October 13, 2003
Disciple of renowned master musician Ali Akbar
Khan to kick off new Indian classical music series
By Scott Rappaport
Violinist Sisirkana Dhar Chowdhury--a disciple of renowned master musician
Ali Akbar Khan for over 30 years--will kick off the UCSC Music Departments
2003-04 Indian Classical Music series with a concert on Saturday, October
25, at 7:30 p.m. in the Music Center Recital Hall.
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Acclaimed Indian violinist
Sisirkana Dhar Chowdhury (above) will perform in concert at the
Music Recital Hall on October 25, accompanied by Uttam Chakraborty
(below) on tabla and Jyotsana Dutta Roy (not pictured) on tanpura.
Photos courtesy of UCSC Music Department |
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One of Indias premier performers of Hindustani music, Sisirkana
will be accompanied by Uttam Chakraborty on tabla and Jyotsana Dutta
Roy on tanpura.
Sisirkana has performed frequently on All India Radio and Television
and is a 1997 recipient of Indias prestigious Sangeet Natak Academy
award for her contribution to the field of Hindustani classical violin.
Sisirkana is also a visiting professor at the Ali Akbar College of
Music in San Rafael, where she serves as director of bowed instruments.
She first met Khan in 1956, and has since toured the world, performing
in Nepal, Bangladesh, Scandinavia, Russia, Japan, England, and throughout
the United States.
This is a brand-new concert series, noted UCSC music professor
Linda Burman-Hall. It comes out of the generosity of Kamil and
Talat Hasan, two Silicon Valley entrepreneurs who have made an endowment
for classical Indian music at the campus. They were concerned about
a younger generation of Indian heritage students who havent had
the exposure to the musical traditions that their parents experienced.
And they also wanted to provide exposure for non-Indian students who
may be curious about this wonderful improvisational musical tradition.
The concert series is also funded by the Ali Akbar Khan Endowment for
Classical Indian Music, established in 1999 at UCSC. This fund enriches
courses in Indian music and has helped make possible the presence on
campus of Ali Akbar Khan.
One of the worlds most accomplished Indian classical musicians
and raga composers, the legendary 81-year-old Khan is revered by jazz,
classical, and pop musicians worldwide. He has performed for more than
8 million people, recorded nearly 100 albums, and received numerous
awards and honors--including a MacArthur Foundation Genius
award, four Grammy nominations, and a prestigious National Heritage
Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.
In 1999, Khan was named Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Music at
UCSC. His role on campus is to present occasional concerts, master classes,
and workshops, both on his own and with his associates. He also serves
as an adviser to the Arts Division in the development of courses and
resources in Indian classical music, and helps facilitate the presentation
of outstanding guest performers.
Burman-Hall said that future concerts in the series are scheduled for
February 29 and May 2, with the bookings soon to be announced.
For more information, contact the UCSC Ticket Office at (831) 459-2159
or go to: events.ucsc.edu/tickets.
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