An enchanting evening of Hindustani classical music featuring world renowned artists:
Pankaj Mishra – Sarangi
Dr. Pooja Goswami Pavan – vocal, sufi
Abhishek Basu – tabla
Friday, October 5
Towsley Auditorium, Washtenaw Community College, Ann Arbor
Pankaj Mishra: Sarangi
Sarangi artist Pankaj Mishra born into a lineage of exceptional musicians family, Son of Sri Satyanarayan Mishra, Grandson of Pt. Mahadeo Prasad Mishra, and great-grandson of Sarangi virtuoso Pt. Saraju Prasad Mishra. He was trained from an early age by the renowned Sarangi player Pt. Mahesh Prasad Mishra of the Benaras Gharana.
Pankaj is an “A” Grade artist at All India Radio & Television. He is a highly regarded soloist and accompanist, performing with such renowned artists as , Pt. Swapan Chaudhuri, , Pt. Kumar Bose Pt. Anindo Chatterjee. His dance recital performances with kathak exponent Pt. Birju Maharaj, Pt. Chitres Das, have been widely acclaimed.Vocal accompaniment with Padmabhusan Girija Devi, Bidushi Purnima Chowdhury. Pankaj regularly tours USA, Canada, Japan, Trinidad, Kenya,T urkmenistan, Bangladesh and European countries like Germany, Italy, Holland, Belgium, Sweden, Spain, France, Austria, etc. His performances also include in some prestigious festivals in Europe ,USA & Canada.. including the Ali Akbar College of Music (California, U.S. and Basel, Switzerland), Ragmala organization (Edmonton,Calgary–Canada), Indian Embassy concerts (Berlin and Austria), the Gandharva Music Festival (Netherlands), UCLA, UCSD, UTSA and Cal Arts at the World music Festival.
Indian performances include the Dover Lane Music Festival, Sankat Mochan Festival, IOS festival, etc. Recently pankaj have visited Turkmenistan for a by ICCR. Pankaj performs music for Films & Documentaries in Hollywood and India, television and has recorded several CDs.
Pooja Goswami Pavan, Ph.D: Hindustani Vocal
Dr. Pooja Goswami Pavan is a Minneapolis, MN based performer, composer, teacher and scholar of Hindustani (North Indian classical) vocal music. She received her early training in Hindustani classical vocal music from her father Pandit Surendra Goswami and later from Prof. Ajit Singh Paintal. Currently she receives training in Khayal from her elder brother Dr. Shailendra Goswami. Pooja earned a Ph.D. in Indian Classical Music from the University of Delhi in 2005, under the supervision of Prof. Ajit Singh Paintal, for her thesis on the life and music of Pandit Amarnath, who was the prime disciples of the iconic vocalist Ustad Amir Khan.
Pooja is also trained in semi-classical music by the eminent vocalist Vidushi Shanti Hiranand, the reigning queen of Thumri and Ghazal and the universally acclaimed successor of the legendary vocalist, the Late Begum Akhtar. The versatility in Pooja’s repertoire is evident in her ability to sing Thumri, Dadra, Ghazal, Bhajan, Sufi and various folk inspired genres such as the Hori, Chaiti & Kajri besides the Khayal.
Pooja has received prestigious National Scholarships in Hindustani classical music awarded by the Ministry of Human Resources and the Sahitya Kala Parishad in India. The prominent venues she has performed at include the India Habitat Center (New Delhi), the Sangeet Natak Academy (New Delhi), the India International Center (New Delhi), the Vietnam International Tourism Festival (Hanoi), the Guthrie Theater (Minneapolis, MN), the Ordway Center for Performing Arts (St. Paul, MN) and the O’Shaughnessy (St. Paul, MN). She has performed widely and lectured at several premier academic institutions spread across the USA. Pooja has been the recipient of the Artist Initiative Grant and the Folk and Traditional Arts Grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, the Next Step Grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council and the Subito Grant from the American Composers Forum for her various projects. An active composer, she frequently collaborates with many leading music, dance and theater organizations including the Pangea World Theater, Ananya Dance Theater and the Katha Dance Theater. Pooja was recently honored with the prestigious McKnight Fellowship for Musicians by the McKnight Foundation in Minneapolis, MN.
Pooja has several recordings to her credit, including a CD of Sufiana Kalam (“Piya Basey Kaun Des (In What Land’s My Beloved)”) and a CD of Ghazals (“Kaise Keh Duun (How Shall I Say)”) both featuring several original compositions of her own. Pooja has also been an adjunct faculty member at the School of Music, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, and at Macalester College, St. Paul, where she has taught several courses in Indian music and culture ever since coming to Minnesota in 2006.
Abhishek Basu: Tabla
Abhishek Basu is an internationally acclaimed percussion virtuoso and music director. He was trained under late Pandit Sankar Ghosh and Maestro Bickram Ghosh. Abhishek received Pandit Jyan Prakash Ghosh Award in 2001, Rotary best young music director award in 2007, Sangeet Prabhakar award, Dover Lane music award, BBC award and many others. Abhishek has appeared in concerts both as a soloist and accompanist in concerts all over India & all around the globe including USA, Canada, Europe, Malaysia, Singapore, Bangladesh, Dubai, Bahrain etc. He has played with many senior classical musicians like Santoor Maestro Pandit Tarun Bhattacharya, vocal exponent Smt. Subhra Guha and many others. He has also collaborated with world musicians like Telesma Band, Pianist Jim Wendt, Congo Square drummer Favian Jolivet etc.
Rasa Festival 