Visiting Artists And Faculty
Checkout our list of visiting artists
A rare luminary of Indian Classical Music, Pandit Anindo Chatterjee has attained new heights in the art of tabla playing. Trained from his early childhood by Guru Padmabhusan Jnan Prakash Ghosh, he has developed a unique style expanding upon his vast knowledge of the tradition. Both technically and artistically, he is a milestone for future generations to follow, for whom he is a devoted Guru with some very promising disciples, including his son Anubrata. He is equally regarded as a soloist and an accompanist and has shared the stage with almost all the great musicians of India. In acknowledgment of his immense contribution to music, he was awarded the “Sangeet Natak Akademy Award” in 2002, presented by His Excellency The President of India.
A 2019-2020 Guggenheim Foundation Fellow, Sandeep Das is one of the leading Tabla players in the world today with a prolific international reputation that spans over three decades. Since his debut concert at the age of 17 with legendary Sitarist Pt. Ravi Shankar, Das has performed at major Indian music festivals with renowned musicians such as Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, Pt. Shivkumar Sharma, and Ust. Amjad Ali Khan, among others, and he is one of the unique Indian Classical musicians to expand beyond his traditional roots and collaborate with musicians from across the globe. Das has performed at major events such as the 150th annual celebration of the United Nations at the General Assembly Hall in NYC, opening ceremony of the Special Olympics in Shanghai, opening ceremony of the 1st Asia Expo in Kunming, China, World Economic Forum, the BBC Proms, and for visiting dignitaries like the Queen of England, Queen of Thailand, the Pope and various other visiting country heads. His collaboration with Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble (SRE) for “Sing Me Home” won the 2017 Grammy Award for the Best World Music album. He has had two previous Grammy nominations in 2005 and 2009. In 2017 he received the prestigious Brother Thomas Fellowship and New England Choice Artist of the Year award, and in 2018, he received a Live Arts Boston grant from the Boston Foundation.
Bageshree Vaze is an Indo-Canadian dance artist and musician. Raised in St. John’s, NL, Bageshree initially trained in Bharatha Natyam, and studied vocal music with her father, Damodar Vaze. She later trained in Kathak dance with Jai Kishan Maharaj in New Delhi, and studied vocal music with the renowned Veena Sahasrabuddhe. Living in Toronto since 1996, Bageshree has three CDs to her credit, including Tarana, an album of music for Indian dance, which was released in India by Times Music under the name Khanak. Bageshree holds an M.A. in Dance from York University. In 2009 Bageshree was featured as a guest artist with the Niagara Symphony Orchestra, and in 2010, she was awarded the K.M. Hunter Award in Dance.
Two musical paths merged into one when Kamaljeet and Jas were married in late 2011. Together, Kamaljeet and Jas founded the Art and Music Production company Absolute Focus. Through Absolute Focus, they have developed an international clientele and have written and produced music for live concerts, commercial advertising, album production, video games, theatrical trailers, and film/television scores. They regularly contribute to the score of Disney Jr’s Mira: Royal Detective. They just completed recording for Disney’s The Jungle Book: Alive with Magic, Apple TV’s series Home, and a commercial for Facebook. Their latest film credits include Let Me Make You a Martyr starring Maryln Manson, Sundance Audience Award winner Circumstance, Sean Hacket’s Homecoming, Igor Voloshin’s Beodouin, Cannes Film Festival Award winner Brahmin Bulls, Sundance Film Institute’s Himalaya Song, and Toronto Film Festival selection Nari. Their recent performances include collaborations with Bombay Dub Orchestra, Joseph Trapanese, Kaushiki Chakrabarty, Talvin Singh, Gingger Shankar, Amritha Vaz, and acclaimed dancer and choreographer Akram Khan.
