Aditya Sharma

Born in April 1986, Aditya Sharma was initiated into vocal music when he was 4 years old by his father Dr. Arvind Sharma. A Sangeet Visharad, he won the Harvallabh Sangeet Pratiyogita (Juniors vocal) in 1999. He also won the All India Inter Varsity National Youth Festival (2005) and the All India Radio Competition (2005) and was subsequently graded as an artist. In June 2007 he has joined the ITC Sangeet Research Academy as a scholar under Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar.

Adnan Khan

The son of renowned Sitar player Ustad Saeed Khan of Kirana gharana, Adnan started his initial sitar taalim under his maternal grand father, Late Zafar Ahmed Khan. He has since been learning the intricacies of the instrument from his father. The gayaki ang is clearly palpable in his rendition of sitar. Further, he gives stress on melody and fine tonal quality, purity of ragas, swar and sargam. He is now learning the gayaki ang from his uncle Ustad Mashkoor Ali Khan. The talented young Adnan has performed in programmes throughout India including the music festival of Harballav in Jalandhar, and the Kal ke Kalakar in Mumbai. He has become a Junior Scholar at ITC SRA under Ustad Mashkoor Ali Khan from December 2009.

Adarsh Saxena

Adarsh began learning music at the age of six from Shri Mahesh Chandra Sharma. He has since graduated with music and has gone on to win national level competitions, a Ministry of Human Resource Development scholarship and awards. He has performed for organizations like SPICMACAY, Sankalp, Kalabati Sangam Kala group, and others in different parts of India. He has also performed for All India Radio. From October 2005 he has become an ITC-SRA scholar under the tutelage of Arun Bhaduri.

Brajeshwar Mukherjee

Born at Burdwan on March 11, 1984, Brajeshwar Mukherjee was initiated by his parents and later learnt from Shri Hara Kumar Chatterjee and Shri Asit Roy. He was then accepted as a disciple by Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty and continues to train under him at ITC-SRA, where he is a scholar since May 2009. In 2005 he came first in the B.A Examination in music from Calcutta University and received the “Dhananjay Bhattacharya Award”.

Since 2000 he has been teaching at Shrutinandan, the music school established by Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty. Since 2003 he has accompanied his Guru on the harmonium or provided vocal support in concerts in different parts of India as well as USA, Canada, UK and Middle East. A B-High graded artist of All India Radio, he had earlier won the Govt. of India’s National Scholarship. In 2009 he stood 1st Class 2nd in the Masters degree in Music from Calcutta University.

Nibedita Ghosh

Born on 2nd August, 1985 to musician parents, Nibedita Ghosh’s musical training started at the age of four from her father, Shri Gobinda Ghosh. She also dabbled with Kathak training, but at the age of 10, she started to learn the sitar. Having initially learnt from the Late Sri Biswanath Das, she later began training under Pandit Manilal Nag. She is continuing her training with him after she joined ITC SRA as a general student in 2005. Accolades have already started coming her way - Nibedita stood first in the West Bengal Youth Festival, 2008 and was third in the National Youth Festival, 2009.

Oishi Bhattacharya

Born on 12th April 1996, Oishi Bhattacharyya learnt Hindustani classical vocal music from her father and guru, Shri Goutam Bhattacharyya and mother Smt Bina Bhattacharyya for about 10 years. She has performed in several classical programmes and joined ITC SRA as a Junior Scholar on 20th August 2009 under Pandit Arun Bhaduri.

Priyanka Mitra

Born on October 4, 1986, Priyanka Mitra was initially trained by Shri Sanjay Dubey of Siliguri. Subsequently she joined Shrutinandan and learnt from Shrimati Chandana Chakraborty, Shrimati Kaushiki Chakraborty and finally under Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty. Graduating with honours in music, she is presently completing her M.A. She stood 1st in khayal and 2nd in bhajan and ragpradhan in the Dover Lane music competition and won the Pandit Ravi Kichlu Foundation award in bhajan. In May 2009, she joined ITC Sangeet Research Academy as a scholar being trained by Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar.

Saket Sahu

Born on July 23, 1986, Saket Sahu learnt the violin for 15 years from Pandit Radhakrishna Jha, from the age of 5. He has completed his MA in Music (Violin) from Indira Kala Music University, Khairagarh. A recipient of ‘Sur Ratna’ and gold medal from Bhatkhande Lalitkala, he also won the All India Radio music competition in 2006, ITC Sangeet Research Academy Promising Artistes award in Mumbai (2007), ‘Surmani’ from Sur Singer Samsad Mumbai (2007) and National Scholarship (2007-2008). He has performed in several parts of India. Since May 2009, he has joined the ITC Sangeet Research Academy as a disciple of Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty under whom he is learning the gayaki ang.

