The brilliant sarod player Brij Narayan is the son of the great sarangi maestro Pandit Ram Narayan, and it was from his father that he learnt music. Brij was also fortunate in having been introduced to the complexities of tal by his late uncle Pandit Chatur Lal, so he is very ably carrying on a wonderful family tradition.

Brij has obviously been markedly influenced by the inimitable Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, whose name is synonymous with the sarod. Brij has developed his own personality and style, marked with a deep sense of melody combined with virtuosity. He has performed at all the major festivals and venues in India, and all over the world, and has already been the recipient of many awards.

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Pandit Buddhadev Dasgupta was born in 1933 in the Indian state of Bihar. He studied under the legendary Pandit Radhika Mohan Moitra from the age of ten for some thirty-eight years until the latter's death.

Pandit Radhika Mohan Moitra learned from Ustad Mohammed Amir Khan, and also Ustad Dabir Khan of the Rampur Senia gharana. Hence, Buddhadevji represents a style which is a synergy between the Mohammed Amir Khan gharana and the Rampur Senia gharana.

Ustad Amir Khan's style was renowned for its closeness to the techniques of rabaab playing. Pandit Buddhadev Dasgupta's “Dora Baaz” and “Rabaabi Baaz” on the sarod are unparalleled today. When you add to this his own musical personality, and his huge knowledge of rags and compositions, its no wonder that Pandit Buddhadev Dasgupta is recognised today as one of the finest sarod players and musicians of India

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Girija Devi was born in Varanasi (Benares) in 1929. This city was considered one of the most important centres for music and dance; a city where vocal styles such as thumri, dadra, chaiti and kajri developed and flourished over centuries.

Girija Devi studied first with Pandit Sarju Prasad Misra, a well known singer and sarangi player, and later with Pandit Chandra Misra. She married a business man at a very young age who supported her in her pursuit of her passion for music.

Today, Girija Devi is the finest of the few surviving performers in the Purab style. A wonderful singer of khyal, she also excels in the lighter classical traditions of thumri, tappa, kajri, dadra and chaiti, which have all emerged from folk music.
She has, of course, a huge repertoire covering all these forms.

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His Holiness Acharya Goswami Gokulotsav Maharaj is a descendant of Jagadguru Srimad Vallabhacharya, in whose philosophical thinking music played a fundamental part. He lives in Indore and has acquired a fine reputation for his knowledge of music and his extraordinary performance skills.

He first studied under Pandit Moreshwar Rao Golvelkar, who taught in the Gwalior and Kirana traditions. Gokulotsavji also became proficient in the art of playing the veena and pakhawaj. As he grew in stature he was influenced by Ustad Aman Ali Khan, who inspired him to develop serenity in his performance. Often, Gokulotsavji was mistaken for Ustad Amir Khan. This led him to modify his own style and develop his own personality, which is now flourishing.

As a composer he has created many compositions, and in this recording made in London in 1999, he sings a new rag that he has developed called Ramapriya. He has created many compositions under his pen name, Madhur Piya. Being a Kirtan Kar of the Vallabh Sampradaya, his style has been influenced by the traditional dhrupad and dhamar associated with temple devotional music. He has received many awards and has performed all over the world.

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Born in Dar-es-Salam (Tanzania) on 13th December 1957 and subsequently educated in England, Kiranpal Singh's first music study was the Tabla, which he pursued under the guidance of Shree Ripudhamman Singh of Punjab Gharana from 1970 to 1977.

His potential, as an artiste of the highest calibre, was recognised by his Holiness Sri Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji Maharaj, spiritual Head of the Namdhari Sikhs, on a visit to the UK, and His Holiness bountifully arranged for Kiranpal to be sent to Bombay to study Santoor in the traditional way under Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma. He completed twelve years of study as an outstanding student, mastering the subtleties and intricacies of the instrument in such a commanding way, that he is now recognised as a leading disciple of Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, and in his own right as the principal Santoor player in UK, and one of a dedicated few in Europe.

