SANSHLESHAN: AN EVENING OF HINDUSTANI AND CARNATIC FUSION

Saturday, April 20, 2024 at 8pm

Global View Series Sponsored by
Worah Family Foundation

This performance is presented without an intermission.

SMT. KAUSHIKI CHAKRABORTY
DR. JAYANTHI KUMARESH

with

PT. ABHIJIT BANERJEE
JYOTIRMOY BANERJEE
K. U. JAYACHANDRA RAO

Kaushiki Chakraborty, a classical vocalist and composer, could reproduce Hindustani classical vocal patterns at the age of two. Maestros visiting the ITC Sangeet Research Academy (SRA), where Kaushiki grew up, soon discovered a new game: they would hurl the most complex of patterns at her, using only the "aa" vowel instead of pronouncing the notes, and wait for her to identify the notes and reproduce the patterns. This is something she could do instantly and consistently.

Her journey from a child prodigy to a celebrated virtuoso is marked by unwavering dedication and exceptional skill. By 12, she was already a scholar at the ITC SRA, and at 14 embarked on a 50-concert tour of the U.S. with her father and guru, Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty. At 16, she captivated audiences with her first solo concert in Delhi, quickly earning recognition as one of the brightest talents of her generation. Over the past decade, she has transcended gender stereotypes, earning acclaim as the foremost Hindustani vocalist of her time.

Kaushiki has performed at the prestigious Dover Lane Music Conference in Kolkata for ten years, from 2000 to 2015. She has performed twice at the Sawai Gandharva Sangeet Mahotsava in Pune; and has performed multiple times at the Tansen Samaroh in Gwalior, at the Harbhallab Sangeet Sammelan in Jalandhar. She has been regularly featured at the Saptak music festival in Ahmedabad. She has performed in many prestigious venues in Europe and the U.S: The list includes Carnegie Hall in New York, Darbar Festival in London, South Bank Centre, UK, Metropolitan Museum in New York, Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, Theatre de la ville and Cite de la Music in Paris, Dresden Museum in Germany, where she has collaborated with the national orchestra on a piece composed by the great composer Antonio Vivaldi. Her musical prowess has been celebrated across continents, including Paris, Germany, Hawaii, Budapest, Amsterdam, Scotland, Kenya, Dubai, Bangladesh, Muscat, Australia, the major cities in the U.S., Switzerland, Venice, among others. Additionally, she has curated unique musical concepts such as Tiranga (2022), a tribute to the motherland; Remembering the Divas (2023), a tribute to 6 female musical legends in Germany and Mumbai.

With music in her genes and music all around her, young Jayanthi took to playing the veena at the age of three. Her mother, violinist Lalgudi.Smt. R. Rajalakshmi initiated her into music. Amidst a family of violinists, she chose a different path – to become a Vainika, a veena player. Her single-minded focus to master this instrument made her leave home and go live with her aunt and guru Smt. Padmavathy Ananthagopalan at the age of 13. Growing up, Jayanthi’s days were packed with practice, training and more practice with schooling in between. During her learning days, every evening’s schedule was to play in front of an imaginary audience and errors would be noted down, so she can revisit those after dinner. Her Great Guru, Smt. Padmavathy Ananthagopalan, is a great task master and disciplinarian. Under her tutelage, Jayanthi was able to understand and imbibe the true essence of veena and music which the “gurukulam” style of learning offers (staying with your guru throughout your learning years). It was a rigorous training focusing on content, technique, grammar and expression.

Soon Jayanthi got an opportunity to receive guidance under the veena virtuoso Dr. S.Balachander. Guru Smt. Padmavathy Anathagopalan greatly revered his playing style and music and was very happy when Jayanthi was blessed with this opportunity.

Jayanthi learned to emote better with the veena and fine-tuned her technical sophistication under Dr.S.Balachander’s guidance. Embellishing her playing techniques and exploring the horizons of a raga were more on the lesson plan than learning new compositions. The genius that Dr. S. Balachander was, he helped her discover the nuances and beauty of the veena without ever expecting her to follow his style. This led Jayanthi on a path to evolve her own unique playing style – her own identity.

She is one of the privileged few to have performed with him on stage. He made her realize that if something cannot be played on the veena, it’s only the limitation of the player and not the instrument. Jayanthi started performing at the age of 15. She performed along with her Guru Smt. Padmavathy Ananthagopalan and she also gave many solo recitals.