Shankh Lahiri is the Founder and Director of Shruti Foundation & Shruti School of Music - a fast growing Music organization in USA that promotes the rich Art of Indian Classical Music as well as Cultural and Intercultural Music through its ongoing Classes, Concerts and Workshops. As a multi talented Tabla artist, Singer, Music educator, Music Producer and Composer, Shankh has gained his honorable reputation in Music from a busy schedule of performing with seasoned Senior Artists around the world as well as many new, young Contemporary Artists. With strong traditional Indian Classical Music training and wide performing experiences in World Music, he has achieved a deep understanding of Cultural Music and gained a reputation as a highly creative and innovative concert performer in both Classical and World Music genres. In addition to his regular touring as an International Tabla Artist and Director of his Music Organizations, Shankh also equally involve with his Cross Cultural Projects 'Wahh World Fusion Band' and 'Shankh & Friends'.
Antara Bhardwaj is one of the most dynamic Kathak artists of this generation. She studied in the traditional Guru-disciple tradition from her childhood, under legendary Kathak maestro Pandit Chitresh Das. She went on to become a Kathak soloist, and now runs her own dance school and company, Antara Asthaayi Dance.Antara’s panache and magnetism have dazzled audiences throughout the U.S. and India, performing at the International Kathak Festival (Chicago), Kohler Arts Center (Sheboygan, Wisc.), Disney’s REDCAT Theater (Los Angeles), the National Centre for Performing Arts (Mumbai), and in Scotland at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Antara has also had a prolific career as a filmmaker, working as an assistant director to acclaimed filmmaker, Jagmohan Mundhra (Provoked, Shoot on Sight) and most recently as a producer of Upaj: Improvise, where she brought her worlds of dance and film together. The film was broadcast nationally on PBS and screened in several festivals throughout the world and is now streaming on Amazon.
Born into an exceptional Musician-lineage.Being the son of Shri Satya Narayan Mishra, Great Grand Son of Sarangi virtuoso Late Pt. Saraju Prasad Mishra and Grand Son of Late Pt. Mahadeo Prasad Mishra.He was trained from an early age by the renowned Sarangi Player of Banaras Gharana late Pt. Mahesh Prasad Mishra. Pankaj created a distinct style of playing & has performed both as a SOLO artist and accompanist at several prestigious events in India, including the Dover Lane Music Conference, ITC Festival , Indo Occidental Symbiosis,Swar Samrat Festival,The Salt Lake Music Festival Etc.He has toured extensively in All over USA,Canada,Several countries of EUROPE,JAPAN,Bangladesh and more ,has performed at various programs in Abroad including the Ali Akbar Music College (San Rafael – California
Pankaj Mishra | Sarangi
Nilan Chaudhuri is a Bay Are based percussionist, teacher, and performer. Initiated into the world of classical Tabla by his father Pt. Swapan Chaudhuri, at the age of 5, Nilan has been performing internationally as an accompanist and soloist for nearly two decades. In addition to Tabla, Nilan plays the drum set, and produces his own music inspired by classical and contemporary sounds alike. Nilan has continued to perform as a Tabla soloist and accompanist. He has had the privilege and honor of sharing the stage with Hindustani Classical Music’s greatest treasures, such as maestros Alam Khan, Shujaat Khan, Ramesh Misra, and Amjad Ali Khansaib in a constantly growing list of prestigious venues, such as Carnegie Hall, The Fillmore, The Monterey Pop Festival, and The Fox Theater.
Nilan Chaudhuri | Tabla
Qais Essar is an international artist, composer, producer, and experienced live performer who carries on the traditional legacy of classical Afghan instrumentation as established by Ustad Mohammad Omar Khan. A student of not only both classical and traditional forms but western music as well, Essar is able to also present the Rabab with a fresh new perspective. In composition, he strives to bring the age-old Rabab into the 21st century, in an innovative fashion. Essar has collaborated with many prominent artists and masters covering the musical spectrum, performing domestically and internationally. His first LP, The Green Language (2014), was a #1 bestseller on Amazon. His second LP, Tavern of Ruin, was released in July, 2016. www.therabab.com
Qais Essar | Rabab
Vineet Vyas is one of Canada’s dynamic musical leading musicians. He is a disciple of the late legendary tabla maestro Pandit Kishan Maharaj. Vineet has performed across India, Europe and North America with some of India’s eminent classical artists such as Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Pandits Rajan and Sajan Mishra, Ustad Shahid Parvez, Rajib Karmakar and many others. He has numerous CDs to his credit such as ‘Taalworks’ which was released by Times Music India. His second Tabla solo CD, ’The
King of Dhamaar – a Tribute to Pt. Kishan Maharaj’ was nominated for Best World Music Recording by the East Coast Music Awards in 2011.
