The World Music Institute and Sunny Thakkar Present RAGAS & KEYS OF NORTH INDIA Featuring Utsav Lal and Anurag Harsh, 4/4

Sunny Thakkar and the World Music Institute are pleased to present Ragas & Keys of North India featuring pianist Utsav Lal and vocalist Anurag Harsh on Saturday April 4, 2015 at 8:00pm in Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall.

Harsh, a leading Hindustani vocalist and Lal, a Young Steinway Artist and Yamaha Jazz Scholar, team up to present popular Indian classical and song compositions. The duo will be joined by Nitin Mitta on tabla. Also performing in a special segment is santoor (hammered dulcimer) maestro Pandit Tarun Bhattacharya.

With Indian classical music rarely presented on piano, the 22-year-old Lal, who first gained recognition as a child prodigy, is currently the only performing Hindustanti classical pianist and had the distinction of being the first musician to play piano at the 137th gathering of Harivallabh Sangeet Sammelan, India's oldest classical music festival.

His Excellency Ambassador Dnyaneshwar M. Mulay, the Consult General of India, New York, will give a foreword at the event.

The concert will be live streamed on youtube, with details to be announced at the event'sfacebook page

Tickets $15-$25
(limited availability left)
worldmusicinstitute.org/event/anurag-harsh-utsav-lal

USTAV LAL

www.ragapianist.com

Young Steinway Artist and Yamaha Jazz Scholar, 22 year old Utsav Lal has the honor of being the first musician to introduce the piano as an Indian Classical instrument at the 137th gathering of Harivallabh Sangeet Sammelan, India's oldest classical music festival. He is currently the only Hindustani classical pianist on the planet.

With an impressive thirteen year music career behind him, Utsav has been dubbed 'Raga Pianist' for his dextrous handling of the Indian Classical music genre. He has won international acclaim for his performances at top venues & festivals including The Kennedy Centre - Washington DC, The National Concert Hall-Dublin, Southbank Centre-London, Konset Huset-Sweden,The Chambers-Singapore and many others. Utsav Lal's unfailing clarity of technique and musical creativity draws from his advanced training in western classical, jazz and North Indian classical music and his style has been described by Novara Jazz festival Director Corrado Beldi as "illuminating grace."

With four solo albums and several laurels including national & international recognition as Young Steinway Artist (2010), TiE-Aspire Young Indian Achiever Award (2012), Yamaha Jazz Scholar UK (2014), Limca Book of Records (2007). Associated Board of Royal School of Music London (ABRSM) scholar & Ireland's MAMA Award (2008) for promotion of multiculturalism, Lal has performed extensively with solo concerts in India, USA, Singapore, Hong Kong, Canada and in the European cities of UK, Ireland, Sweden, Germany, Italy and The Netherlands. He has been lauded for his workshops titled "Breaking Boundaries" and commendable collaborative work with Irish & Scottish musicians blending Indian, Jazz & Celtic music. Lal is also well known in particular for his exploratory project work on the world's first ever Fluid Piano, invented by UK composer and inventor Geoff Smith on which he recently recorded a unique album in Feb 2015.

ANURAG HARSH

www.anuragharsh.com

Influenced by his Gurus Pt. Chandrakant Apte and Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, Anurag Harsh is a Sangeet Research Academy national award-winning vocalist with a powerful voice and a wide repertoire. With sold out solo performances at NY's Carnegie Hall and London's Royal Festival Hall, he has collaborated with many musicians including teaming up with Santoor maestro Pandit Tarun Bhattacharya for the world's first Santoor Vocal duet. Anurag's animated performances have made him popular among concert attendees. With a deep voice, his tri-octave taans are reminiscent of his Gurus. Anurag was born in Srinagar, the capital city of Kashmir in India. At the age of 4 he gave his first 45 min live solo concert. Anurag spent his entire childhood in the company of Hindustani maestros such as Prabhakar Karekar, Ajay Pohankar, Prabha Atre and Kumar Gandharva. At 17 he completed his Sangeet Alankar (MA in Music) from Gandharva in Mumbai. Anurag holds an MBA/MS from MIT's Sloan School and The Wharton School. An Internet entrepreneur by profession Anurag is the one of the founding executives of Ziff Davis, the world's largest technology, gaming and lifestyle publisher & 30th largest digital media company.