She teamed up with two other wonderful artistes Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi and Sikkil Mala, all in their teens at that time and gave a series of Violin Venu Veena concerts. The trio women were guided by her maternal uncle the Violin Legend Sri. Lalgudi Jayaraman during these concerts. At this period Jayanthi was also fortunate to accompany Dr. S.Balachander during some of his concerts.

THE ARTIST
Soon Jayanthi was a full-fledged solo performer and won the Best Main Musician, The Best Veena artist, the best concert awards from several prestigious organizations like the Music Academy, Gayana Samaj, Krishna Gana Sabha and Narada Gana Sabha. She was also one of the youngest artists to receive the A-top grading from the All India Radio. Her international tours started when she was 20 and she went on concert tours to U.S., UK, Australia, Europe, Singapore, France, Germany to name a few. She won the “Iyal Isai Nataka Mandram” scholarship. She also won the Government of India scholarship for research on “Ragam Tanam Pallavi.” 

She has been honored with innumerable awards, including the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2022 for Carnatic Instrumental Music (Veena), the highest award given in the country to an artist.

COLLABORATOR
Jayanthi has collaborated and performed with several celebrated musicians including her husband violin maestro Shri.R.Kumaresh and legendary table maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain. She has also cherished the experiences of performing with her mother Violin Maestro Smt. Lalgudi Rajalakshmi, Violin Maestro Shri. R Ganesh, Violin Maestro Shri Mysore Manjunath and jugalbandhis with Flute Maestro Shri Ronu Majumdar, Thavil Maestro Shri. Palanivel and many such luminaries. She is part of several ongoing collaborations – “Strings Attached” with her husband Violin Maestro Shri. R. Kumaresh, “Parallel Strings” with Anil Srinivasan (Piano), and her own band “Indian Spice” where she has collaborated with musicians from different genres.

COMPOSER
Jayanthi has composed music for several dance productions and musicals. Her music for the dance ballet Krishna Bhakthi for Rasika, Portland featured both the Carnatic and Hindustani styles of compositions. She has scored background music for several documentaries. She has also created original music scores for productions like Jagadguru Adi Shankaracharya, Abbakarani, Rithu Soundaryam to name a few. Apart from this she has composed individual pieces like Thillanas, Varnams and Raga based melodies that have been featured in many of her albums – Thillana Thillana, Vipanchi and Mysterious Duality.

She has recorded several albums with many companies around the world like Times Music, Music Today, Sense World, Earthsync, Navras, Home Records, etc.

RESEARCHER
The Veena – so much mysticism surrounding this wonderful instrument which is believed to have existed since the Vedic times. Having played the veena from the age of 3, Jayanthi believed it was imperative to know more about its origin and evolution and set out on a research journey. She started her research from the basic human skull the first ever resonator to be used by Man all the way up to the modern digital veena.She focused on the four Southern states in India – Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Jayanthi learnt that the Veenas made in the four states are different from one another and each state has distinctly different styles of playing the same instrument. During her six years of in depth study, she traced the various practitioners of each style and studied their training, technique, expression and unique performing specialties. Extensive documentation, audio samples, photography and interviews formed the fabric of this research. Jayanthi earned her Doctorate from the University of Mysore for her Study on Different Styles and Playing techniques of the Saraswathi Veena.

PIONEER
Mysterious duality, the album that Jayanthi conceptualised and recorded for Earth Sync, is a unique project where a single artiste has recorded seven overlapping layers of her veena tracks to create symphonic compositions. It is a multi-dimensional reflection of the simple yet complex self, expressed through a single instrument, the Veena. She has fully explored the musical range of the veena with her exceptional mastery over the instrument. The result is an original and vibrant album that has found rave reviews worldwide. Jayanthi is the founder of the Indian National Orchestra that features 21 star musicians from all over India, in a first of its kind National Orchestra for Indian classical music. “To take music from every corner of India to every part of the world” is the goal behind Jayanthi’s brainchild. INO goes beyond existing compositions and creates new ones specifically for their orchestra that represent India’s heritage and culture. Learn more Story in Concert is yet another unique attempt of Jayanthi where she collaborated with a story teller and presented different forms of concerts for varied age groups. The story is woven into the structure of the concert and unfolds itself in layers thereby making it a very rich experience for audiences at different levels. Jayanthi has presented the Just Me concept in concerts where she renders 45 ragas non-stop for over 3 hours featuring Just the Veena.