Kiranpal has been in England since 1987 and has gained respect and admiration for his virtuoso performances in the UK, Europe and beyond, in recitals, festivals and lecture demonstrations. Admired by both audiences and critics, his mastery of the advanced techniques of the instrument, combined with a creative flair and spontaneous imagination, has developed a recognisable individuality in his performances. This, in turn, has led him to be sought after as a co-leader of ground-breaking developmental and cross-cultural projects, whilst continuing to advance the presentation of Indian Classical music to ever widening audience through his solo work.

Kiranpal has released three compact discs with Multione Records Ltd.

1. STRINGS OF ELEGANCE-Raga Chandrakauns and Sindhi-Bhairavi (1994).

2. RAGA SHREE-(1995).

3. MOMENTS IN TIME-Raga Kaunsi-Kanhra and Bhairavi- Dhun (1996).

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He was born on 15thOctober 1967 into a highly illustrious family of traditional musicians of the Agra Gharana. He is the grandson of the legendary Ustad Vilayat Hussain Khan (Pranpiya) and Gayan Samrat Ustad Azmat Hussain Khan (Dilrang)

Mehboob was initiated in the art of music at a very young age by his father Ustad Yakub Hussain Khan and uncle Shri Rafat Khan - in addition under the able guidance of the world renowned sitar maestro Pandit Arvind Parikh, and grew up into an artist of rare calibre and much promise.

He has been the recipient of many prestigious music scholarships and has won accolades in a number of music competitions since my childhood. In 1991 he was honoured with the first prize in the All India Young Talent Contest from Nagpur and Khandwa and also a Bombay University Music Competition Trophy in the same year.

Endowed with a rich melodious and sonorous voice, he also learnt vocal music from his father Ustad Yakub Hussain Khan and his uncle Ustad Aslam Khan.

Apart from being gifted and talented, he possesses a keen and aesthetic sense and matured ability in the development and rendering of a raga.

Under the devoted teaching of his Guru and mentor Pandit Arvind Parikh he has excelled in perfecting the techniques and style of the legendary sitar maestro Ustad Vilayat Khan and has emerged to be a promising young sitarist of the Vilayatkhani Gharana.

His performances are truly unique and inspiring, and have enthralled audiences in India and abroad. He is a regular performer of all India Radio, where he gives solo performances.

He has performed all over India, East Africa, and Europe and is currently engaged with workshops and concerts in UK.

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Purbayan has established himself as one of the brightest stars of the younger generation of Indian classical musicians. He belongs to the Senia Maihar Gharana founded by Ustad Allauddin Khan and he carries the rich legacy of the great sitar maestro Pandit Nikhil Banerjee.

Purbayan started his training with his father Sri Parthapratim Chatterjee, a senior disciple of Pandit Nikhil Banerjee and Ustad  Ali Akbar Khan. He is currently receiving talim (training and instruction) from Ustad Ali Akbar Khan.

Purbayan combines amazing virtuosity with mature lyricism, reflecting the style of Pandit Nikhil Banerjee in depth, discipline, and exuberance. His style is an interesting mix of the vocal traditions of dhraupad and khyal, and evidence of that is seen in his balanced and fine technique between both the right and left hands; the left produces fine glissandi by deflecting the string across the frets and is matched in the power of the mizrab (plectrum) on the right index finger plucking the strings.

Pandit Anindo Chatterjee is one of the most eminent tabla maestros playing today. Initially inspired by his uncle, Pandit Biswanth Chatterjee, Anindo became a disciple of the legendary Pandit Gyan Prakash Ghosh. He has established himself as a fine soloist as well as an accompanist, with wide experience, a deep knowledge of compositions, great depth and virtuosity.

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Purnima Sen has the rare distinction of being one of the very few women performers belonging to the Agra-Atrauli gharana. This is known for its vigour, strength and vitality. Although she started her training at an early age in Baroda, her first guru was in Delhi - the late Ustad Vilayat Hussain Khan. Later on she became a pupil of the late Ustad Ata Hussain Khan, who was recognised as a great teacher and a storehouse of information on the Agra-Atrauli gharana.

