensemble, Temple Composer’s Orchestra, and the Temple University New Music Ensemble, and he has received performances of numerous other chamber, vocal, electroacoustic, and solo piano works. Alex is also an active pianist and teacher who can be found performing jazz standards at venues around New York City or teaching piano and guitar to students of his studio in Bath Beach, Brooklyn. Alex received his Bachelor’s degree in composition from Boyer College at Temple University, and he is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in composition at the Mannes School of Music, where he studies with Timo Andres. Alex’s mission as a composer is to present music that is emotionally powerful, yet strives to never take itself too seriously.

Kate Pass

Kate Pass is an award-winning bassist and composer currently based in New York City. Originally hailing from Perth, Western Australia, Kate is known for her work as the leader of “Kohesia Ensemble,” which combines Iranian and Australian musicians. Kate has released 2 albums with Kohesia Ensemble and received the “ABC Fresh Start Fund” Commission to compose a suite of original music, which was released as an EP in 2023. Kohesia Ensemble won the West Australian Music Industry’s “Jazz Act of the Year” in 2022 and 2023. Kohesia Ensemble's Shahnameh: Songs of

the Persian Book of Kings, a production featuring Kate’s compositions, won the Fringe World 2020 Martin Sims Award, the top-tier prize for “Best new WA work that is destined to succeed on the world stage.” Kate’s compositions won 2 WAM Song of the Year awards in 2022 - The Elephant in the Room in the Jazz category and Black Mountain in the Global category. In 2021 Kate was commissioned by the West Australian Youth Jazz Orchestra (WAYJO) in 2021 to write and perform a 60-minute set of Big Band music. Kate has performed at an array of festivals and events in Asia, USA, Europe and Australia with highlights including at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, WOMADelaide,

Singapore Jazz Festival, Penang Island Jazz Festival and Ghent Festival in Belgium. Kate has also recorded albums with several other ensembles she composes for, including Artemis Orchestra (a Big Band for people of marginalized genders), Turiya (harp trio), and Carlton/Macpherson/Pass/Valenti (chordless quartet). She has been a lecturer at the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) since 2021, and a tutor for WAYJO’s Progressions (formerly Young Women in Jazz) Program since 2014. Kate received a scholarship to study her Masters of Music at The New School in New York and commenced her studies there in August 2023.

Photo credit Jessica Carlton

Kyle Kalebdjian-Clark

Kyle Kalebdjian-Clark is a guitarist, oudist, and composer from Seattle, Washington and based in New York City. He is known for combining the traditions of jazz and Middle Eastern music in his compositions and improvisations, his interest in which stems from his Armenian heritage.

Aditya Phatak

Aditya Phatak is a young student of Indian music, with special aptitude in Tabla. He started playing tabla at the age of two, even before he was tall enough to reach the drums. He was initially inspired by his grandfather Deepak Phatak and guided by his uncle Shivraj Phatak. Since February of 2008, when he was four years old, he came under the loving mentorship of Pt. Samir Chatterjee in the formal Guru-Shishya (master-disciple) relationship. Seven years into his talim (grooming), through utmost sincerity and diligence, Aditya qualified to make his entry into the field of performance. His music is certainly worth listening to. He is also studying Hindustani Classical vocal music with Smt. Rucha Jambhekar.

Rajeswari Satish - Carnatic vocal

Kumar Kanthan - Mridangam

Arun Ramamurthy - violin

Come join us at the Chhandayan Center for an evening of Carnatic Vocal Music performed by Rajeswari Satish.

Rajeswari Satish

Rajeswari Satish (also known as Rajeswari Ranganathan) is a South Indian Carnatic vocalist. Rajeswari’s career spans over twenty-five years of teaching and thirty-five years of performance. 

Introduced to music by her mother Smt. Vijayam Ranganathan, Rajeswari began her formal training with Sri M.A. Venugopal at the age of seven. She received the Cultural Talent Search Scholarship from the Government of India to continue her training with Sangeeta Kala Acharya Sri C.S. Krishna Iyer for the next ten years. Rajeswari then studied with Padma Bhushan Sri P.S. Narayanaswamy, acquiring nearly twenty years of rigorous training. Rajeswari has had the opportunity to learn further from other illustrious gurus such as Padma Bhushan Lalgudi Sri G. Jayaraman, Sangeetakalanidhi Smt. R. Vedavalli, Sangeeta Kala Acharya Smt. Suguna Varadachari and Sangeeta Kala AcharyaSeetha Narayanan on various occasions. 

Rajeswari’s performance career includes concerts at All India Radio, multiple organizations in Chennai during the December season festivals, at numerous venues in the USA (such as the Cleveland Aradhana and CMANA, New Jersey) and in the UK (such as Nehru Center, Milapfest). A prominent teacher in the NJ area, Rajeswari has trained several students all the way from foundational stages into full-fledged concert artists. Many of her students have won prestigious prizes in national level competitions. For two consecutive years, the state of New Jersey recognized Rajeswari as a master teacher by awarding the Folk Arts Apprenticeship scholarship to her student to pursue advanced training with her. Rajeswari has co-organized local music events for the community youth music organization Yuva Sangeetha Lahari. She is currently a doctoral candidate at The Graduate Center, CUNY, pursuing her research on the nāgasvaram ensemble tradition.

Rajeswari Satish (also known as Rajeswari Ranganathan) is a South Indian Carnatic vocalist. Rajeswari’s career spans over twenty-five years of teaching and thirty-five years of performance.

Introduced to music by her mother Smt. Vijayam Ranganathan, Rajeswari began her formal training with Sri M.A. Venugopal at the age of seven. She received the Cultural Talent Search Scholarship from the Government of India to continue her training with Sangeeta Kala Acharya Sri C.S. Krishna Iyer for the next ten years. Rajeswari then studied with Padma Bhushan Sri P.S. Narayanaswamy, acquiring nearly twenty years of rigorous training. Rajeswari has had the opportunity to learn further from other illustrious gurus such as Padma Bhushan Lalgudi Sri G. Jayaraman, Sangeetakalanidhi Smt. R. Vedavalli, Sangeeta Kala Acharya Smt. Suguna Varadachari and Sangeeta Kala AcharyaSeetha Narayanan on various occasions. 

Rajeswari’s performance career includes concerts at All India Radio, multiple organizations in Chennai during the December season festivals, at numerous venues in the USA (such as the Cleveland Aradhana and CMANA, New Jersey) and in the UK (such as Nehru Center, Milapfest). A prominent teacher in the NJ area, Rajeswari has trained several students all the way from foundational stages into full-fledged concert artists. Many of her students have won prestigious prizes in national level competitions. For two consecutive years, the state of New Jersey recognized Rajeswari as a master teacher by awarding the Folk Arts Apprenticeship scholarship to her student to pursue advanced training with her. Rajeswari has co-organized local music events for the community youth music organization Yuva Sangeetha Lahari. She is currently a doctoral candidate at The Graduate Center, CUNY, pursuing her research on the nāgasvaram ensemble tradition.

Kumar Kanthan

Kumar Kanthan began learning mridangam at the age of 8 from Nagarajan of Delhi. He later continued his tutelage under Ravichandra of London. Since 1985 he has been receiving advanced training from the renowned vidwan Guru Karaikudi R. Mani. Kumar has performed in concerts in the USA, Europe and India and has accompanied many senior artists including B. Rajam Iyer, T.K. Govinda Rao, Trichur Ramachandran, Jayalakshmi Santhanam, Bhushani Kalyanaraman, Charumathi amachandran and Mysore Manjunath.

Kumar, a Yale graduate, resides in New Jersey with his wife and two kids and works in the field of finance. He teaches the sought-after Kaaraikudi Mani style of play to select and dedicated mridangam students. Kumar has been teaching mridangam for over 20 years and has taught students to the arangetram level and beyond.

Arun Ramamurthy

Arun Ramamurthy is a multifaceted violinist, composer and educator based in Brooklyn, NY. Rooted in South Indian classical Carnatic music, Arun is a versatile musician, performing internationally in both traditional Carnatic and Hindustani settings, as well as blurring genres with his own innovative projects like the acclaimed Arun Ramamurthy Trio. Arun studied under the celebrated violinist brothers, Sri Mysore Nagaraj & Dr. Mysore Manjunath, the distinguished violinist Sri. Ananthakrishnan as well as many early years with western classical violinist Jim Mate.

He leads the Arun Ramamurthy Trio, an ensemble that brings a fresh approach to Carnatic classical repertoire and features Arun's original composition work. Praised by All About Jazz as “a beautiful, exotic, ear-opening listening experience" ART recently recorded their 2nd studio album in January 2023, featuring newly commissioned music. He also co-leads a violin duo project with wife and violinist Trina Basu, reimagining string chamber music through the lens of Indian classical raga. The duo plans to release their debut studio album “Nakshatra” on January 20, 2023. Other notable projects Arun is involved with include Raga Maqam (ensemble with Amir ElSaffar bridging the worlds of Raga and Maqam) and Ragmala Go: Organic Orchestra & BRM (large ensemble led by percussionist / composer Adam Rudolph).

He has shared the stage with luminaries like Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna, Sudha Ragunathan, Flute Shashank, Subhankar Banerjee, Mashkoor Ali Khan

Reggie Workman, Kenny Werner, Jamey Haddad, Amir ElSaffar, Hamid Drake, Adam Rudolph, Hamid Al-Saadi, Martha Redbone, Awa Sangho amongst others. He has performed and recorded with a wide range of musical genres including Jazz, Arabic Maqam, Afro-Cuban, Malian, American folk, Western classical, and other creative and improvisational styles. Arun's music has brought him prestigious stages like Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, Celebrate Brooklyn and many more.

As a composer, Arun has created new works for his Trio (ART), scores for theatrical productions such as Tom Stoppard’s Indian Ink, composition for Indian classical dance, and for the pioneering musician's collective Brooklyn Raga Massive. Arun was recently commissioned by Chamber Music America’s New Jazz Works grant to create music for his ensemble, Arun Ramamurthy Trio. Arun was also commissioned through New Music USA to compose original work for Malini Srinivasan's 'Appeasing Radhika', an ambitious project investigating Devadasi lives in Indian Classical performing arts.

