AMC Indian music summer school artists and other great Indian classical musicians.

The AMC summer school concerts have been very successful over the last five years. In 2004 but we wish to not only present the artists in a different way but would also like to tour them.
Their phenomenal skills and musicianship really have to be heard and seen by audiences outside London. We intend to hold an all-night concert or a small festival in the form of a series of morning, afternoon & evening concerts and also offer all the artists to perform other concerts outside London.

Rajan + Sajan Misra the two great brothers and masters of khyal. They have worked on an
AMC commission with Michael Nyman (Sangam) in 2002 and have performed with him in London, Manchester and in July 2003 at the Cartagena Festival in Spain. The fantastic musicality, intonation, virtuosity, and depth of their singing leaves one breathless.

Uday Bhawalkar sings the ancient style of dhrupad accompanied on the pakhawaj by Manik Munde. This is a beautiful, serene and yet robust style of singing which requires great vocal control.

Sunanda Sharma is a fine classical singer, 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.

Purbayan Chatterjee has established himself as one of the brightest sitar players 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.

These fine artists will be joined for The Little Chilli Festival in London the master of the santoor Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, Kathak maestro - Deepak Maharaj (Son of the legendary Pandit Birju Maharaj) and contemporary musicians - Trilok Gurtu and Indian rock group Orange Street.

Chinese Music Summer School
Following the success of the 2003 Chinese Music Summer School the AMC are bringing master "qin" player - Li Xiang Ting will be giving classes to "qin" students and will be available for giving concerts. UK resident Cheng YU will be giving classes on the "pipa" and again will be available for giving concerts - especially with her ensemble.

Li Xiang Ting master 'qin' player (7 stringed zither)
The qin zither is one of the most and ancient and sophisticated instruments in China. An intimate solo tradition, it is inspired by the more meditative aspects of Daoism, seeking mystical communion with nature.

Cheng Yu - pipa (4 stringed lute)
The pipa is highly versatile, sharing with the qin an important historical role in the self-cultivation of the elite and the aristocracy of the imperial dynasties, yet it also features prominently in the earthy folk styles of, for example, the Silk-and-Bamboo ensembles of the Shanghai tea houses and the Nanguan narrative singing of Fujian on the south eastern coast. Pipa music is famed for its unique richness of expression.

Cheng Yu is also founder of the UK Chinese Ensemble that seeks to promote a wide variety of traditional repertories as well as exploring contemporary styles.

Ning Baosheng - dizi (transverse flute)
Ning Baoshen is a world renowned dizi flute master. He is a principal soloist and leader of the wind section of the Central Orchestra of Chinese Music in Beijing. During more than four decades of dizi performances he has made his name a s a distinguished dizi virtuoso, and has published many research articles and solo CD's, as well as new compositions for the dizi. His creation, based on a long-lost Chinese flute known as 'guhu', was awarded the 'Technological enhancement award' by the Minister for Culture in 1993, and gained the 'golden prize' from the State Innovation Patent Bureau. Mr Ning plays a number of flutes including the xiao, bawu, hulusi and xun ocarina.

Hu Bin - erhu (2 stringed fiddle)
Hu Bin was born in Xi'an, Northwest China and began to learn the erhu (Chinese violin) at the age of 10. She went to study it for 10 years at the Xi'an Conservatory of Music, graduating with distinction in 1986. She won first prize at the Shaanxi Provincial Erhu Music Competition in 1987 and worked as an erhu player with the Shaanxi Provincial Traditional Music Ensemble. Since settling in Britain in 1982, she has performed widely in Britain and Europe.

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