Ultimately, Purnima Sen learnt from the late Ustad Sharafat Husain Khan, one of the great maestros of North Indian classical music: this was where she developed her skills and gayaki (vocal style).

Purnima Sen has been awarded by All India Radio and TV the title of "Bidusha", which means "learned". She has a large repertoire of both popular and rare rags with old compositions. She is gifted with a delightful and distinctive voice, and has performed all over the world. She is also called upon as an advisor by various organisations, including All India Radio and the Sangeet Research Academy; and she writes for several prominent daily papers in India.

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Rajan and his younger brother Sajan rank among India's finest musicians. These wonderful singers are from the artistic quarter known as Kabir Chaura in the ancient city of Varanasi, and represent the tradition of Gharana named after the city.

They learnt from their father, the late Pandit Hanuman Prasad, their uncle Pandit Gopal Misra and from the Pandit Bade Ramdasji. The hallmark of their style is the superb intonation, beautiful imagination and yet traditional approach to the music, in which they include old compositions as well as their own, using amazing vocal range and technique. They have been showered with numerous awards in India and are recognised all over the world for their artistry.

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Rajasthan, the "land of the rulers", is considered one of the most romantic of Indian states, and it is also the home of some of the sub-continent's most beautiful music. Alongside the magical palaces of these princely rulers there developed a rich village tradition, with folk musicians performing for themselves, and also for their patrons on all occasions: life-cycle ceremonies; music associated with the temples, with regional themes, and with heroic figures. Their songs told of love and war, of longing and separation, of victory and in praise of God, and of social issues such as the value of their animals (especially camels) to their way of life.

The music was traditionally learnt by imitation and in the oral tradition, but with industrialisation, migration, advanced communications, and now globalisation, traditional music has been endangered. In these circumstances it is heartening to find there is a strong revival of the traditional music, and the wonderful talent, skill and sheer joy of many young musicians is witness to this.

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Pandit Ram Narayan is one of the most outstanding musicians of our time. From Udaipur in Rajasthan he learned first from his father, the late Pandit Nathuji Biawat. In the early part of his career he developed his knowledge and technique as an accompanist to many great singers and acquired for himself a fine reputation in that role

However, feeling that his own creative instincts were not being given adequate opportunity, he decided in the early 1950's to develop his career as a soloist, and thereby established the sarangi as a solo instrument.

Anyone who listens to Ram Narayan knows well the phenomenal technique that he has in his hands, acquired after years of rigorous and disciplined practice. He modified the sarangi and added new methods of bowing and finger techniques and these are now regarded by performers and students alike as standard practice. His genius has rightly been recognised through the many awards he has received including the Padmabhushan and the Sangeet Natak Academy Award.

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Ronu Majumdar is one of India's foremost exponents of the bansuri or bamboo flute. He was born in Varanasi in 1963 and first studied the flute under his father Dr Bhanu Majumdar. Ronu then went to study vocal music with Pandit Laxman Prasad Jaipurwale, returning in due course to the flute, this time under flute master Pandit Vijay Raghav Rao.

Ronu is today a much sought-after musician. He represents the Mahar gharana, which created such illustrious musicians such as Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. His imagination, versatility and virtuosity are compelling and make Ronu irresistible to listeners and devotees of North Indian Music.

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Often described as a ‘light' or ‘semi-classical' style, thumri is nevertheless a demanding and highly refined genre. Thumri developed in Lucknow during the early 19th century AD, and is now a popular art form. Much emphasis is placed on the subtle expression of emotions inherent in the song-texts, and their musical manipulation by the singer.

Sunanda Sharma is a fine classical singer and teacher and young star of the Benares gharana, who has gained her knowledge and experience from the great Smt Girija Devi. This year she is returning to teach a range of thumri and light classical vocal music.

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Dhrupad is believed to be the oldest surviving form of North Indian classical vocal music, dating back to the 15th century. An austere and highly spiritual form, dhrupad has enjoyed a revival of popularity in recent years.