Arun is a co-founder and co-Artistic Director of Brooklyn Raga Massive, a progressive genre-bending collective of musicians rooted-in and inspired-by the classical music of India. He created and produced the innovative series Carnatic Sundays at the iconic West Village haunt, Cornelia Street Cafe. Throughout his career, Arun has curated and performed in hundreds of concerts bringing together music from all over the world.

Arun also is a dedicated educator, teaching Carnatic music privately to children and adult students, professional string players and instrumentalists from various genres. He conducts workshops and has held teaching-artist residencies working with student ensembles at Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Brooklyn College’s Jazz & Big Band program, NYU, Yale University, Sarah Lawrence University, and many others.

Abhik Mukherjee - Sitar

Dibyarka Chatterjee - Tabla

Come join us at the Chhandayan Center for an evening sitar concert featuring Abhik and Shouvik Mukherjee accompanied by Dibyarka Chatterjee. The concert will also be streamed live online.

Abhik Mukherjee

Abhik Mukherjee is a Kolkata-born sitar player of the Etawah-Imdadkhani gharana. He was initiated to sitar at the age of six by his father, Sri Tarit Mukherjee, and Sri Bimal Chatterjee, while simultaneously receiving vocal instruction from Sri Kaylan Bose. He has since taken talim from Pandit Arvind Parikh and Pandit Kashinath Mukherjee, themselves disciples of the legendary Ustad Vilayat Khan. He is a gold medalist in musicology from Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata, and has also received a scholarship from the Ministry of Culture, India.
Abhik’s first public performance was at the age of nine at the Governor’s House, Kolkata. He has since performed in ten countries on four continents. Some memorable concerts include performances for the inauguration of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial (Washington D.C.); at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City); at the Indian Habitat Center (Delhi); on Doordarshan (Kolkata); and a summer tour of Italy, Germany, and Switzerland. Abhik currently lives in New York City and is a founding member of Brooklyn Raga Massive, an Indian classical music artists’ collective.

Dibyarka Chatterjee

Dibyarka Chatterjee is a young and promising tabla player from the Farrukhabad Gharana. His natural inclination towards tabla became evident shortly after his birth, and at the age of five he was initiated by his illustrious father Pt. Samir Chatterjee. Since then he has been going through the rigorous discipline of lesson and practice. 

Dibyarka was born in Kolkata (and spent the first 10 years of his life there), where he was already performing for the All India Radio as a child prodigy. Shortly afterwards, he moved to the U.S. with his family, he was recognized for his talent by music lovers and tabla enthusiasts and started performing with his father and in group performances composed and directed by him. He has also performed with the Dance Theater of Harlem, NYC, with the Battery Dance Co. in “Songs of Tagore”, with Janaki Patrick in “Ka-Tap”, with Pt. Jasraj, Smt. Lakshmi Shankar, Ud. Shujaat Khan, Pt. Buddhadev Dasgupta, Pt. Ramesh Mishra, Ud. Mashkoor Ali Khan,  Smt. Shubhra Guha, Sri Partha Bose, Smt. Tripti Mukherjee, Steve Gorn, and others. He has been collaborating with fusion musicians like Salman Ahmad (Junoon), Gary Lucas, Najma Akhtar, and others. He has performed in some prestigious venues like the Chhandayan All Night Concert, Indian Consulate (NYC), City Center (NYC), Lincoln Center (NYC), Place des Arts (Montreal), etc.

Swarnendu Mandal - Sarode

Vikash Yendluri -Tabla

Come join us at the Chhandayan Center for a recital of Sarode music by the rising artist Swarnendu Mandal. The concert will also be streamed live..

Swarnendu Mandal

Hailing from Kolkata, India, Swarnendu is a 23-year-old prodigy, a Sarod virtuoso, and a master of Geology. Under the esteemed guidance of Pt. Buddhadev Dasgupta, representing the Senia Shahjahanpur Gharana, he has seamlessly blended the rich traditions of Indian classical music with contemporary finesse.

A senior scholar at the revered ITC Sangeet Research Academy under the guidance of Ustad Abir Hussain, Swarnendu has graced the world with captivating performances. Notable achievements include performances at the G20 Summit (2023) in Varanasi, ITC Sangeet Sammelan (2022), performance in Bhubaneshwar for Italian Consulate General (2022), and a remarkable first-place win at the All Indian Universities Youth Festival in 2023..

Beyond his native land, Swarnendu has embarked on impressive tours across Europe, enchanting audiences in Germany and Austria in 2022, including performances at Cologne Durgotsav, Music for Peace, and more. His music journey continued with concerts in Vienna, Linz, Berlin, and Konstanz, leaving an indelible mark on international music enthusiasts. He has also toured Taiwan in 2019 to perform at the Sports and Culture Ministry.

Further highlighting his stature as a global musical ambassador, Swarnendu participated in a performance for the G20 Summit in Varanasi in 2023, a prestigious platform where he shared his music with world leaders and dignitaries, he also represented India in Asia Music Summit (2020).

Back on home turf, Swarnendu's multifaceted talents extend to academia, with a bachelor's as well as master's degree in Geology from Jadavpur University. This fusion of science and art reflects his multidisciplinary approach to life.

As of 2023, Swarnendu continues to ascend in the world of music and is also the recipient of the CCRT National Scholarship from the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. He is also a graded artiste and regular performer at the All India Radio and Doordarshan.

He has also worked as music composer for several short films and documentaries, composed music for Video Game, did collaborative projects with many international musicians, wrote as a music critic also arranged music for several projects.  

Vikas Yendluri

Vikas Yendluri is a tabla player based in New York. He began his training at the age of 5 under Sri Arshad Syed, and has continued training under Ustad Zakir Hussain. In addition to his work as a soloist, Vikas has accompanied masters of Indian classical music such as Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Ustad Shahid Parvez, and Pandit Rajeev Taranath.

Sougata Roy Chowdhury - Sarode

Tejas Tope - Tabla

Come join us at the Chhandayan Center for an evening of Sarode music. The performance will also be streamed live.

Sougata Roy Chowdhury

Sougata Roy Chowdhury is considered to be among the most talented sarode players of his generation. Born in a Bengali artistic family, Sougata grew up in Shantiniketan. His father, Prof. Sarbari Roy Chowdhury, is an eminent sculptor and also a great music connoisseur, with one of the most precious collections of Indian classical music in India today. Sougata’s mother, Smt. Ajanta Roy Chowdhury, is an Indian classical vocalist of the Agra Gharana since her young age.

Sougata started to learn sarode at the age of 10 with Ustad Dyanesh Khan, son of the great Sarode maestro Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. His Guru (teacher) taught him the technique of sarode, discipline in music, and compositions in different Ragas, for about 9 years, until his guru’s untimely sudden death at age 45.

After that, Sougata continued his learning with Dhyanesh Khan’s elder brother, Ustad Aashish Khan, for some time. Over the past 17 years, Sougata has been studying with Pandit Santosh Banerjee, a well-respected sitar and surbahar player living in Kolkata, who is one of the main disciples of Ustad Md.Dabir Khan, the last descendent of the Miyan Tansen family. Pandit Santosh Banerjee has given him rigorous training in various Ragas and in the refined aesthetics of Indian classical music, all of which has allowed Sougata to develop into the mature musician he is today.

Sougata has always been a devotee of the sarod Maestro Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and admired him as a ‘God of knowledge’, because of the way the late Ustad opened the spiritual way of his musical practice.

Tejas Tope

Tejas Tope is an aspiring young Indian percussionist who comes from Long Island New York. Tejas has been learning tabla from Pt. Samir Chatterjee for over 15 years. Additionally, since 2011, Tejas has been attending classes in the Summer with Ustad Zakir Hussain. At Zakirji's invitation, Tejas performed a tabla solo at the Barsi of Ustad Alla Rakha on February 3, 2018 at Shanmukhananda Hall in Mumbai.

Tejas Tope has also been learning Pakhawaj from Pandit Mohan Shyam Sharma for the last 5 years. He has also had the opportunity to study with Pandit Manik Munde and Shri Pratap Awad.

At the ages of 7, 12, and 14, with the blessings of his Guru, he participated in one of USA’s highly acclaimed 5th, 10th, and 14th Annual All Night Concerts (May 2004, May 2009, May 2012) held in New York City, organized by Chhandayan (www.tabla.org). In the 2004 and 2009 events he participated in the Tablaphilia ensembles. Tejas accompanied Shri. Samarth Nagarkar on tabla at the 13th All Night Concert held in New York City, organized by Chhandayan in May 2012 and shared the stage with some of the legends in Hindustani Classical music.

Tejas received First prize in the instrumental category from 2005-2011 at the annual Vedic Heritage’s Holi Youth Talent Competition held in Hempstead, Long Island, NY. In the summer of 2006, he played at the 6th Marathi European Sammelan in Almelo, Netherlands, at the 13th BMM Convention in Seattle (June 2007), and 15th BMM Convention in Chicago (July 2011). In October 2007, Tejas had his Rangamanch Pravesh and presented tabla solo as a part of Chhandayan Concert Series. Tejas received first prize in the Swardhara Competition held by Marathi Vishwa of New Jersey in 2010 and 2012. Tejas is recipient of Chhandayan’s most prestigious Jyotsna Award in the student category in 2011.

At the age of 11, he recorded his compositions in a CD album entitled “Guru-Arpita – A Dedication to Pt. Samir Chatterjee” as a token of his affection, respect, and gratitude to his Guru. The CD album contains fifty-six compositions presented in structured tabla solo format in six taals. A booklet of his compositions accompanies the CD album.

In 2011, Tejas was invited to play tabla solo for the fall concert series at the Rocky Point Schools. From the sale of his CDs, he raised and donated over $500 to the Rocky Point Friends of Music. Tejas serves as a volunteer at the All Night Concerts held in NYC each year and has raised funds over $500 from the sale of his CD for Chhandayan.