James Waterman is a multifaceted percussionist, composer, songwriter, and teaching artist based in Los Angeles. James is devoted to the exploration of all areas of percussion and has extensively studied Western Classical solo repertoire, orchestral percussion, Arabic drumming, Trinidadian Steel Drums, jazz vibraphone, Cuban and Haitian folkloric percussion, drum set, Indian tabla and tala systems, and Brazilian percussion. He also traveled to Ghana where he studied gyil (Ghanaian xylophone) with master musician Bernard Woma, Ashanti Kete drumming, Ewe drumming and dancing, and performed as a lead drummer at the Dagbe Cultural Institute and Arts Centre.
A disciple of world-renowned Tabla master Pandit Anindo Chatterjee, Javad's comprehensive approach to the instrument reflects his training at the hands of one of the finest Tabla artists alive today. In addition to his impressive technique, Javad's overall musicality, expressed equally in solo performance and accompaniment, leaves a lasting impression on listeners and has made him an in-demand young artist. Javad is amongst a few who have had the rare honor of becoming an official "gandabandh" disciple of Pandit Anindo Chatterjee. He has had the honor of accompanying world-renowned artists such as Ustad Aashish Khan and Ustad Sultan Khan. He has played in such venues worldwide as the Peter Norton Symphony Space in New York, the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and the Saptak Music Festival in Ahmedabad, India.Javad completed a Masters in Fine Arts degree under the tutelage and guidance of Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri, eminent exponent of the Lucknow Gharana, at the California Institute of the Arts in Los Angeles, CA.
Raaginder Momi:
Raaginder is a violinist and music composer from the San Francisco Bay Area. Hailing from the school of Maihar-Seni Gharana, Raaginder implements improvisation, rhythmic patterns, and the sounds of Indian Classical music on a modified five-string violin. He is deeply embedded into the tradition of Hindustani music through the teachings of great masters like Dr. Sisirkana Dhar Chowdhury and Ustaad Aashish Khan. While keeping that foundation, Raaginder is also immersed in contemporary music. He has produced several contemporary albums in which the sounds of Indian classical violin and hip-hop music intermingle. These works bring forth lyrical and rhythmic sections which stem from traditional elements while also infusing a modern touch. Raaginder has performed in prominent venues all over the world such as The White House, Staples Center, Wembley Arena and many more. Through these endeavors and experiences, Raaginder’s art brings forth a new, intense, and interesting sound for his audiences to hear.
Raaginder Singh Momi | Violin
Chris Votek is a creative cellist living and breathing music in Los Angeles. He studied with the masters of the West then learned from the masters of the East, and much of his work is a dialogue between cultures. A disciple of the legendary violinist Padmabushan Dr. N. Rajam, he is one of the only cellists in the world performing Hindustani raga in the rare vocal style Gayaki Ang. Votek has performed at top venues throughout the world with Julia Holter, Amanda Palmer, The Dirty Projectors, Father John Misty, Jherek Bischoff, WildUp, and The Silk Road Ensemble. He is the principal cellist of Nabil Azzam’s Arabic Orchestra MESTO, a member of Bridge to Everywhere, and a collaborator with Iranian singers Homayoun Shajarian and Mamak Khadem. Votek is releasing his first two albums this winter. Memories of A Shadow is an evocative string quintet merging the svara of raga with medieval polyphony and Searching is a collection of electro-acoustic songs exploring the digitization of nature.
Chris Votek | Cello