Uday Bhawalkar is a respected dhrupad singer, from the long-standing Dagar gharana. He has performed at many prominent music festivals in India and abroad and has taught at the Rotterdam Conservatorium, the World Music School in Amsterdam and at the Asian Music Summer School 2000 and 2001.

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Profile

Hanif Khan is the son and disciple of the illustrious and highly renowned master of tabla, Ustad Hidayat Khan. He has inherited a rich legacy of gats and bols (compositions) from his father under the traditional Indian Classical learning system. Since teenager, he has toured extensively in small and large ensembles. Although an accomplished classically trained tabla player, earning the respect of both Indian classical and semi classical artists, Hanif also has an expert touch for the light genres including lok geet , bhajans , folk and western fusion styles.

Currently Hanif is considered one of the top tabla players in the UK and is a regularly sought after accompanist at the Nehru Centre, Mayfair for visiting Indian artists. Hanif's musical career has taken him across the world both as an accompanist and solo performer. This includes visits to the US, Canada, Israel, Jordan, Belgium, Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, Czech Republic and Spain.

Accompanist to

• Pt Arvind Parikh (sitar) - Purcell Room
• Ustadh Fateh Ali Khan (vocal) - Purcell Room
• Gulam Ali (ghazal) -Queen Elizabeth Hall
• Wajahat Khan (sarod) with Sinfonia Verdi - St Albans
• Hariharran (ghazal) - SOAS
• Nirmal Udas (ghazal) various venues - London
• Ustadh Gulam Mustafa Khan (vocal) - London
• Sanjeev & Karuna (ghazal) US National Public Radio - Arizona
• Pt Arvind Parikh (sitar) Radio France
• Ustadh Nishad Khan (sitar) private audience for Paul McCartney – India
• Nicolas Magriel (sarangi) British Museum
• “DHA” an Indian/ western jazz improvisation ensemble currently playing various UK venues
• Sunanda Sjarma-Purcell Roompart of the AMC's 2004 “The little Chilli Festival”

Festivals

• Israel - Mevaserat Festival Solo Performance
• Israel - Arat Festival Solo Performance
• Jordan - UN Festival of Music Petra
• UK - Womad Festival accompanied Purbayan Chatterjee
• Numerous Italian festivals with Indo-European Music Ensemble

Workshop/ Masterclass

Sitar accompaniment with Pt Arvind Parikh – Canada, Jordan, Leeds School of Music & SOAS

Sitar accompaniment with Ustadh Nishad Khan Victoria & Albert Museum

Mr Hanif Khan has also taught at various workshops and schools across UK.

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In Piu Sarkhel, we have a young lady who has learnt from her father Sri Kamal Bannerjee and has been totally inspired by one of the greatest singers of our generation Ustad Amir Khan who stayed at their home in Kolkata on many occassions. She has therefore imbibed the AMIR KHANI GAYAKI - style, which was characterized by a superb sense of ease and pace from meditative to the highly virtuosic and she sings his compositions. Blessed with a superb voice, with a fantastic technique, Piu is also one of those rare artists who is able to articulate in English and can talk about her music as well as perform it with equal ease.

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Enter the global sound world of Mrigya, a unique fusion band from Delhi which presents a rich blend of blues, funk, latino and Indian Classical music. Mrigya stretches the boundaries of music with a sound that unites the world as one family, a philosophy which is demonstrated in the term “Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam”. Mrigya became the first Indian band to get a 4 star rating with the Scotsman at the 2001 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

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Ustad Ghulam Ali is probably one of the biggest names in the music of the South Asian sub-continent. He is one of the pioneers responsible for reviving the beautiful style of GHAZAL in the seventies. Ghulam Ali has been one of the major ambassadors trying to forge bridges across the border between India and Pakistan and he is admired equally in both countries, with a huge following all over the world.

