Debu Chaudhuri - Sitar
Pandit Devabrata Chaudhuri today is the foremost exponent of the Senia gharana, having trained for a fruitful 38 years under Sangeet Acharya Ustad Mushtaq Ali Khan, Sitar Sudhakar of the Senia gharana. Debuji had initially trained under the late Panchu Gopal Datta.

Pandit Debu Chaudhuri is a man of many parts. He is India’s foremost sitar maestro, respected teacher and guru, composer of numerous mellifluous symphonies, creator of eight new ragas, author of three books and several monographs, eminent musicologist (successfully guiding 33 Ph. D. Scholars) and winner of numerous awards and honours. He has been conferred the prestigious Padma Bhushan, one of India’s highest civilian honours bestowed by the President of India and the most coveted Sangeet Natak Award for his invaluable contribution in the field of Indian classical music.

In 1960, Debuji left Kolkata to join the newly established Department of Music at the University of Delhi in search of his mission to promote the purest traditional form of sitar playing being played by his revered Guruji, propagating its special techniques and quality not only in India but all over the world. He has chaired various international seminars on music and has represented India at numerous cultural festivals, globally. In 1999, Debuji retired after teaching music for 40 years at the University of Delhi. He was the Dean and Head of the Faculty of Music and Fine Arts for three terms.

Prateek Chaudhuri - Sitar
Prateek Chaudhuri, son of Pandit Debu Chaudhuri, is one of the finest sitar players of the country amongst the present generation today. His sitar sparkles with the rare combination of virtuosity with technical finesse and a deep sense of aesthetics. Born in New Delhi, he has been groomed in a musical atmosphere since his birth. He also had the great fortune to learn from his father’s guru, Ustad Mushtaq Ali Khan, the great legend of the “Senia” tradition.

A graceful style and intricate technique in tandem with simplicity and clarity are the hallmark of Prateek’s style. Prateek is an “A-grade” Artist on National Television and Radio of the Govt. of India. His mastery over the sitar and "laya" (rhythm) has been acclaimed and praised by the leading musicians of the country and numerous leading Tabla maestros have also accompanied him, in his recitals in India and abroad. Prateek has been awarded the “Pandit Nikhil Banerjee Award” from Lucknow, “The Best Instrumentalist Award” from Delhi and the “Surmani Award” from Mumbai, amongst many other Awards and recognitions.

Salil V Bhatt - Mohan Veena
Salil V. Bhatt is the son of the legendary slide player and India's GRAMMY AWARD winner Padmashree Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt. Salil has been mastering the Mohan Veena for more than twenty years. He is the foremost disciple of Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt and one of the youngest and most promising exponents of the Mohan Veena.

Salil Bhatt has created a new Veena that he has named as the SATVIK VEENA to meet the requirements of depth, richness and continuity in his dynamic style of rendering the classical ragas. He has been giving solo concerts for more than 15 years and has performed all over the country as well as in the USA, UK, UAE, Europe. With a Masters degree in music and an A-grade artiste of All India Radio, Salil is also a regular performer for All India Radio, National Television and other prime television channels. With a style that incorporates the authentic and systematic exposition of Classical Indian Ragas as well as the embellishments of World Music, Salil, with his soulful and vibrant music, receives accolades from listeners and the press alike. Salil has several music albums to his credit, some of which were instant hits.

Ulhas Kashalkar - Vocal
In an age when maestros of the older generation express fear of the decadence of our grand tradition, Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar’s voice and music stand like a colossus, as it were, an eternal reminder of the strength of this great art.

Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar was born in a family of musicians. His father, Shri N.D.Kashalkar, a musician in his own right, initiated him into vocal music. In time, he was accepted as a disciple by such great masters of the art as Pandit Ram Marathe and Pandit Gajananbua Joshi. Thus he received training of the highest order in three distinct prominent gharanas - Gwalior, Agra and Jaipur.

With a blessed voice and the gifted ability to blend the three gayakees with authenticity and aesthetic excellence, he soon emerged to be one of the most formidable vocalists of the country. While his music remains well within the confines of tradition, the listener revels in an experience of listening to a seemingly new gayakee.

Ulhasji is one of the most sought after artistes, both in India and abroad. The number of record companies that have released his cassettes and CDs world over is a reiteration of his popularity. For over a decade now, he has been with the ITC Sangeet Research Academy as a Guru, producing numerous students of high calibre. A torchbearer of our pristine tradition, Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar continues to enthrall and take his audiences on an ecstatic journey through his music.  

Vijaya Jadhav Gatlewar - Vocal
The gifted artiste Vijaya Jadhav Gatlewar was initiated into taleem by her father, Shri Dinkar V. Jadhav, a veteran exponent of the Atrauli-Jaipur gharana. Even as a teenager, Vijaya’s innate talent was evident. She won numerous competitions hosted by prestigious cultural institutions in and around Bombay.In 1978, Vijaya took a significant step in moulding her skill into refined classical art. She became a pupil of Pandit Nivruttibuva Sarnaik at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy in Calcutta. As an ITC SRA scholar, she followed a rigorous training routine for over 15 years, listening to and thinking about music to the exclusion of almost everything else. Here, her gift was raised to the pinnacle of art by the exacting tayyari and riyaz of the guru-shishya parampara. Her guru, Pandit Nivruttibuva, himself had the benefit of guidance from eminent maestros Rajabali Khan and Alladiya Khan, and evolved a style much influenced by Alladiya Khan’s vocalism. From this proud lineage springs Vijaya’s awareness of what is most subtle and beautiful in the pure classicism of the Jaipur idiom.