TARUN BHATTACHARYA

www.santoormaestro.com

Santoor Maestro Pt Tarun Bhattacharya is one of the most celebrated torch bearers of Indian classical music, with list of admirers that include Prince Charles & George Harrison. The famous Maihar Gharana's only Santoor maestro, Pandit Bhattacharya displayed for the first time ever that one could use 'meend' or glide notes at the lower octave in the Santoor. He is the inventor of "mankas" or fine tuners that help tune the 100 stringed Santoor quickly and accurately. Pt. Tarun Bhattacharya is known for his Ragdari and Layakari. He has released over 150 albums. Pt. Bhattacharya received his music education from his father Pt. Rabi Bhattacharya, Pt. Dulal Roy and finally from the great Bharat Ratna Pt. Ravi Shankar.

NITIN MITTA

www.nitinmitta.com

Nitin is one of the most sought after Tabla players in the music world. He has quickly established a reputation as an artist with a rare combination of technical virtuosity, spontaneity, clarity of tone, and sensitivity to melodic nuance. He is an acclaimed accompanist who has performed with some of India's most celebrated musicians including Pandit Jasraj, Pandits Rajan and Sajan Mishra, Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, and Ustad Shahid Parvez. He has also made a mark as a versatile musician in other spheres, his most recent collaboration with Grammy Nominee Vijay Iyer and Guitarist Prasanna on their new Album titled "Tirtha".

ABOUT SUNNY THAKKAR

Sneh "Sunny" Thakkar was born and brought up in Gujarat, India. He has been musically inclined from a very young age and studied tabla for a few years. Sunny's love for Indian classical music & dance has led him to promote and present numerous concerts in New York City. He has been working individually and with local organizations to present various Indian classical music legends and young artists. He has worked closely with organizations including The World Music Institute, SangeetSabha, South Asian Music & Arts Association (SAMAA), Robert Browning Associates, Harrice Miller Entertainment, HarmoNYom, Chhandayan, Navatman, The Rubin Museum of Art, Indo- American Arts Council, Raga Music Circle, Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan, SurSangeet, Vedic Heritage, and Ustad Vilayat Khan Foundation to help with the promotion of Indian classical music.

Sunny was awarded a citation from the Council of the City of New York for his efforts in promoting Indian culture & arts in New York. He continues to play a key role as an adviser to a group of non-profit organizations both in the United States & India. Sunny plans to continue his efforts to promote Indian Classical music & arts in NYC, Long Island & beyond. Sunny is honored to be presenting such talented artists at Carnegie Hall. He asks for ongoing support and blessings from everyone. He can be reached atnehnyc@gmail.com

ABOUT WMI

www.worldmusicinstitute.org

"a widely copied and influential force in New York cultural circles."
- The New York Times

Founded in 1985 as a not-for-profit, World Music Institute has served as the leading presenter of world music and dance within the United States. For the past 30 years, WMI has built the most comprehensive concert series of diverse music and dance performances, presenting the finest in traditional and contemporary music and dance from around the world. WMI encourages cultural exchange between nations and ethnic groups and collaborates with community organizations and academic institutions in fostering greater understanding of the world's cultural traditions. WMI works extensively with community groups and organizations including Indian, Iranian, Chinese, Korean, Middle Eastern, Latin American, Hungarian, Irish, and Central Asian. This has enabled WMI to be at the forefront of presenting the finest ensembles from these countries.

WMI curates a full season of concerts each year in New York City in venues throughout the city, including Symphony Space, Town Hall, Roulette, Skirball Performing Arts Center at NYU, New York City Center, Le Poisson Rouge, the Rose Theater (Jazz at Lincoln Center), and Carnegie Hall. It has presented more than 1,500 concerts and events featuring artists from more than 100 countries including Africa, Asia, Oceania, Europe, the Americas and the Middle East. Many concerts have been presented as thematic series; these have included Global Salon, The Musical World of Islam, Masters of Indian Music, Dancing The Gods, Africa in the Americas, Music around the Mediterranean, and National Heritage Masters.

In addition to its regular programming, WMI has brought many musical, dance and ritual traditions to the New York or U.S. stage for the first time, including Laotian sung poetry, folk music of Khorason and Bushehr (Iran), songs of the Yemenite Jews, Bardic divas of Central Asia, trance ceremonies from Morocco, music from Madagascar, and Theyyams (masked dances) of Kerala, South India.

Photo Courtesy of the World Music Institute

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