Ghulam Ali was born in Sialkot district in 1940 prior to partition into a family of musicians: his father was a singer and a sarangi player from whom he received his initial training. Later he had a brief period under the legendary Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Bade Mubarak Ali and Barkat Ali. He rose to fame once he started to perform for Radio Lahore in 1960. His unique style is founded in classical music, a strong understanding and knowledge of poetry, a lovely voice and imagination and creative skills.

GHAZAL has its origins in the devotional music of the SUFI shrines but has today become a very popular urban stage art form. Mehdi Hassan and the inimitable Jagjit Singh are other names that spring to mind when talking about contemporary ghazal singing.

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Shawm band musicians are the gypsies of China, and the Hua family band are among the most exhilarating. Led by master musicians Hua Yinshan (shawm) and his older brother Hua Jinshan (drum), they are busy performing for funerals and calendrical ceremonies. In 2002 the band scored a big hit at Yo Yo Ma's Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington.

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Following the success of the Nizami Brother's debut UK in 2004, the singers return their cousins from Pakistan spirit of friendship and co-operation between India and Pakistan. The group perform devotional music rooted in the Sufi mystical traditions which is both lyrical and vitally rhythmic.

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Creator of the mohan veena and winner of the Grammy Award, Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt has mesmerized the world with his dazzling musicality, virtuosity and bewildering command over the mohan veena (designed by him).

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One of the most talented vocalists of the country, Manjri Asnare-Kelkar, was born into a family of musicians. Her father Anand Asnare is a well-known tabla artists from Sangli, a culturally vibrant town of Western Maharastra. Her father persuaded her to take up lessons in the classical vocal music under the guidance of Shri M.T.Mhaiskar from Sangli (Mahastra) and after six years of initial training to take her skills further placed her under the guidance of Pt.M.S. Kanetkar, a well known disciple of late Ustad Bhurjikhan Saheb of Jaipur Gharana.

Maniri with her disciplined practise backed by a methodical and thoughtful approach has imbibed the best qualities of the Jaipur Gharana. Today Maniri is looked upon as a true successor of the complex and rich “ Gayaki” of Jaipur Gharana which included great names such as Alladiya Khan and Kesarbai Kerkar. Manjri has performed at major festivals in India and enthralled audience everywhere winning many awards and much praise on the way. She will be accompanied on tabla by Vishwanath Shirodkar.

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Bireshwar Gautam, fondly referred to as “Biru”, is probably one of the finest rising stars of classical music in India and yet he still makes that rare and much cherished connection with the golden period of Indian music. He has been trained in Kathak under the guidance of some of the greatest names of this style – Guru Bandana Sen, Padmashri Late Pt. Gopi Krishna and Padmashri Damayanti Joshi. If this was not enough, he also trained in vocal music under the guidance of his father the late Sailen Pal, and specialised in the khayal gayaki with Pt. Vasantrao Kulkarni and romantic vocal style of thumri under the eminent Smt. Shobha Gurtu. This combination of Kathak and Thumri – to superb standards of rendition, make Biru a remarkable artist who has received recognition and much praise from fellow artists and public alike. He has performed in many prestigious festivals throughout India and abroad both as a dancer and as a singer.

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Munojat Yulchieva is the brightest star of Uzbek classical music at the end of the 20th century. She studied music at Tashkent State Conservatory under the guidance of Shavkat Mirzaev, who has been her spiritual teacher since 1978. For the past ten years she has toured Europe, Asia, the USA and Latin America. Her repertoire consists of the best examples of Uzbek classical music as well as music by contemporary bastoqors, composers in the traditional Uzbek style. Thanks to her unique voice (a low alto encompassing two-and-a-half octaves) Munojat performs songs from both female and male repertoires.

A well-known and highly respected artist, she has participated in numerous traditional music festivals throughout Europe as well as in Morocco, Brazil and the United States. Munojat has received several distinguished awards, and has recorded many albums, notably in France and in Germany. This year Munojat was nominated in the Asia/Pacific category for the prestigious BBC Radio 3 World Music Awards.