At the annual Crescendo competition held in Atlanta, GA in September 2012 , Tejas won the 1st Prize in the under 15 tabla category. He also won the Mega Finals Round (shared this award with Nisha Kulkarni of Phoenix AZ) at the same competition. Recording and release of a complete CD album by Swarganga was the prize. The album has been recorded in Atlanta, GA, with blessings of Shri Chaitanya Kunte accompanying him on harmonium.

In addition to playing tabla solo in various venues in USA and abroad, Tejas has accompanied his Guru Pt. Samir Chatterjee (tabla solo), Pt. Ramesh Mishra (sarangi), Pt. Steve Gorn (flute), Samarth Nagarkar (vocal), Kunal Gunjal (santoor), Qais Essar (rabab), Padmashree Pt. Satish Vyas (santoor), Padmashree Pta. Rita Ganuli (vocal), Shakir Khan (sitar), Kedar Naphade (harmonium solo), Pta. Lalita Dantale-Kurulkar (vocal), Chaitanya Kunte (harmonium), Manoj Govindraj (vocal), Rucha Muley-Jambhekar (vocal), Paromita Das (vocal), and his sister, Priyanka Topé (vocal, www.priyankatope.com), and several other musicians over the past several years. Tejas attended 2 workshops conducted by Ud. Shahid Parvez in 2012 and 2013. In 2012 and 2013, he was invited by Phoenix Gharana and Swarganga to play tabla solo and accompany all participants in vocal and instrumental categories of all ages in their respective prestigious annual competitions. In 2013 Tejas accompanied students of Shri Manoj Govindraj at Guru Pournima held by AIM School of Music, Edison NJ, and kathak dance students of Guru Archana Joglekar at their rangamancha-pradarshan. Tejas also regularly accompanies accomplished singers in semi-classical and folk vocal and instrumental art forms, such as bhajans, ghazals, thumris, chaitis, laavnis, bhavgeets, natyasangeet, etc.

As a part of his self-study, during 2012 and 2013, he has learned several compositions published by Pt. Arvind Mulgoankar in his books, CDs, and DVDs, over 2 year of self-study he has compiled about 1-hour solo using the traditional format of tabla solo, and has recorded it his new album Space Within Beats.

With blessings of Pt. Ramesh Mishra accompanying him on Sarangi, during the summer of 2013, Tejas recorded 2 tabla and pakhawaj solo albums entitled Inner Rhythm and Space Within Beats. He has also recorded a self-composed 10.5-matra taal which he has named “Ardhadhik Dashanan” (half plus 10-headed Ravana). Tejas accompanied Shri Manoj Govindraj in album entitled Swar-Ras (classical vocal), and Baad-E-Naubahaar (Ghazals). He also accompanied Smt. Rucha Muley Jambhekar in album entitled Bhav-Rang.

Tarun Bhattacharya - Santoor
Siddharth Komaragiri - Tabla

Come join us at the Chhandayan Center for a concert by the renowned Santoor maestro Tarun Bhattacharya. The performance will also be streamed live.

Tarun Bhattacharya

On of the unparalleled music ambassadors India has contributed to the world is Santoor Maestro Pandit Tarun Bhattacharya. He has been for the last 30 years a potential flag bearer of Indian classical music at top notch world concerts, from Royal Albert Hall to Kremlin (Russia), to Palace-de-beaux (Brussels) to Theater- De-La-Ville (France) to Apollo Theatre (Spain) to Jubilee auditorium (Canada), etc. having an endless list of mesmerized audience from Prince Charles to late Jorge Harrison to Paolo Solaris, etc 

Being the only Santoor Maestro from the famous Maihar Gharana, Pandit Bhattacharya has revolutionized Santoor, the instrument, as well as it style of playing. He is known as the first champion (1980) who proved that one could ‘meend’ or glide notes at the lower octave in a hammered instrument like Santoor. Pandit Bhattacharya is also know for the invention of “mankas” or fine tuners that help in the tuning of this 100 stringed instrument fast, with a long lasting effect and a very high degree of accuracy. His innovative techniques of playing the Santoor also facilitates in the playing of “Krintans, Ekharatans, Boltans, etc.” thus broadening the utility of the Santoor in various traditional arts.  Furthermore, his improvisation on the shape and string arrangements produces deeper and more classical sound for the Santoor. 

Pandit Bhattacharya is recognized the world over for his Ragdari, as well as, Layakari (mathematical calculations) and plays music that touch the soul. The sounds from his Santoor thrill all generations young or old, connoisseurs or the common man, and from any country. 

Pandit Bhattacharya has released over 60 CDs and Cassettes. He has been the recipient of numerous felicitations like pre Grammy nomination in 97, excellence in world music USA, and his CD “Kirwani” has been acclaimed as the top 10 in the world. Pt. Bhattacharya received his talim (music instructions) from his father Pt. Rabi Bhattacharya, Pt. Dulal Roy and finally from the great Bharat Ratna Pt. Ravi Shankar.

Siddartha Komaragiri

Siddhartha Komaragiri, also known as KVSTabla, is a classically trained tabla player based out of Manhattan, New York City. He began training when he was 7 years old and has been learning from Pt. Samir Chatterjee since he was 12 years old. Throughout his time playing tabla, he has won various awards and national competitions. Outside of Indian classical concerts, Siddhartha has performed at a plethora of luxury weddings as a fusion and classical artist. He also performs at many unique events. Recently, he shared the stage with a couple others to open for Jay Sean at the 2022 Times Square Diwali party (50,000+ people). He also played for multiple Mayyur Girotra runway shows during New York Fashion week.

Hindol Chattopadhyay - Sitar
Manav Khurana - Tabla

Come join us at the Chhandayan Center for a concert by renowned sitarist Hindol Chattopadhyay. The performance will also be streamed live..

Hindol Chattopadhyay

Born in a music-loving family, Hindol was immensely inspired towards music by his music-enthusiast father, the Late Prasanta Chattopadhyay since his childhood. Hindol Chattopadhyay was initially groomed under his mother Smt. Bharati Devi (Vocalist) and uncle Sri Susanta Chattopadhyay, disciple of Pandit Monilal Nag; later he received his elaborate training from Pandit Amar Karmakar (disciple of Legendary Ustad Vilayat Khan Saheb); late Bimal Chattopadhyay and The Late Legend Ustad Vilayat Khan Saheb! Hindol also received extensive vocal taalim (tutelage) from Pandit Kalyan Bose and from Late Pandit Nidan Bandhu Bandopadhyay — that seasoned his renditions with rich embellishments of authentic traditional vocal repertoires. He has received his Sangeet Visharad degree from Pracheen Kalakendra, Chandigarh.

Hindol has been performing in AIR, Kolkata since his childhood and his CDs are also frequently played in FM radio channels & All India Radio. Hindol has had extensive performance experience over the last two decades. He has widely performed in India in prestigious concerts, festivals as well as in top-tier venues in the USA & Canada like: University of Michigan, University of Nebraska, University of Florida, Rutgers University, Consulate General of India-NYC; in Toronto, Portland, Seattle, Vancouver, Boston, Washington, D.C., Detroit, Rochester, Madison, Sacramento, Brampton, Chicago, San Francisco and many more reputed organizations

Manav Khurana

Manav Khurana is a young tabla player who has been learning tabla since he was 11 years old. His initial training was under the guidance of Shri Kumar Raj Gandharva, and he subsequently learned from Sabir Hussain of the Punjab Gharana. For the past three years he has been studying with Shri Dibyarka Chatterjee of the Farrukhabad Gharana, who is the son and disciple of Pandit Samir Chatterjee.

Sugato Nag - Sitar

Snehesh Nag - Sitar

Indranil Mallick - Tabla

Come join us at the Chhandayan Center for an evening of sitar music by the renowned sitarist Sugato Nag accompanied by his son Snehesh. The performance will also be streamed live.

Sugato Nag

One of the finest Sitar virtuosi amongst the present generation, and a worthy torchbearer of the famed Sarod Gharana of Senia Shahjahanpur, Pt. Sugato Nag started his training at the age of eight under the guidance of Late Shri Anil Roychowdhury. Sugato next became the disciple of sarod maestro, Sangeetacharya Radhika Mohan Maitra. He next took extensive training and guidance under renowned sarodiya, Late Padmabhushan Pt. Buddhadev Dasgupta. He has also taken talim from Pt. Ajoy Sinha Roy of the Maihar Gharana.

Sugato’s recital has a blending of the sitar baaj or style of playing of Ustad Vilayat Khan and the rabab based sarod baaj of Md. Ameer Khan of Shahjahanpore.

A very melodious and sensitive player, Sugato’s immense talent is evident in the way he handles the sitar, playing and synthesizing two very different types of baaj to create an unique and 'completely satisfying listening experience'. The alluring sweetness of his playing coming from the gayaki style, the effortless meends extending upto six pardas combined with strong and intricate bolwork and gamaks reflects a mastery of execution of the highest order.

Apart from performing all over India, Sugato has toured extensively in the US, Canada, Germany, France, UK, Holland, Australia, Japan and Mexico, playing in University circuits as well as in Music Conferences and holding the audience in sway with his scintillating and exquisite performances. A very eloquent speaker, Sugato has given a number of lecture cum demonstrations in Universities, music institutions and schools in the US, UK, Australia and Germany and have collaborated with western musicians in Australia to present Raga music through a western instrument ensemble and sitar.

His music workshops both for the beginner and advanced students of music are a learning experience and a joy to attend.

An ‘A’ grade musician of All India Radio and Doordarshan, and an ICCR empaneled artist, Sugato is a well known teacher having disciples around the globe - in the US, Germany, France, Finland, Portugal, Belgium, Austria, Japan and Australia, apart from hometown, Kolkata. Sugato believes in imparting lessons through one-to-one interaction between him and his students.

