USTAD AMIR KHAN
MUSIC FESTIVAL
The first of its kind, created to provide a platform for dedicated, growing artists based only in North America, and more importantly to bring together music lovers of the art form Ustad Amir Khan internalized in his being. The purity of Hindustani Classical Music is evident in his renditions and compositions.
Morning Session
10am - 12:30pm
Evening Session
Samvadini
Vocal
Vocal
Accompanied by
Ravi Gutala on Tabla
Vivek Datar
Vivek Datar
Samvadini
Vivek learned harmonium from (late) Pandit Vinayakrao Kale, a Gwalior Gharana vocalist. Currently, Vivek learns from Vidushi Seema Shirodkar. Vivek is co-creater of the popular vocal riyaaz app, RiyaazPal used by vocalists for daily riyaaz. He runs a bi-weekly program, Swar Sudha, on ePrasaran.com. Vivek lives and teaches in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Nidhi Agrawal
Accompanied by
Prashant Phatak on Harmonium
Shripad Torvi on Tabla
Nidhi Agrawal
Vocal
Nidhi has had an interest in classical music since her childhood. At the age of 19, she began her formal training under the renowned artist of Jaipur Gharana Dr. Alka Deo Marulkar ji in the guru shishya parampara in 2010. She has also completed her Ph.D in Music from University of Delhi. Her guru's gayaki is the amalgamation of Jaipur, Kirana and agra gharana, which is the style she tries to follow.
Accompanied by
Prashant Phatak on Harmonium
Shripad Torvi on Tabla
Suruchi Alawani
Suruchi Alawani
Sangeet Visharad, Vocalist, Hindustani Classical Music
Akhil Bhartiya Gandharva Mahavidyalay, Mumbai
Suruch Alawani was introduced to music at the age of 7 by my mother. She started the formal training of Hindustani Classical Music under the guidance of Mrs. Ranjana Bhide (Pune, India) and completed Sangeet Visharad. She is still continuing her study of Hindustani Classical Music in the US under the guidance of Mrs. Shubhangi Sakhalkar who is a disciple of Dr. Prabha Atre and Vidushi Padma Talwalkar.
Vocal
Afternoon Session
Vocal
Accompanied by
Prashant Phatak on Harmonium
Shripad Torvi on Tabla
Revathi Narayanan
Revathi Narayanan
Vocal
Exposed to Carnatic music throughout her formative years, Revathi took to learning Hindustani classical music as an adult, under the caring tutelage of Smt. Shubhangi Sakhalkar. She currently performs and teaches in the Bay Area and loves working on creative, music projects with children. She sings for the deep spiritual fulfillment of herself and her audience.
Sarod
Saayan Mitra
Accompanied by
Pradosh Sarkar on Tabla
Saayan Mitra
Sarod
Saayan is a sarodist in the tradition of the Maihar-Senia gharana. He was introduced to sarode at a young age by his father and his formal learning began under the tutelage of his guru, Shri Bruce Hamm 14 years ago. Besides pursuing music he works at Adobe Research.
Vocal
Kanika Pandey
Kanika Pandey
Vocal
Achyut Joshi is a Hindustani vocalist of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana. Raised in New York, he learns khayal from Pt. Raghunandan Panshikar and thumri/dadra from Vidushi Subhra Guha of the Agra Gharana. He has also learned from Smt. Shubhangi Sakhalkar.
Accompanied by
Prashant Phatak on Harmonium
Shripad Torvi on Tabla
2pm - 4:30pm
6pm - 8:30pm
Tabla
Harmonium
Tabla
Accompanying Artists
Bansuri
Tabla
Accompanied by
Ravi Gutala on Tabla
Kunal Bhandarkar
Kunal Bhandarkar
Bansuri
Kunal Bhandarkar has been immersed in Indian Classical Music since he was born and began learning tabla at age four. As he grew older, he began learning bansuri from his father, Prasad Bhandarkar, and has studied under him ever since.
He is honored to have the privilege of performing at the Ustad Amir Khan Music Festival and hopes you enjoy what he plays.