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Shubha Mudgal who has classical training is bestowed with a powerful and resonant voice with an equally powerful stage presence. A versatile singer, her involvement with Bollywood and experimental work with the likes of Nikki Yeoh has endeared her to the younger Asian audiences.

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Juliet Roberts is one of the most powerful voices in contemporary British music and has the great ability to embellish the words of a song with her own character. Jazz is often said to be nearest to Indian music when it comes to improvisation and the intimacy of the performance.

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Kandia Kouyate is one of Mali's most enigmatic singers whose album BIRIKO (Sterns) has been called one of the most important recordings of traditional African music in the new millennium. Her personality, power and music led to her being referred to as "la dangeureuse" - from which the title of this project came.

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The acclaimed Tsugaru-Shamisen star and top Japanese traditional instruments players present a fusion of traditional and modern improvised rhythm and sounds.

Shinichi Kinoshita's outstanding technique and soulful sound has given him reputation as “ the shamisen player with divine hands “

Tsugaru-Shamisen is a three-string banjo-like instrument played in the folk style in Tsugaru region of northern Japan with history of more than 100 years. Its character and spirit are often compared with jazz, both in its improvisational approach and in its roots. it evolved from blind street minstrels who played door to door. With its earthy and percussive sound, it is particularly popular with younger Japanese now.

Born in 1965 and starting shamisen lessons at age 10, Kinoshita passed a Tsugaru-shamisen audition at age 17. He went on to win the Tsugaru-shamisen Nationwide Tournament two years running (1986-87) and in 2000, he won the first championship of “Tsugaru Shamisen National Tournament of Successive Class “A” Champion Yamada Chisato Cup Contest.

Kinoshita's challenging music fuses these traditional roots with rock, jazz and contemporary music. He has established his own dynamic genre, Tsugaru Fusion, which explores this crossover of traditional Japanese and Western instruments of any genre.

In November 2001, he released first original albums, “Den” and “Kai”. In 2002, he released “SOGU”, a collaboration album with a celebrated Hungarian violinist Roby Lakatos from avex io and toured all over Japan. His fourth album “SHOW” features authentic Tsugaru-Shamiesn style (released in February 2003).

Kinoshita has performed in over 25 countries. Last year he participated in International Istanbul Music Festival and gave concerts in UK.

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A superb, all-female group of Indian Carnatic musicians, led by Latha Ramchar – the only lady khanjira (small tambourine) player in India. Living up to the name ‘SHAKTI' (the female energy and force in our life and nature), this unique group of six female musicians is highly talented and very powerful. The addition of a saxophone player amongst a group of traditional musicians adds great interest and flair.

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Recognised for his "delicacy mixed with dexterity" Anindya brings a "distinctive touch and refreshing approach to his music". Anindya Baneljee's style of presentation is heavily influenced by traditional styles of sarod playing. He has successfully integrated Rabab, Sursringar and Veena elements into his style. He prefers to play often rare ragas and compositions. He has made a special effort to collect old compositions and has done research in the repertoires of many old masters of instrumental and vocal masters.

Born in 1958,son of noted vocalist Srimati Aradhana Baneljee(Disciple of Ustad Sagir Khan of Rampur and Pandit Chinmoy Lahiri) Anindya started learning sarode in 1968 at the Ali Akbar College of Music,Kolkata,receiving trainings from Shree Dhyanesh Khan,Shree Aashis khan,Ustad Bahadur Khan,Pandit Nikhil Banerjee and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan.At present he is receiving advanced training in the "Gurukul"system from Ustad Ali Akbar Khan.

Anindya Banerjee has performed all over the world and has also composed music for theatres,documentary films and ballet. For a number of years, Anindya Banerjee was music critic for The Telegraph and The Statesman,leading Calcutta dailies. He still writes on music,musicians and musicology. Apart from the sarode he plays the ancient and almost extinct instrument the SURSRINGAR and his attempt to revitalize this noble instrument has received praise from many quarters.

He has received Senior Fellowship in Hindusthani Instrumental Music from Ministry of Culture in 2002.

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