Snehesh Nag

Snehesh is a musician and researcher currently based in Baltimore, USA. He is a practitioner of North Indian classical music on the sitar and has primarily been a disciple of his father, Pt. Sugato Nag, but has also been under the tutelage of Pt. Buddhadev Dasgupta, Pt. Prattyush Banerjee, and Shri Pranab Naha. In addition to the style of the Senia Shahjahanpore gharana, he infuses the Imdadakhani gharana style into his playing. He is known to blend a lot of “emotion, surprise elements, and aesthetic touches” in his playing. He is the recipient of numerous awards and accolades, and has toured the India, US and Canada extensively.

Indranil Mallick

Indranil Mallick, a promising tabla player of rare skill, has already established himself both as a soloist and accompanist. Born to a family of genuine music connoisseurs, he received his initial training in tabla when he was only five from his uncle, Sri Montu Mallick. Later he was trained by Prof. Dhabol Bandyapadhaya.From 1985 he was under the guidance of Sri Uttam Chakraborty, senior disciple of Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri.Now he is under the guidance of Pt. Swapan Chaudhuri. Indranil belongs to Luckhnow Gharana style of tabla.

Among his numerous awards and distinctions in tabla performance he stood first in the Yuva Utsav organized by the state Government of West Bengal. In 1997 he stood first in the prestigious Dover Lane Music Competition and earned "The Best Talent of the Year" for 1996-97, trophy awarded by the H.M.V Music Corporation. Indranil holds a "Sangeet Visarad", Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music focused on tabla, from the University of Chandigarh, which he earned in 1999.He also earned " Sangeet Kala Ratna" in the year 2006.

Keeping a rigorous performance schedule, Indranil continues to perform with renowned artists in various music conferences in India and abroad. Some of these are The Dover Lane Music Conference in Kolkata, West Bengal State Music Academy Annual Convocation Concert, "The GolPark Rama Krishna Mission" Kolkata, Annual Conference of Spicmacay in AgartalaSangeet Gana Sabha in Visaka Pattanam, Spicmacay tour in Madhya Pradesh, Dadar Matunga Music conference, Mumbai (A Hundred years music organisatin), Baba Alauddin Khan Sangeet Samaraho, Maihar, Santipur Sangeet Sammelan, Kolkata, Nabarang Sangeet Sammelan, Kolkata, Kerala Music Festival, Music Festival in Patna and others….

In 2002 Indranil began international touring with performances in Europe, USA, Canada, UK, Germany, Switzerland, Ukraine, Estonia, Russia, Austria and Holland. During these tours he represented India in many world-renowned festivals. Some examples include the Open Baroque Festival in Estonia, The Musica Sacra International Festival in Germany, and the International Jazz and Blues festival in Austria.

Indranil is a grade 'A' artist of All India Radio, Kolkata where he is featured regularly on programs aired throughout India. He holds a master’s degree in economics from Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata.

Namami Karmakar - Hindustani Vocal

Samir Chatterjee - Tabla

Anirban Chakraborty - Harmonium

Come join us at the Chhandayan Center for an evening of Hindustani Vocal music performed by Namami Karmarkar. The performance will also be streamed live.

Namami Karmarkar

Namami Karmakar is regarded as one of the finest vocalists among the younger generation of the Kirana Gharana. She had her initial training under Smt. Malini Mukherjee Bhowmick. Then she began learning under Late Pt. A. Kanan and Late Sangeet Bidushi Malabika Kanan and currently she is under the able guidance of their disciple, Pt. Sanjoy Banerjee.

Namami has a Masters in Classical Vocal Music from the prestigious Rabindra Bharati University. She stood first in All India BSNL Cultural Meet in 2007 and has successfully ranked in the prestigious Dover Lane Music Competition and West Bengal State Music Academy. She has also performed at major conferences in and also in TV channels to great acclaim. She has given performances at prestigious The Rubin Museum of Art (New York), Shikshyatan Cultural Center (New York), Maverick Concerts in Woodstock, India Center of Westchester, Gandhi Center (Maryland), Chhandayan (New York) and many others were extremely well received and received praises from the audiences and music aficionados. She has also successfully assisted her Guru in workshops in Chhandayan Center, New York and India Center of Westchester.

She is an empaneled artist of Indian Council for Cultural relations, Govt of India. At present Namami is a faculty at Chhandayan Center of Indian Music in New York since 2016 and Suromurchhana (India & USA), imparting training to local as well as international students. She has a proven track record as a successful teacher as her students have earned applause from audiences and maestros of Classical Music.

Samir Chatterjee

Samir Chatterjee is a virtuoso Tabla player from India. He travels widely across the world throughout the year performing in numerous festivals as a soloist or with other outstanding musicians from both Indian and non-Indian musical traditions. Samir performed at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo, Norway in 2007. He also performed a few times at the United Nations General Assembly. His compositions are widely acclaimed as well as his writings. Samir is a firm believer in the transforming effect of music on the society and all aspects of his work reflects this conviction. Samir began his studies early with Pandit Bankim Ghosh, Pt. Balaram Mukherjee, Pt. Rathin Dhar and Md. Salim. His later formation as a musician occurred under the guidance of Pt. Amalesh Chatterjee (since 1966) and Pt. Shyamal Bose (since 1984). All of Samir's teachers have been from the Farrukhabad Gharana (school) of Tabla-playing, which he now represents. Samir is rated ‘A’ as an artiste of Indian national radio and television. He can be heard on numerous recordings featuring as soloist, accompanying many of India's greatest musicians and in collaboration with western musicians of outstanding caliber. In concert Samir has accompanied many of India's greatest musicians including Pt. Ravi Shankar, Ud. Vilayat Khan, Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, Pt. Jasraj, Pt. Nikhil Banerjee, Pt. V.G. Jog, Pt. Shivkumar Sharma, Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, M. S. Gopalakrishnan, Ud. Amjad Ali Khan, Ud. Salamat Ali Khan, Smt. Lakshmi Shankar, Pt. Manilal Nag, Ud. Ali Ahmed Hussain, Ud. Aashis Khan, Dr. L. Subramanium, U Srinivas, Ud. Naseeruddin Sami, Smt. Veena Sahashrabuddhe, Ud. Shujat Khan, Ud. Saheed Parvez, Pt. Ajoy Chakraborty, Ud. Nishat Khan, Ud. Rashid Khan, to name only a few. Samir Chatterjee lives in the New York-New Jersey area, and has been a catalyst in the fusion of Indian and Non-Indian music, in his own creations and others as well. He performs with Pauline Oliveros, William Parker, Branford Marsalis, Ravi Coltrane, Joshua Bell, Yoko Ono Lenon, David Liebman, Oliver Lake, Dave Douglas, Ned Rothenberg,

Anirban Chakraborty

Anirban Chakrabarty hails from a family of Musicians. His father, Amal Chakrabarty is a dedicated vocalist. From his very childhood Anirban was initiated to Hindustani Classical Music by his father. He is a post graduate in music with first class from the Rabindra Bharati University. Although he is a good vocalist, his keen interest in playing Harmonium have driven him under the tutelage of Pandit Manas Chakraborty, the doyen of Kotali Gharana to master himself in the gayaki of Kotali style. He has also keen interest in composing music in lighter forms. The guidance of the Master Musician has already shaped him in well organized Harmonium player, and hoping him to be a musician of high repute in future.

Anirban has to his credit a number of brilliant performances as a harmonium accompanist throughout the country with both upcoming and reputed musicians. Anirban has accompanied musicians of repute like Pandit Manas Chakraborty, Pandit Dinanath Mishra, Pandit Arun Bhaduri, Smt. Kankana Banerjee, Gaan Saraswati Shreela Bandopadhyay, Pandit Madhup Mudgal, Sri. Sarathi Chatterjee, Smt. Ruchira Panda, Sri. Subhasish Mukherjee, Smt. Raka Mukherjee, Sri. Ratan Mohan Sharma and many more.

He is also a regular artist of several television channels. Besides, he is equally adept in playing tabla, keyboard, guitar and also worked as an arranger for several light music album. Recently popular commercial artists like Indrani Sen, Manomay Bhattacharya, Shampa Kundu, Shubhankar Bhaskar, Sahaj Ma have jointly made album of Modern Bengali Songs and devotional Songs composed and arranged by Anirban. Recently an album of Poetry and songs of TAGORE of Sri Tarun Chakrabarty has been released, arranged by Anirban. Now Anirban is also working as the Lecturer of Music in ‘Vivekananda Teachers Training Institute’ and also as the General Secretary of ‘Sur Sanchayan Sangeet Vidyalaya’, an institute to uphold the diploma courses of various forms of Indian music. Anirban to his credit has accompanied on harmonium with both upcoming and veteran musicians in all major music festivals of our country. He has also visited UK and USA as a harmonium accompanist with Ruchira Panda and earned accolades both from music lovers and connoisseurs.

Brajeswar Mukherjee - Hindustani Vocal

Samir Chatterjee - Tabla

Kedar Naphade - Harmonium

Come join us for an evening of Hindustani Vocal music performed by Brajeswar Mukherjee. The performance will also be streamed live.

Brajeswar Mukherjee

Brajeswar Mukherjee is one of the most promising young vocalists performing Hindustani Classical Music. Born into a musical family, he started learning from his parents at the early age of four. He also studied with Sri Asit Roy of the Vishnupur Gharana. From the late 1990s he has been a disciple of the internationally acclaimed artiste Guru Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty. Brajeswar has found popularity with lovers of Indian classical music and Bengali raga based songs through his radio programs, live performances, and published albums.

His is the recipient of many awards and honours, including the ‘Dhananjay Smriti Puraskar’ from Calcutta University, the ‘Shrutinandan Puraskar’ from the Shrutinandan Institute (founded by his guru Pt. Ajoy Chakrabarty), the ‘Gaan Vardhan’ from Pune, and the ‘Ustad Bismallah Khan’ Award from the Sangeet Natak Academy in 2016. He is currently a Musician Tutor of the ITC Sangeet Research Academy and also a regular artiste of All India Radio.

He has been touring throughout the world over the last ten years and has performed with his guru, with the Carnatic vocalist Dr. M. Balmuralikrishna, and also as a solo artist.