Tithi and Rushika Raval
Tithi and Rushika Raval
Sitar
Tithi Raval is a sophomore attending Irvington High school in Fremont. She began her Tabla taalim in the Lucknow Gharana from Shri Nikhil Pandya, (a disciple of Pandit Swapan Chauduri) at the age of 5 and has started learning from Swapanji for over a year now at the Ali Akbar College of Music.
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Rushika Raval is a sophomore attending Irvington High school in Fremont. She began her Tabla taalim in Lucknow Gharana from Shri Nikhil Pandya (a disciple of Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri) at the age of 5 and has started learning from Swapanji for over a year now at the Ali Akbar College of Music.
Shripad Torvi
Shripad Torvi
Tabla
Shripad Torvi was introduced to Tabla in early childhood by his uncle, vocalist Pt. Vinayak Torvi. His formal education began after coming to the US, where he learned from Shri. Abhinay Padhye for about 5 years. Shripad has accompanied many artists locally and visiting artists from India. He has been continuing his tabla lessons from Tabla Maestro Pt. Swapan Chaudhuri for the last 5 years.
Vivek Datar
Vivek Datar
Harmonium
Vivek learnt art of harmonium solo and accompaniment from (late) Pt. Vinayakrao Kale, who was a Gwalior Gharana vocalist. Kalebua was a prolific composer, with more than 800 compositions of his own. Vivek has taught several of them to his disciples in bay area. Currently Vivek learns from Vidushi Seema Shirodkar as and when time permits. Seema hails from Mumbai, and is a disciple of Pandit Tulsidas Borkar.
Vivek has accompanied several noted artists such as Vidushi Veena Sahastrabuddhe, Vishushi Ashwini Bhide-Deshpande, Vidushi Padma Talwalkar, Pt Arun Dravid, Pt Madhav Gudi. He has keen interest in tuning theory and applications. He co-created a unique changeable-reed harmonium with Hinge Brothers from Mumbai.
Vivek resides and teaches in the Bay Area.
Pradosh Sarkar
Pradosh Sarkar
Tabla
Bio coming soon.
Ravi Gutala
Ravi Gutala
Tabla
Ravi was initiated at a very early age into Tabla by Shri P.Anjaiah, in Hyderabad, India and has been studying Tabla under Maestro Swapan Chaudhuri at Ali Akbar College since 1990. He has been teaching Tabla in South Bay for the past 20 years.
Ravi was recipient of All India National Talent Search Scholarship and was a regular performer at AIR, Hyderabad. He has accompanied many noted artistes such as, Pt.Jasraj, Dr Balamurali Krishna, Smt.Lakshmi Shankar, Dr.L.Subramaniam, Shri Anup Jalota, Master Shashank etc. and has played on 14 CD recordings.
Tabla
Harmonium
Accompanied by
Vivek Datar on Harmonium
Ravi Gutala on Tabla
Shubhangi Sakhalkar
Shubhangi Sakhalkar
Vocal
Shubhangi Sakhalkar is one of the founders of the Ustad Amir Khan Music Festival.
Shubhangi brings a brilliant pedigree to her music from the early years of tutelage from Mrs. Kunda Vaishampayan, followed by the devoted learning from the renowned artists, Dr. Prabha Atre and her present guru Smt. Padma Talwalkar and years of ardent "riyaaz".
She has performed in several musical circles and events in India and has accompanied her guru in concerts all over the country, including the highly regarded Savai Gandharva music festival.
A gold medallist with an M.A. degree in Hindustani classical music, Shubhangi believes in sharing the knowledge and raising the awareness of Indian Classical music by teaching her students for whom she is an inspiring mentor. She hopes for the Ustad Amir Khan Music Festival to provide opportunities to young artists in North America and to promote Hindustani Classical music appreciation throughout the world.
Vocal
Prashant Phatak
Prashant Phatak
Harmonium
Prashant Phatak is a self taught harmonium player. He has accompanied many artists such as Shrimati Shubhangi Sakhalkar over the past 20 years. He is currently learning Hindustani vocal from Shrimati Sakhalkar.