EDUCATOR
Having a performance career spanning three decades, Jayanthi spends a good portion of her time sharing music with students at home and abroad, one on one and through her Master classes, workshops and lecture demonstrations to large audiences. In collaboration with the ethnomusicology department of many U.S universities, Jayanthi toured coast to coast to explain, through workshops and recitals, the richness of this 2,000 year old traditional Indian music. She has also collaborated with organisations such as SPICMACAY and BHOOMIJA to help promote Indian Classical music among children and Youth. She regularly guides students of Indian Music in the UK through Milap fest, Bharatiya Vidhya Bhavan and Vani fine Arts. She has made multiple visits to Norway as part of an education series to demonstrate and explain Indian classical music in schools. She has presented a lot of lecture demonstrations on the subjects such as Introduction to Indian Music, Styles of Playing the Veena, The Origin and Evolution of the Saraswathi Veena, The Story of the Indian Veena, and the like.

HER VISION
Her mission is to establish a world class research Centre for this National Instrument of India, the Saraswathi Veena which will have an extensive audio Video library with state of the art facilities for recording and practice. It will showcase the craftsmanship of the great Veena makers of the past. Jayanthi’s music is a unique blend of classicism and innovation. Her mastery over the instrument and her ability to bring it’s the richness without compromising the finer nuances of music has made her one of the best in her field. Her contributions to spread the melody of the veena around the globe continues…

Abhijit Banerjee stands as one of the foremost Indian musicians of the current era. Trained under the esteemed guidance of the late Pt. Jnan Prakash Ghosh, he has graced prestigious festivals both in India and internationally. Collaborating with Grammy-winning musicians such as L. Shenkar, Ry Cooder, Larry Coryell, and the Denmark Radio Jazz Orchestra, Abhijit has carved a niche for himself in the global music scene.

His performances have adorned renowned venues like Carnegie Hall in New York, Palais in Brussels, and the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. Currently serving as the Head of the tabla department at Chinmaya Viswa Vidyapeeth University in Pune and an adjunct faculty member at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), Abhijit's expertise extends beyond performance to education.

In addition to his contributions to Indian classical music, Abhijit has made significant strides in the realm of crossover music, both as a performer and a composer. With over 55 audio and video publications worldwide, his impact on the music industry is profound.

Recipient of the APPEX Fellowship from UCLA, Abhijit's academic journey reflects his diverse interests. He holds a graduate degree in English literature and a postgraduate degree in journalism.

As the founder and guiding force behind Dhwni Academy in India and the U.S., Abhijit is dedicated to preserving and promoting Indian cultural heritage through education and performance.

Jyotirmoy, a student of music mentored by Padmabhushan Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty at Shrutinandan, has a passion for both vocal and instrumental music, particularly the harmonium. Rising as a harmonium player, he accompanies and performs solos alongside renowned artists like Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty, Vidushi Girija Devi, Mr. Hariharan, Vidushi Kaushiki Chakrabarty to name a few. His performances, acclaimed both nationally and internationally, highlight his skill and dedication. He holds a post graduate degree in music from the University of Calcutta. 

Sri K. U. Jayachandra Rao, a distinguished mridangam virtuoso, is renowned for his rich, melodious sound and innovative artistry, making him a sought-after accompanist. Hailing from a musical family in Udupi, with his father, Prof. K. Raghavendra Rao, a flautist, and mother, K. R. Prema Rao, a violinist, Jayachandra's musical journey began early. He received initial training under Trichur Sri E. P. Narayan Pisharady and later delved deep into the Thanjavur school of mridangam under the tutelage of mridanga maestro Palakkad Sri T. R. Rajamani.

After completing a master’s degree in MSC Bio Sciences, a move to Bangalore proved pivotal in his career. Joining the percussion ensemble Layatharanga propelled him into the concert scene, sharing stages with legendary musicians worldwide. His adaptability across musical genres has earned him international acclaim, performing at numerous festivals and touring over 20 countries.

As a dedicated teacher for over twenty-five years, Jayachandra imparts his vast knowledge globally, emphasizing the importance of musicianship in percussion. Alongside his wife, he manages the Kanchana Sri Lakshminarayana Music Academy Trust, fostering the propagation of Indian classical music. Recognized with awards like the "Asthana Vidwan of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham" and "Ananya Puraskar," his recent accolade includes the title of "Vishesha Kala Chetana" at the Vishesha Utsava. Jayachandra's contributions to Indian classical and world music continue to resonate, enriching both audiences and aspiring musicians alike.