Samir Chatterjee

Samir Chatterjee is a virtuoso Tabla player from India. He travels widely across the world throughout the year performing in numerous festivals as a soloist or with other outstanding musicians from both Indian and non-Indian musical traditions. Samir performed at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo, Norway in 2007. He also performed a few times at the United Nations General Assembly. His compositions are widely acclaimed as well as his writings. Samir is a firm believer in the transforming effect of music on the society and all aspects of his work reflects this conviction. Samir began his studies early with Pandit Bankim Ghosh, Pt. Balaram Mukherjee, Pt. Rathin Dhar and Md. Salim. His later formation as a musician occurred under the guidance of Pt. Amalesh Chatterjee (since 1966) and Pt. Shyamal Bose (since 1984). All of Samir's teachers have been from the Farrukhabad Gharana (school) of Tabla-playing, which he now represents. Samir is rated ‘A’ as an artiste of Indian national radio and television. He can be heard on numerous recordings featuring as soloist, accompanying many of India's greatest musicians and in collaboration with western musicians of outstanding caliber. In concert Samir has accompanied many of India's greatest musicians including Pt. Ravi Shankar, Ud. Vilayat Khan, Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, Pt. Jasraj, Pt. Nikhil Banerjee, Pt. V.G. Jog, Pt. Shivkumar Sharma, Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, M. S. Gopalakrishnan, Ud. Amjad Ali Khan, Ud. Salamat Ali Khan, Smt. Lakshmi Shankar, Pt. Manilal Nag, Ud. Ali Ahmed Hussain, Ud. Aashis Khan, Dr. L. Subramanium, U Srinivas, Ud. Naseeruddin Sami, Smt. Veena Sahashrabuddhe, Ud. Shujat Khan, Ud. Saheed Parvez, Pt. Ajoy Chakraborty, Ud. Nishat Khan, Ud. Rashid Khan, to name only a few. Samir Chatterjee lives in the New York-New Jersey area, and has been a catalyst in the fusion of Indian and Non-Indian music, in his own creations and others as well. He performs with Pauline Oliveros, William Parker, Branford Marsalis, Ravi Coltrane, Joshua Bell, Yoko Ono Lenon, David Liebman, Oliver Lake, Dave Douglas, Ned Rothenberg,

Kedar Naphade

Born on January 10, 1972, Kedar Naphade received preliminary training in Hindustani Classical Music from his grandfather, Shri Dadasaheb Naphade and from Shri Arvind Gajendragadkar.

Since he was 10 years of age, Kedar has had the great good fortune of training under the loving and expert guidance of Pt. Tulsidas Borkar, one of the topmost harmonium players in India today. Under his nurturing guidance, Kedar has imbibed the unique style of solo harmonium performance developed by Pt. Borkarji’s guru, Madhukar Pednekar or P. Madhukar. P. Madhukar was a genius with tremendous mastery over the instrument that is to date unsurpassed. His glorious tradition, which utilizes the strengths of the harmonium to the extreme, is presented to the connoisseur today by his stalwart disciples like Pt. Tulsidas Borkar and Pt. Anant Kemkar and the next generation of disciples consisting of Sudhir Nayak, Seema Mestri-Shirodkar, Kedar Naphade and others.

Kedar has also had the privilege of training under Smt. Padmavati Shaligram-Gokhale, a veteran singer of the Atrauli-Jaipur gharana. She played a pivotal role in his musical development and sowed in him the seed that developed into a passionate love for the vocal art form. As such, Kedar’s music derives inspiration from the stylistic genius and dexterous wizardry of P. Madhukar as well as the character of the traditional Hindustani vocal art form, especially of the Gwalior and Jaipur gharanas. In addition to classical music, Kedar also plays the semi-classical forms of Marathi Natyasangeet (Stage Music), Bhajans, Thumri, Dhun etc.

Kedar has performed harmonium solo and has accompanied vocalists at numerous concerts in India, Europe and in the U.S. including prestigious festivals and venues such as the Alladiya Khan Smruti Samaroha, Dadar Matunga Cultural Center, Lincoln Center, Symphony Space etc. He has accompanied artists of high caliber such as his guru Smt. Padmavati Shaligram-Gokhale, Pt. Phiroz Dastur, Pt. Jasraj, Smt. Veena Sahasrabuddhe, Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar, Smt. Laxmi Shankar and others. Kedar continues to train from Pt. Tulsidas Borkar and maintains an active concert schedule in the U.S.

Manoj Barua - Violin

Tarit Baran Majumdar - Tabla

Come join us at the Chhandayan Center for an evening of Hindustani Violin music performed by Manoj Barua. The concert will also be streamed live.

Majoj Barua

Manoj Baruah is one of the 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.

Tarit Baran Majumder

Tarit Baran Majumdar is a renowned Tabla player of his generation. He has been performing over three decades in several major music festivals held in prestigious venues in India. He is also a regular performer on the national Radio and television of India. He holds the Sangeet Visharad diploma in Tabla. 

Tarit received rigorous training in Tabla under the guidance of Pt. Samir Chatterjee, the internationally renowned Tabla maestro. His methodical training has groomed him into one of the most highly proficient tabla players of India.  

Tarit is equally well-known for his tabla solos and accompaniments with vocal & instrumental music. He has performed in some of the most prestigious venues and occasions with other outstanding musicians such as Pt. A. T. Kanan, Smt. Mitali Banerjee Bhawmik, Shubho Chakraborty, Indrajit Banerjee, Rosy Dutta Pandit, Satyaki Dutta, to name only a few.  

Tarit’s performances on the National Television channel have been very popular to the audience of Indian classical music. The traditional musical atmosphere in the house inspired Tarit explore beyond the traditional boundaries. He has acted as a judge in many music competitions.

Rhitom Sarkar - Classical Slide Guitar

Maulik Mehta - Tabla

Come join us at the Chhandayan Center for an evening of Classical Hindustani music played on the Classical Slide Guitar by Rhitom Sarkar. The performance will also be streamed live.

Rhitom Sarkar

This program will feature Rhitom Sarkar on Classical Slide Guitar and Tarit Baran Majumdar on tabla.

Born to musician parents Rhitom sarkar, a child prodigy, was initiated into Indian classical Music but he picked up guitar and got hooked by its musical appeal akin to vocal due to its ability to glide. The highly innovative mind of Rhitom restlessly searched the ways and means to incorporate all the finer nuances of Indian music in his guitar.

At the age of nine began learning Guitar under Pt.Debashish Bhattacharya continued for ten yrs. Learnt under Mr.Debotosh Dey, Guitarist of AIR. Advance training Pt. Shyamal Chatterjee (Sitarist) a disciple of Late Ustad Dabir Khan Sahib and Pt .Ravi Shankar.Received taleem from Tabla maestro Subhankar Banerjee and Pt. Samar Saha. Attended special appreciation class from Pt. Ajoy Chakroborty (Vocal), Pt. Budhadeb Dasgupta (Sarod).Also received taleem in incorporating Classical Music in Spanish (Western) Guitar under the guidance of music composer-director Sri Madhu Mukherjee.

Rhitom's specialties include a) bringing some uncommon Ragas and Talas, b) incorporate elements of Spanish Guitar into Indian classical endition, and c) create a meditative effect stimulating the chakras. 

Maulik Mehta

Maulik Mehta is a student of Pt. Samir Chatterjee. He initiated his early training in Tabla under the guidance of his father Shri Pankajbhai Mehta. He further continued his training under Prof. Sashikant Sant - Ajrala gharana ( Vidyanagar, Gujarat). Based out of New Jersey, Maulik has performed with various artists in the sugam, folk and bhajan genres of Hindustani music. He is continuing his training under the guidance of Pt. Samir Chatterjee and is a member of Chhandayan-New Jersey.

Rosy Dutta Pandit - Classical Vocal

Tarit Baran Majumdar -Tabla

Come join us at the Chhandayan Center for an evening concert of classical Indian vocal music performed by Rosy Dutta Pandit. The concert will also be streamed live.

Rosy Dutta Pandit

Rosy Dutta Pandit is a Hindustani Classical Vocalist from Kolkata West Bengal. She received training from Pandit JVS Rao (the senior most legendary disciple of Pt. Vinayak Rao Pattabardhan), Pt. Biresh Roy and Dr. Sunanda Patnaik, another legendary disciple of Pt Vinayak Rao Pattabardhan.

She has performed in many prestigious classical concerts in Kolkata as well as other renowned musical conferences of India, like Uttarpara Sangeet Chaktra, Salt Lake Music Festival, Sangeet Piyasi, organised by Pt. Samar Saha, West Bengal State Music Conference, Dakshini Sangeet Sammelan, Behala Classical Music Festival, Chowdhury House Music Concert, Shantipur Ragini, Sodpur Naad Brahmha Sangeet Sammelan, Jalsaghar organized by EZCC (India Government), Silchor Sangeet Chakra, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi Sangeet Samaroh in Gadag (the birth place of Pt BhimsenJoshi), Karnataka, 100 years Celebration of Great Pt Puttaraj Gawai (Great Guru) from Puttaraj Gawai Seva Samity in Dharwad, Karnataka, Guru ShishyaParampara Utsav in Bangalore etc.

She attended as an invited Guest Artist at Guwahati which was a special programme organized by the Chief Secretary of Assam in honour of honourable Minister Mr Gautom Roy. She also participated in several concerts of Meghalaya, Orissa (Bhubaneshwar), Banaras, Mumbai, The International Gettogether in Agartala etc.

Rosy had performed a number of times in Bangladesh as an invited artist of Bangladesh Government. In Dharwad of Karnataka she was felicitated by vocalist Padmasree Dr. Neela M. Kodli, the daughter of Pt Mallikarjune Mansoor. She performed at several classical music concerts in Dubai, USA (New York,Newark, New Jersey,Washington DC, San Francisco, California etc).

She has performed at Shree Shikshayatan center of New York, Vedanta Center of Washington DC, Bharatsevasram of New Jersey, North American Hindu Temple society of New York, Brooklyn Raga Massive of New York, Liver More Temple of San Francisco, Fremont Temple of San Francesco and several other prestigious classical music concerts in United States.

