Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra’s 69th Shriram Shankarlal Music Festival 2016

Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra’s 69th Shriram Shankarlal Music Festival 2016

Thursday, March 31st, 2016 : presents vocal by Pt. Dr. Nagaraja Rao Havaldar at 7pm, followed by vocal by Dr. Ashwini Bhide Deshpande

· Dr. Nagaraja Rao Havaldar : Pandit Dr. Nagaraj Rao Havaldar is a leading artiste of the kirana gharana disciple Pt. Madhava Gudi, (Bharat Ratna) Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, Pt. Panchakshari Swami Mattigatti and Pt. Havaldar who brings to his performances the subtle understanding of a scholar and the finesse of an aesthete. Hindustani Classical Music bhajans in various languages create a spiritually uplifting ambience. Pt. Havaldar has been a pioneer in popularising the Kannada khayal by adapting Vachanas, literary works of Haridasa and suitable contemporary poetry in Kannada to the traditional khayal form.

· Dr. Ashwini Bhide Deshpande : An artiste from the intricate Jaipur-Atrauli khayal gayaki tradition, is a disciple of her eminent guru, artiste and mother Smt. Manik Bhide. Her early Sangeet Samskara was complemented by the very systematic training she received from age five

Friday, April 1st, 2016 : presents vocal by Kaushiki Chakraborty at 7pm, followed by vocal by Pandit M. Venkatesh Kumar

· Kaushiki Chakraborty : could reproduce Hindustani classical vocal patterns at age two. Connoisseurs agree that Kaushiki is the best Hindustani vocalist of her generation today. Her prowess as a khayal singer is well known, but she is adept at singing other ‘light classical’ genres like thumri, dadra, kajri, chaiti, bhajan etc. Whatever her chosen form, her singing is characterised by a fine balance of virtuosity, intellectual rigor and aesthetic sensibility. Kaushiki has recorded many albums and received several prestigious awards, including the Jadubhatta Award, Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Purashkar (Sangeet Natak Academy Award by the Government of India) in 2012, the BBC award for outstanding achievement in 2005 for the album “Pure”, the GIMA award for her album “Yatra 2” in 2012, Mirchi Music Award for the album “Yatra 2” in 2013, Aditya Birla Kala Kiran Award in 2013 and Bobby Sethi Music Award in 2015.

· Pandit M. Venkatesh Kumar : M. Venkatesh Kumar gifted with a robust and vibrant voice, has carved a niche for himself in the field of Hindustani music. Having trained a number of students, he is at present a regular performer on All India Radio and Doordarshan, having presented his art before audiences both in India and abroad, with several recordings to his credit

Saturday, April 2nd, 2016 : presents sitar by Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan at 7pm, followed by vocal by Pandit Ulhas N. Kashalkar

· Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan : Shahid Parvez Khan is privileged with both belonging to an illustrious musical family, pushing its boundaries to even greater heights of aesthetic beauty. He has performed in all major musical festivals in India and abroad including the Festival of India held in the US, Europe, USSR, Canada, Middle East, Africa and Australia;

· Pandit Ulhas N. Kashalkar : belongs to a family of musicians and was initially groomed by his father Nagesh Dattatray Kashalkar, a well-known vocalist of Gwalior gharana. Ulhas is one of the prime representatives of Gwalior and Jaipur gharanas, who has earned wide recognition in India and abroad.

Sunday, April 3rd, 2016 : presents vocal by Ustad Rashid Khan at 11am. At 7pm flute by Rakesh Chaurasia followed by vocal by Pandit Jasraj.

· Ustad Rashid Khan : Ustad Rashid Khan has included the slow elaboration in his vilambit khayals in the manner of his maternal uncle and also developed exceptional expertise in the use of sargams and sargam taankari. He has also included the slower tempo vilambit. Ustad Rashid Khan is extremely adept in producing all the other techniques and characteristic features of the Rampur Sahaswan style. His taankari is as powerful and varigeated as any of his predecessors and, in fact, amongst the best in the nation at the moment.

· Rakesh Chaurasia : the nephew and child prodigy of flute maestro Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, has a famous name to live up to. Amongst the promising musicians of the second generation, Rakesh has carved a niche for himself, as an accomplished flutist.

· Pandit Jasraj : the Mewati maestro, endowed with a rich, soulful and sonorous voice which traverses effortlessly over all three and a half octaves. Pandit Jasraj has won several prestigious awards and honours, including the Padma Vibhushan, Sangeet Kala Ratna, Master Dinanath Mangeshkar Award, Maharashtra Gaurav Puraskar, Marwar Sangeet Ratna Award and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship.

Founded in 1947, the Shriram Bhartiya Kala Kendra has secured for itself, an unchallenged position as an active propagator of the Indian Classical Performing Arts, Mythological, Contemporary and Folk Productions of epics. The Shriram Shankarlal Music Festival, the oldest Music Festival in the country has very successfully carried forward the tradition of incorporating a noteworthy synergy of the skills – of the country’s eminent maestros, with the vibrancy of exceptional young talent, without alienating the intrinsic heritage and successfully meeting the challenge of enjoying unabated popularity.

All the above events will be hosted at the Kamani Auditorium, 1, Copernicus Marg, New Delhi. – Phone : 011 – 43503333 /23386428/ 29

Invitations for all will be available at the Kendra from March 28th, 2016 onwards.