News
Indian Master Musicians Rajeev Taranath and Partha Chatterjee to Perform Duet in Finney Chapel
Sep 26, 2011For immediate release
OBERLIN, OH — World-renowned Indian classical instrumentalist Rajeev Taranath on sarod and Partha Chatterjee on sitar will perform a duet 8 p.m. Friday, October 14, in Finney Chapel. The Jugalbandi (duet) will be accompanied by acclaimed percussionist Abihman Kaushal on tabla drums. Tickets are $6 with a valid OCID and $10 for the general public.
A master player of the sarod, an Indian instrument similar to a lute, Taranath has toured extensively in North America, Europe, India, and Australia. After beginning his training in Hindustani vocal music at the age of 6, he went on to become a disciple of acclaimed sarod master Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, receiving the Indian government’s highest award in the arts in 1999.
In 2001, the Express New Delhi wrote that Taranath’s sarod tone is “radiant and rich, charged with the sensitivity of his soul,” and in 1982 the New York Times called his sarod improvisations both “spiritual and spirited…an exuberant rhythmic celebration.” He has composed music for various successful Indian films, and served as the Head of the Indian music program at California Institute of the Arts from 1995 to 2005.
Chatterjee, who studied under sitar maestro Nikhil Banerjee for 12 years, has taught Indian music at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and the University of California, Berkeley, as well as at the Ali Akbar College of Music in San Rafael, Calif. He has appeared in festivals in India, South Asia, Europe and the United States, as well as on radio and television. For three years, he served on the Indian government’s Council for Cultural Relations, acting as an international representative for Indian music and culture. He holds a faculty position at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy in Calcutta.
Tabla accompanist Abhiman Kaushal has also toured in Europe, Asia, and North America, performing with many prestigious North Indian classical musicians, dancers, and singers. He has recorded with renowned sitar player Ravi Shankar, and has also contributed to various world music compilations, including the soundtrack for the 2001 film Zoolander. He was recently featured as a solo musician for the electronic dance drama Ramayana 2k3, which received acclaim in Los Angeles and New York. He currently serves as an assistant adjunct professor in the department of musicology at UCLA.
Tickets are available for the Jugalbandi at the front desk of Wilder, at Central Ticketing Services (CTS), or at the front door of Finney on the night of the performance. To purchase tickets in advance, please call CTS at (800) 371-0178, between noon and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Oberlin College
247 W. Lorain St., Suite C
Oberlin, Ohio 44074
(440) 775-8474
www.oberlin.edu
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