Rosy had performed successfully with a heart winning performance at the most prestigious place of Indian classical music i.e. Baba Ali Akbar College of Music, the holy place of musicians having invited by the legendary tabla maestro Pt Swapan Choudhuri ji. This was covered by ' Indian Panorama and other Distinguished English Dailies of state of California. Rosy performed at very prestigious “Gayan Parv 10” at Bharat Bhavan Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, Nirguna Samaroh , another remarkable programme organised by the Government of Madhya Pradesh where she was immensely appreciated by the audience.

In 2022 she performed at many prestigious music concerts like Nana Saheb Pansey, Gurupurnima Mahotsab at Bakayan, Madhya Pradesh, Sabarna Sangeet Sammelan, Kolkata.

Rosy has performed at World's Longest Greatest Festival , 42nd Saptak , Ahmedabad, sharing the stage with maestros like Padmabhushan and Sangeet Natak Academy Fellowship Awardee Dr N Rajam and Padmasree Dr. S Ballesh. I had participated at prestigious 'Durga Jasraj, Utsaah Parivar' invited by Durga Jasraj, the Swara Zankar festival etc.

Tarit Baran Majumdar

Tarit Baran Majumdar is disciple of Samir Chatterjee. He hails from Maithan in Jhargram, India. He has performed solo and accompaniment with maestros like Pt. A. T. Kanan, Saugata Roy Choudhury. This is going to be his second visit to the USA.

Come join us for our annual gathering in which our students and their parents participate.

D. Balakrishna - Carnatic Veena

Mrdangam - Bala Skandan

Come join us at the Chhandayan Center for a Carnatic Veena concert by D. Balakrishna. The performance will be live, but streaming access is also available.

D. Balakrishna

Sri. D. Balakrishna is the son and disciple of Sangeetha Kalanidhi Dr. Mysore V. Doreswamy Iyengar (Padmabhushana Awardee) who was a Veena artiste par excellence of the glorious Mysore School of Veena playing, synonymous with the
great Veena Sheshanna. He underwent rigorous training under the tutelage of his father since childhood. He
has given innumerable duet performances with his father as well as critically acclaimed solo performances in India and abroad. The highlights of his artistry lie in his natural flair for purity of notes, raga opulent with mellifluousness and bhava, expertise to rhythm and smoothness of style. He enjoys the distinction of performing as a Top Grade artist of All India Radio and brought laurels to Karnataka by performing numerous national programmes on AIR and Doordarshan. Apart from solo concerts, he has played numerous jugalbandhis/ duets with eminent artistes namely Sangeeta Kalanidhi M Chandrashekaran, Ustad Bahuddin Dagar, Pandit Rajeev Taranath and Pandit Debiprasad Ghosh to name a few.

Balakrishna aims at preserving and sustaining the authentic classicism of the Mysore veena tradition (a k a Mysore Baani) for the posterity. As a part of this endeavor, he is grooming disciples of whom several are currently well known AIR artistes and concert performers.

AWARDS AND ACCOLADES: Sri Balakrishna is the worthy recipient of many prestigious awards and honors.
1. Honored as the “Best Veena Player” from Madras Music Academy in the years 1979, 1991, 1996, 2006 and 2008.
2. Conferred the title Ganakalshri from the Karantaka Gana Kala Parishat in 1997.
3. Received Puttachar memorial award from the percussive art centre, Bangalore in 1997.
4. The Gana Kala Parishat honour for presenting the best concert at their annual music conference 2002.
5. Best Lecture demonstration of pallavis given by the Karnataka Gana Kala Parishat at their annual music conference 2003.
6. In the year 2009, The Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham honoured by appointing him the Asthana Vidvan of Sri Kamakoti Peetham.
7. The prestigious Naada Brahma Sangeetha Sabha of Mysore conferred on him the title “VAINIKA BRAHMA” in October, 2013.
8. The Karnataka Sangeetha Nrithya Academy has conferred on him the title “KARNATAKA KALASHREE” (award of honour) in 2014, in recognition of his contribution in preserving and propagating the excellent Mysore style and
Veena technique.
9. In Jan 2014, the prestigious Thyagaraja Sangeetha Sabha, Mysore conferred on him the title “KALADEEPHTI”.
10. He was conferred with the title “KALABHUSHANA” by the prestigious Sri Thyagaraja Gaana Sabha Trust in May 2016.
11. In Nov 2016, he was presented with the Veena Sheshanna Memorial National Award by the prestigious Swaramurhty V.N. Rao Trust in recognition of his contributions to Carnatic Music.
12. Sri Rama Lalitha Kala Mandira, Bangalore, honored him with the title “Lalitha Kala Suma” on 23 rd August 2017, in recognition of his contribution in propagating Carnatic Music.
13. Belakavadi Sangeetha Sabha conferred the title “Srivara Kalaratna” during their 59 th Hanuma Jayanthi Music Festival at Bangalore in Dec 2017, in recognition of his service to Carnatic Classical Music.
14. Chintalapalli Parmpara Trust (with 800 years of rich history) honored him with Lifetime Achievement award and conferred the title “Parampara Pradheepanacharya” on him in Feb 2018.
15. M.A. Narasimhachar Music Foundation conferred the title of “Gaanavaaridhi” in Nov 2018.
16. In Mar 2019, Violin Maestro M. Chandrashekaran, President of Charubala Trust, Chennai, conferred the title “Veena Nadamani” during the annual music festival of the Trust.
17. Ananya Bangalore, an Institution dedicated to the cause of Carnatic Music and Dance honored D. Balakrishna with the “Ananya Puraskara” in Dec. 2021.
18. Sri Academy of Music and Arts (SAMA), presented the “SAMA Life Time Award” on Sept. 25 th 2022.
19. The Prestigious Bangalore Gayana Samaja (Estd. 1905) conferred the title of “Sangeetha Kala Rathna” on D.Balakrishna during its 52 nd Annual Music Conference held from 09-10-2022 to 16-10-2022.

INTERNATIONAL ACCLAIM
It is creditable that Sri D. Balakrishna has taken the flavor of Carnatic Classical Music to foreign shores. As part of his father’s Pancha Veena Troupe he traveled to Russia in 1987. The year 1988 saw him winning a wide audience in Britain while accompanying his father. Again, in the 1991 prestigious Festival of India held in Germany he participated successfully in the Pancha Veena Programme under his father’s guidance. His 2002 tour of the USA was an impressive musical voyage showcasing the unique elegance of the Mysore Veena Tradition. He represented the
Govt. of Karnataka in the Vishwa Kannada Sammelana held in 2006 at Washington,
USA and was lauded by the audience. He has given concerts at the Cleveland
(U.S.A.) Tyagaraja Festival in 2010 teaming with Sangeetha Kalanidhi T N Shesha Gopalan on the Veena.

Bala Skandan

Bala Skandan is a performer, teacher and composer of Carnatic music. He is a multi-instrumentalist performing the mridangam, Carnatic violin, kanjira and vocal rhythm. He has accompanied musicians and dancers of various genres across the world and has also given leading percussion performances through his own band Akshara. He has trained many Mridangam and Violin students over the years who themselves perform widely in the tri-state area. He has been a guest teacher at Manhattan School of Music, NYU Music Department as well as the prestigious Juilliard School of Music.

Bala Skandan is the lead musician and composer of Akshara, a NY based ensemble rooted in Carnatic music. His composition Mohana Blues won the best world music track in the 13th independent music awards ceremony. Bala Skandan trained under the legendary Karaikudi Mani on mridangam.

Vinay Desai - Santoor

Tejas Tope - Tabla

Join us at the Chhandayan Center for a North Indian instrumental concert on the Santoor. The concert 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. 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.

Tejas Tope

Tejas Tope, based in New York, has studied under the tutelage of his Guru, Pandit Samir Chatterjee and has also received guidance from Ustad Zakir Hussain. Tejas has been performing extensively across the U.S. and globally as both a soloist and accompanist for the past 10 years.

Tejas Tope has also been learning Pakhawaj from Pandit Mohan Shyam Sharma, and has also had the opportunity to study with Pandit Manik Munde and Shri Pratap Awad.

B. Anantha Raman - Violin

Aditya Phatak - Tabla

Come join us a the Chhandayan Centerfor a Violin performance by the young artist B. Anantha Raman. The performance will be live, and streaming access will be available

B. Anantha Raman

B. Anantha Raman is a violinist, belonging to the family of musicians, representing the third generation of the V. K. V. Parampara (tradition). He began his initial training in Carnatic Music when he was four years old under the watchful supervision of his grandfather Late Sri V. K. Venkata Ramanujam Iyengar (a renowned Carnatic violinist and a Reader of violin at the Faculty of Performing Arts, Banaras Hindu University in the eighties). He was further trained in Hindustani Music under the able guidance of his father, Prof. V. Balaji (Ex-Dean and Head of the instrumental department, Faculty of Performing Arts, Banaras Hindu University and Established artists in ICCR empanelment). The young artist has actually mastered the art of violin playing in both the North Indian (Hindustanni) as well as the South Indian (Carnatic) style of music. Further to enhance the style of ‘GAYAKI ANG’ in instrumental form of music he began his learning under the tutelage of Prof. Vanamala Parvatkar (professor of Vocal, Banaras Hindu University). 