 

Vishwa Mohan Bhatt - Mohan Veena
Creator of the MOHAN VEENA and the winner of the GRAMMY AWARD, Vishwa Mohan has mesmerized the world with his pristine pure, delicate yet fiery music. Born on 27th July 1952, Vishwa Mohan Bhatt hails had his initial training from his elder brother, Shri Shashi Mohan Bhatt.

Vishwa Mohan Bhatt has attracted international attention by his successful Indianisation of the western Hawaiian guitar with his perfect assimilation of sitar, sarod & veena techniques. By changing the strings that were originally used and adding ‘Chikari’ and 8 ‘Tarabs’ (sympathetic strings), he has given his guitar an evolutionary design and shape, and has developed his own style of playing Indian Classical music - a fine combination of ‘Gayaki Ang’ (Vocal style) and ‘Tantrakari Ang’ (Instrumental style). With blinding speed and faultless legato, Bhatt is undoubtedly one of the most expressive, versatile and greatest slide player s in the world.

Being a powerhouse performer, Vishwa's electrifying performance always captivates the audience whether in the United States of America, Europe, Gulf countries or his motherland, India. An ‘A-grade’ artist of All India Radio and Television, he has participated in the National programmes of All India Radio and has given exclusive recitals of one hour in the ‘Sangeet Sabhas’ of Radio Sangeet Sammelan. He has given numerous lectures and demonstrations around the world and has numerous CDs and cassettes to his credit.

A disciple of Pt. Ravi Shankar since 1983, Vishwa Mohan Bhatt has had accolades and honours heaped upon him. These include the Padmashree (2002), the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1999) and the Grammy(1994).

Ananda Gopal Bandopadhyay
Initiated into music by his father, Ananda Gopal Bandyopadhyay was later trained by Pandit Mahadeo Prasad Mishra of the Benaras gharana. A top graded artiste of All India Radio, Ananda Gopal has had a brilliant and successful career as a tabla player, who is adept both as a soloist and an accompanist. He is a widely travelled artiste and has played with virtually all the leading performers of Hindustani music at festivals all over the world. Apart from his performances, he was associated with many prestigious organisations like the Song & Drama Division (Delhi), Faculty of Music & Fine Arts (Delhi University) and the Amir Khusro Society, Chicago. He has been a full time faculty member of ITC Sangeet Research Academy for over twenty years.

Jyoti Goho - Harmonium
Inspired by his mother’s melodious voice, Jyoti Goho developed a keen interest in music, which was carefully nurtured by his parents. He was trained in harmonium playing by Shri Deb Kumar Banerjee. He also has profound knowledge of vocal music in which his mentors were Sanat Banerjee, Biren Bose and Pandit A. Kanan. Aided by his profound knowledge of vocal music, he is able to heighten the mood and spirit of any performance. Known for his sensitive playing and appropriate embellishments, his supportive role has been acknowledged by maestros like Pandit Bhimsen Joshi. An internationally renowned harmonium accompanist, he is currently a faculty member of the ITC Sangeet Research Academy.

Ram Kumar Mishra - Tabla
Grandson of the Tabla wizard, late Pandit Anokhe Lal Mishra of Banaras, and the son of renowned vocalist pandit Channu Lal Mishra, Ram Kumar Mishra has inherited his talents from his forefathers. Initiated into the art of Tabla playing by his mother, Smt Manorama Mishra, daughter of Anokhe Lal Mishra. Highly gifted, Ram Kumar has performed throughout the length and breadth of the country both as a solo artist and accompanying veteran musicians and covering almost all the major music festivals. Widely traveled abroad several times and participated in many prestigious international music festivals.

Ram Kumar Mishra stands as an outstanding representative of the famous Banaras Gharana at his age.

Vijay Ghate - Tabla
Vijay Ghate is considered by vocalists, instrumentalists, and by classical dancers as one of the best young tabla players of India today. Originally from Jabalpur, Vijay learned his art at a very early age. He then moved to Mumbai, and for over twelve years, underwent intensive training with Pandit Suresh Talwalkar. Even at the age of 16 Vijay became well-known for his scintillating solo performances as well as providing accompaniment to high-ranking vocal and instrumental musicians and kathak dancers. Vijay is known for his clarity, dexterity, accuracy and purity of various complicated tabla compositions.

He has toured the world accompanying some of India’s most important classical artists like Pandit Jasraj, Ustad Vilayat Khan, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt and Pandit Birju Maharaj, to name but a few. Vijay has gained global recognition in world music through performances with the likes of Al Jarreau, George Duke, Larry Coryell, Egberto Gismonti, George Brooks, and Danny Gottleib. He has also collaborated with well known Indian musicians in this field like Louis Banks, Shankar Mahadevan, Shivamani etc.

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