Anantha Raman is a graded artist of the national radio of India. He finished his Masters in North Indian Classical Music from Indira Kala Sangit Vishwavidyalaya, Khairagarh and master's in visual communication from Madras University. He was a band member of Oxygen -World Fusion Music and has been a part of many productions work in movies and dance. He has played solo and duo concerts and accompanied several musicians of repute in India and abroad, such as Harivallabh Sangeet Samaroh, Jalandhar; Swar Sandhya, Chandigarh; Bhatkhande Sangeet Samaroh, Lucknow; Indian Dance Festival, Mamallapuram, Sri Lanka; President House, Sri Lanka; University of Visual & Performing Arts , Colombo, Sri Lanka; Madhuradhwani Music Season Concert Series at Arkay Convention Centre, Chennai; Digboi organised by Madhuvanthi, Assam; Nada Brahma Organised by Assam Jatiya Bidyalay Educ; ational & Social – Economic Trust –Assam Prasar Bharati Akashvani (In Front of Invited Audience), Pune ➢ Prasar Bharati Akashvani- Bal Kalakar(Before Invited Audience), New Delhi ➢ CEERI- Pilani, Rajasthan ➢ Ullas Utsav, SangeetNatak Academy, Lucknow ➢ Jagannath Jayanti, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi ➢ Sharda Sangeet Mahavidyalaya, Mumbai ➢ Shri Shri Durgaji Varshik Sangeet Shringaar Mahotsav, Varanasi ➢ Purva acharya Sangeet Sammelan BHU, Varanasi ➢ on the 75th birthday of Dr. (Smt.) N.Rajam, Mumbai; Virasat Sangeet-Nritya Utsav Shahi Durg, Jaunpur; Bhatkhande, Paluskar Dr.Anita S Sangeet Samaroh, Raipur ➢ Harishchandra Research Institute (to mark the 60th birthday of Prof.R.Balasubramanian), Allahabad He has played several online solo concert series during Covid-19. To name a few: Antarnaad organised by Saptak, Swarangan, Kala Darshan organised by KalaBharathi, etc. Anantha Raman has accompanied several leading artists in dance, vocal and instrumental. Among them are: Dr. Vyjayanthimala Bali, Smt.Vani Jayaram, Padma Bhushan Sri T.V.Gopalakrishnan, Smt. Shobhana Chandrakumar Pillai, Srikala Bharat and so on. Few Important Awards: ➢ Selected for HRD Govt. Scholarship -2018 ➢ Won All India Radio National Competition -2015 ➢ Won First Prize at KashiSangeet Kala Samiti(Regional Level)- 2014 ➢ Won First Prize at SangeetNatak Academy (Regional & State Level) Lucknow-2014 ➢ Won Second Prize at Manas Sangeet Sabha,Virasat –Bhopal -2013 ➢ Secured first position in violin playing at SangeetNatak Academy (State Level) “Junior Group”, Lucknow-2010

Aditya Phatak

Aditya Phatak is a young student of Indian music, with special aptitude in Tabla. He started playing tabla at the age of two, even before he was tall enough to reach the drums. He was initially inspired by his grandfather Deepak Phatak and guided by his uncle Shivraj Phatak. Since February of 2008, when he was four years old, he came under the loving mentorship of Pt. Samir Chatterjee in the formal Guru-Shishya (master-disciple) relationship. Seven years into his talim (grooming), through utmost sincerity and diligence, Aditya qualified to make his entry into the field of performance. His music is certainly worth listening to. He is also studying Hindustani Classical vocal music with Smt. Rucha Jambhekar.

Indrayudh Majumdar - Sarode

Unmesh Banerjee - Tabla

Come join us at the Chhandayan Center for an evening Sarode Concert. The concert will also be streamed live.

Indrayudh Majumdar

Indrayudh Majumdar has been learning Sarode from his father, the world-renowned Sarode Maestro Pandit Tejendra Narayan Majumdar, since he was five years old. He has also been receiving guidance from his mother Vidushi Dr. Manasi Majumder, who is a renowned Indian Classical vocalist. Initially, he had also received basic taalim from his grandfather Late Ranjan Majumder.  

Indrayudh had developed keen interest in every genre of music right from his childhood. He has taken up Sarode as his primary choice because of his sheer love for the instrument and Indian Classical Music. He concentrates on maintaining the purity of Indian Classical Music coupled with his smart presentation in his concerts.  

He had the privilege to perform in front of Dr. Manmohan Singh (the former PM of India), Shri Buddhadeb Bhattacharya (the former Chief Minister of West Bengal), Shri Gopalkrishna Gandhi and Shri M.K. Narayanan (the former Governors of West Bengal) among many.  

Indrayuddh is also a passionate music composer. He has composed music for a few projects, and has also assisted his father in the background score of a Bengali Feature Film on Byomkesh, 'Sajarur Kaata'.  

An MBA in Marketing, Indrayudh is also the Co-Founder and CEO of an Indian tech-startup, ShowVelvet, which serves as an online interactive platform for Artists and Audience all over the world.  

Indrayuddh is on his Debut USA Concert Tour. He is just completing one and half month schedule of concerts all across USA. He performed solos as well as duets with his father. The Tabla legend, Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri, accompanied them for a few of those concerts.

Unmesh Banerjee

One of the most promising tabla players of his generation, Unmesh Banerjee hails from a family stepped deep into North Indian Classical Music. He received intense taalim in the Farukkabad baaj from his Father and Guru, Pandit Sunil Banerjee. His mother Smt Bharati Nanavati Banerjee is a versatile vocalist of the Patiala Gharana. Unmesh was initiated into the world of Carnatic rhythm under the mridangam stalwart Vidwan S.Sekhar.

Unmesh has been an artist of AIR, recipient of the CCRT Scholarship and an ICCR empanelled artist. He has been performing since the age of 6 and has played solos and accompanied various veteran artists and young masters across different genres in India and abroad. 

Unmesh is also a passionate teacher and loves to share his knowledge with those seeking a rhythmic upliftment. He teaches tabla, North Indian rhythm and South Indian rhythm techniques to beginners, intermediate and advanced students.

Sangeetha Swaminathan - Carnatic Vocal
Sriram Raman - Mridangam
Siddharth Ashokkumar - Violin
Kabilan Jaganathan - Kanjira

Come join us at the Chhandayan Center for an evening of Carnatic Vocal music performed by Sangeetha Swaminathan. The performance will also be streamed live.

Sangeetha Swaminathan

Sangeetha Swaminathan has been performing since the age of 9. She learnt music first from her father Sri Karur Krishnamoorthy and since 1993 from Smt Sudha Raghunathan, the foremost female exponent of Carnatic music today. She is an ‘A’ grade artiste of the All India Radio, Madras, an important recognition in Carnatic music and has emerged as the torchbearer of the her style of singing among the next generation of musicians.  

Sangeetha is a regular performer at the annual Carnatic music festival in December in Chennai, India and has several awards and titles to her credit, including from the Music Academy, Madras and the Carnatic Music Association of North America. She has recorded over a dozen music albums with Charsur Digital Workstation, the premier music label for Carnatic music.

Since moving to the U.S. in 2002, Sangeetha has performed in cities across the US and in other locations worldwide such as London, Singapore the UAE, Seoul, and in Israel, Syria, Cyprus, Italy and Romania under the sponsorship of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Govt. of India.

Sriram Raman

Sriram Raman is a mridangist and teacher based in New York. He's a disciple of the mridangam maestro, Neyveli R. Narayanan. Sriram started playing the mridangam at the age of 6 and continued learning for 12 years under the tutelage of Tiruvadaimarudur Sankaran, a disciple of Tanjore Upendran.

For the past 2 decades, Sriram has accompanied several artists in Carnatic concerts and dance performances in New York and in Chennai, his hometown. Sriram is also a regular performer in the annual December season of classical concerts held in Chennai.. Sriram also plays the drums for NY-based alternative rock band, Sepoy.

Professionally, Sriram is a Product Manager and has had the privilege of working at some of the best technology firms in the world.

Siddharth Ashokkumar

Siddharth Ashokkumar has learnt the violin for the last 20 years. He is a student of Lalgudi Krishnan and previously from Vittal Ramamurthy. Siddharth is the recipient of many awards from North American Indian music festivals and competitions and has had the privilege of performing internationally for traveling artists from India as well as during the December Music season in Chennai. Siddharth lives and works in New York City.

Kabilan Jaganathan

Kabilan Jeganathan is learning mridangum and kanjira under the guidance of Guru Sri A.R. Balaskandan. Under his guru’s guidance, Kabilan has been performing on both the mridangam and kanjira in many cultural programs such as Sruthi Laya, Bala Shruti, the Brindavani festival, Hindu Temple Society of North America, etc. He was blessed to play in his first performance in Orikkai, Kanchipuram. He accompanies dancers from organizations, such as Shiva Jyothi Dance Academy and Jiva Performing Arts. He regularly accompanies many young upcoming artists and various leading Carnatic artists such as is vocal guru, Smt. Savithri Ramanand along with Aparna Balaji, Flute Raman, and the Chinmaya Sisters, just to name a few. He also learned Carnatic Vocal Music from Smt. Savithri Ramanand since the age of six. Kabilan has recently graduated with his bachelors’ degree in Accounting at Baruch College’s Zicklin School of Business, and has been working as an tax accountant at RZO, LLC.

Apratim Majumdar - Sarode

Amit Chatterjee - Tabla

Join us at the Chhandayan Center for a concert of Sarode and Tabla. The Concert will be live but streaming access will also be available.

Apratim Majumdar

Sarode virtuoso Apratim Majumdar (www.apratimmajumdar.com) is a most thinking and creative Sarod Player, a composer of very special quality, and a brilliant performer. Calcutta (India) based Sarode Player Apratim (born in 1978) was initially  tutored and groomed by Prof Rabin Ghosh, disciple of Ustad Alauddin Khan in strict discipline and style of Senia Maihar Gharana. He also received training from Shree Partho Sarothy, disciple of Ustad Dhyanesh Khan and Pandit Ravi Shankar. Presently he is under training of Dr. Pradip Kumar Chakraborty, one of the senior most disciples of Pt. Ravi Shankar.  

In the process of his prolonged dedicated training for over 28 years in traditional Dhrupadee Veenkar style of Senia Maihar Gharana  he has developed a distinguished plying style of his own. Deeply steeped into tradition Apratim’s renditions are totally self improvised and meditative in nature. 

Apratim is an empanelled artist of Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), Govt. of India was awarded “SUR MANI” Title by Sur Singar Samsad (Mumbai). He is recipient of JADUBHATTA  AWARD(Kolkata) and NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY AWARD (NEW YORK).At the moment being one of the busiest Artists he is   performing through out India and regularly traveling on concert tour to Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy, Denmark, Austria , Netherlands and USA..  

Amit Chatterjee

Amit Chatterjee (www.amitchatterjee-tabla.com), a highly gifted Tabla player of India, is the nephew, adopted son and disciple of the famous internationally reputed Tabla Maestro Pandit Sankha Chatterjee. Since childhood Amit passed through rigorous training and practice and in the process he became a very special performer of Indian Drum (Tabla) His playing style is a wonderful confluence of Farukkabad Gharana (Ustad Karamatullah Khan) and Punjab Gharana ( Ustad Allarakha Khan).

Amit is an empanelled artist of Indian Council of Cultural Relations(ICCR) and was awarded “TAL MANI” Title by “Sur Singar Samsad” (Mumbai), NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY AWARD. Being one of the busiest Indian Artist of his generation Amit has traveled throughout India, Europe, and the USA.

Arun Ramamurthy - Carnatic Violin

Sriram Raman - Mrdangam

Come join us at the Chhandayan Center for an evening concert of Carnatic music, featuring Arun Ramamurthy on Violin accompanied by Sriram Raman on Mrdangam. The concert is a live performance, but streaming access will also be available.

Arun Ramamurthy

ARUN RAMAMURTHY is a multifaceted violinist, composer and educator based in Brooklyn, NY. Rooted in South Indian classical Carnatic music, Arun is a versatile musician, performing internationally in both traditional Carnatic and Hindustani settings, as well as blurring genres with his own innovative projects like the acclaimed Arun Ramamurthy Trio. Arun studied under the celebrated violinist brothers, Sri Mysore Nagaraj & Dr. Mysore Manjunath, the distinguished violinist Sri. Ananthakrishnan as well as many early years with western classical violinist Jim Mate.

He leads the Arun Ramamurthy Trio, an ensemble that brings a fresh approach to Carnatic classical repertoire and features Arun's original composition work. Praised by All About Jazz as “a beautiful, exotic, ear-opening listening experience" ART recently recorded their 2nd studio album in January 2023, featuring newly commissioned music. He also co-leads a violin duo project with wife and violinist Trina Basu, reimagining string chamber music through the lens of Indian classical raga. The duo plans to release their debut studio album “Nakshatra” on January 20, 2023. Other notable projects Arun is involved with include Raga Maqam (ensemble with Amir ElSaffar bridging the worlds of Raga and Maqam) and Ragmala Go: Organic Orchestra & BRM (large ensemble led by percussionist / composer Adam Rudolph).

He has shared the stage with luminaries like Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna, Sudha Ragunathan, Flute Shashank, Subhankar Banerjee, Mashkoor Ali Khan

Reggie Workman, Kenny Werner, Jamey Haddad, Amir ElSaffar, Hamid Drake, Adam Rudolph, Hamid Al-Saadi, Martha Redbone, Awa Sangho amongst others. He has performed and recorded with a wide range of musical genres including Jazz, Arabic Maqam, Afro-Cuban, Malian, American folk, Western classical, and other creative and improvisational styles. Arun's music has brought him prestigious stages like Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, Celebrate Brooklyn and many more.

As a composer, Arun has created new works for his Trio (ART), scores for theatrical productions such as Tom Stoppard’s Indian Ink, composition for Indian classical dance, and for the pioneering musician's collective Brooklyn Raga Massive. Arun was recently commissioned by Chamber Music America’s New Jazz Works grant to create music for his ensemble, Arun Ramamurthy Trio. Arun was also commissioned through New Music USA to compose original work for Malini Srinivasan's 'Appeasing Radhika', an ambitious project investigating Devadasi lives in Indian Classical performing arts.

Arun is a co-founder and co-Artistic Director of Brooklyn Raga Massive, a progressive genre-bending collective of musicians rooted-in and inspired-by the classical music of India. He created and produced the innovative series Carnatic Sundays at the iconic West Village haunt, Cornelia Street Cafe. Throughout his career, Arun has curated and performed in hundreds of concerts bringing together music from all over the world.

Arun also is a dedicated educator, teaching Carnatic music privately to children and adult students, professional string players and instrumentalists from various genres. He conducts workshops and has held teaching-artist residencies working with student ensembles at Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Brooklyn College’s Jazz & Big Band program, NYU, Yale University, Sarah Lawrence University, and many others.

Sriram Raman

Sriram Raman is a mridangist and teacher based in New York. He's a disciple of the mridangam maestro, Neyveli R. Narayanan. Sriram started playing the mridangam at the age of 6 and continued learning for 12 years under the tutelage of Tiruvadaimarudur Sankaran, a disciple of Tanjore Upendran. 

For the past 2 decades, Sriram has accompanied several artists in Carnatic concerts and dance performances in New York and in Chennai, his hometown. Sriram is also a regular performer in the annual December season of classical concerts held in Chennai.

Sriram also plays the drums for NY-based alternative rock band, Sepoy. Professionally, Sriram is a Product Manager and has had the privilege of working at some of the best technology firms in the world.

Nash Naubert - Bansuri

Samir Chatterjee - Tabla

Come join us for a streaming performance of Bansuri music by Nash Naubert, accompanied by Chhandayan’s founder Samir Chatterjee.

Nash Naubert

Nash Naubert, musician and founder of 'MUSIC OF NOW’ an organization that is focused on promoting Indian Classical Music among listeners world-wide. Nash has mastered the technique of playing the bansuri, an Indian bamboo flute in the world of Hindustani classical music. Originally from Seattle, USA, Nash has spent the last two decades in India pursuing the art of Indian classical music. This, along with his concert tours, teaching workshops, music albums and voluntary work speaks volumes about his dedication. Nash has toured USA, Europe and Canada, broadening the scope and horizons of Indian Classical Music to a global audience in 2019 highlighted with sold out performance at Carnegie Hall. Nash Naubert was chosen for Tedx Talks in Mumbai, to speak about his musical journey. He was awarded the Musicians Federation of India Award 2019 for excellence in Indian Classical Music.

Samir Chatterjee

Samir Chatterjee is a virtuoso tabla player. He performs and teaches all around the world. He can be heard on numerous recordings as soloist, and with other outstanding musicians from the East and the West. Samir lives in New Jersey and presides over a center for Indian music in midtown Manhattan. Samir teaches at several universities. He performed at the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony. He has also performed several times at the UN General Assembly. His compositions and writings are widely acclaimed. Samir played a significant role in the musical revival in Afghanistan. He is the recipient of a few awards such as the Sunshine Award, Jadu Bhatta Award and Acharya Varistha Award.

Tabla - Samir Chatterjee

Join us for a tabla solo by the founder of Chhandayan, Pt. Samir Chatterjee. This performance will also be streamed live.

Samir Chatterjee

Samir Chatterjee is a virtuoso Tabla player. He travels widely across the world throughout the year performing in numerous festivals as a soloist or with other outstanding musicians from both Indian and non-Indian musical traditions. Samir performed at the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo, Norway. He also performed at the UN General Assembly. His compositions are widely acclaimed as well as his writings. Samir is a firm believer in the transforming effect of music on the society and all aspects of his work reflects this conviction.

Chatterjee began his studies early with Bankim Ghosh, Balaram Mukherjee, Rathin Dhar and Md. Salim. His later formation as a musician occurred under the guidance of Amalesh Chatterjee and Shyamal Bose. All of Samir's teachers have been from the Farrukhabad Gharana of Tabla-playing, which he now represents.

Samir can be heard on numerous recordings featuring as soloist, accompanying many of India's greatest musicians and in collaboration with western musicians of outstanding caliber. In concert Samir has accompanied many of India's greatest musicians including Ravi Shankar, Vilayat Khan, Bhimsen Joshi, Pandit Jasraj, Nikhil Banerjee, V.G. Jog, Shivkumar Sharma, Hariprasad Chaurasia, M. S. Gopalakrishnan, Amjad Ali Khan, Salamat Ali Khan, Lakshmi Shankar, Manilal Nag, L. Subramanium, U Srinivas, Naseeruddin Saami, Veena Sahashrabuddhe, Shujaat Khan, Shahid Parvez, Ajoy Chakraborty, Nishat Khan, Rashid Khan, Tejendra N. Majumdar, Arti Anklekar, Kaushiki Chakraborty, to name only a few.

Samir Chatterjee lives in the NY-NJ area and has been a catalyst in the fusion of Indian and Non-Indian music, in his own creations and others as well. He performs with Pauline Oliveros, William Parker, Branford Marsalis, Ravi Coltrane, Joshua Bell, David Liebman, Oliver Lake, Dave Douglas, Ned Rothenberg, Mark Dresser, Mark Feldman, Jerome Harris, Eric Friedlander, Steve Gorn, Glen Velez, Dance Theater of Harlem, Boston Philharmonic, Minnesota Orchestra, and other jazz, classical and avant guard musicians and ensembles. He also collaborates with Sufi-Rock singer Salman Ahmad of Junoon from Pakistan. He is the composer and director of Indo-Flame, Chhand-Anand, RabiThakur, Meghadootam, and Dawn to Dusk and Beyond. He performs with Sanjay Mishra on his CD "Blue Incantation" featuring Jerry Garcia as guest artist.

Samir Chatterjee has been teaching for the last 40 years. Many of his students are established performers. He is the Founding President of Chhandayan. He has authored books titled A Study of Tabla, Music of India and Those Forty Days. He has taught at the Manhattan School of Music, Univ. of Pittsburgh, New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, Yale University, NYU, Columbia University, Princeton University, UCLA, among many other major institutions in the USA, Europe and India. He has master's degrees in English and History.

Since June 2008 Samir started working towards the musical revival of Afghanistan. He has received several awards including Sunshine Caribbean Award in 2016, Jadu Bhatta Award from Salt Lake Music Conference, Acharya Varistha Award from Pandit Jasraj Institute, Taal Mani Award from Council of Indian Classical Music, Delhi in 2018, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from SMIPAC Trust, Delhi in 2018.