Sucheta Ganguly

Born in 1984, Sucheta Ganguly was initiated into the world of Hindustani music by her father, Bhajan Krishna Ganguly, at the age of seven. Subsequently, she also learnt from Sujit Ganguly of Bishnupur gharana. She has won the first prize at a State level music competition in 1994 and is a regular performer on All India Radio and Doordarshan.

She joined ITC Sangeet Research Academy in the year 2000 as a General Class student under the tutelage of ITC SRA Guru Pandit Arun Bhaduri and from 2003 she has been a full time residential scholar. She is also a disciple of ITC SRA guru, Vidushi Girija Devi, from whom she learns Thumri and Dadra. Sucheta's memorable performances include solo recitals at the ‘Guru-Shishya presentation’ (2006), ITC Sangeet Sammelans at Mumbai and Kanpur, a jugalbandi performance at the ‘Navonmesh Utsav’ (2008) and at the Chennai Festival in 2009. In 2009, she stood first in her graduation in music from SNDT Women’s University. She is presently completing her post-graduation.

Indranil Bhaduri – Tabla

Born in 1973, Indranil Bhaduri began learning the tabla when he was 10, from late Guru Satyanarayan Saha of the Benaras gharana. For the last ten years he has been a disciple of Pandit Sanjoy Mukhopadhyay of the Farukhabad gharana.

A Graduate with Honours in Accountancy, he is a “B-High” graded artiste of All India Radio and has accompanied both vocalists and instrumentalists at numerous concerts in several cities in India as well as Muscat, Canada, USA and UK.

Jyoti Goho - Harmonium

Hearing his mother’s melodious voice, Jyoti Goho developed a keen interest in music. Initially trained by Shri Sanat Banerjee and thereafter, Shri Biren Bose, Jyoti became a disciple of Pandit A.Kanan. Jyoti Goho developed the art of playing the Harmonium under the tutelage of Shri Deb Kumar Banerjee. Aided by his knowledge of vocal music, he bloomed into a competent and sensitive Harmonium accompanist. The ability to understand and adjust according to the mood and spirit of the performer has made Jyoti popular amongst all the eminent vocalists of the present generation. His art has taken him to music conferences and programmes all over India and abroad. Jyoti Goho is a senior Faculty member of the ITC Sangeet Research Academy, Kolkata.

Prangopal Bandopadhyay – Tabla

Pran Gopal Bandopadhyay began learning his art from the age of four from his father and guru, tabla maestro Pandit Ananda Gopal Bandopadhyay of Banaras gharana. A first class in MA (Music) from Rabindra Bharati University, he is a 'B-High' grade tabla artiste of All India Radio and Doordarshan. In 2002, he received the National Scholarship and was awarded the 2nd prize in the All India Radio Music Competition in tabla. In 2003 he was awarded the Pandit Nikhil Ghosh Memorial Promising Artist Award from Mumbai. He has performed at several prestigious venues in and around Kolkata.

Rupashree Bhattacharya - Harmonium

Born into a family of musicians, Rupashree Bhattacharya was initially tutored in vocal music by her father, Shri Durga Charan Bhattacharya. She later learnt from Shri Ashit Bandopadhyay, Smt. Shipra Bose and Shri Sanjoy Chakrabarty. In 1996 she became a scholar of the ITC Sangeet Research Academy under the tutelage of Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty. Noticing her innate talent in playing the harmonium, her guru gradually guided her through the intricacies and exacting standards of accompaniment. As an ITC SRA scholar, she also received dhrupad and dhamar training from Pandit Falguni Mitra, Guru-Prefect, ITC SRA. She has matured into a sensitive and unobtrusive accompanist. A graded artist of All India Radio, she is a faculty member of ITC Sangeet Research Academy, Kolkata.

Sandip Kr Ray Chaudhuri - Tabla

Sandip Kumar Ray Chaudhuri hails from a family of musicians and was initiated into tabla by his father, late Abani Ray Chaudhuri. He received further guidance from his uncle, Shri Anil Ray Chaudhuri, Professor of tabla, Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata. He has also learned from Shri Manik Pal, Shri Radhakanta Nandy and Shri Debnath Chakrabarty. A Sangit Prabhakar gold medalist, he is quite adept at accompanying both classical and commercial artistes and has played with stalwarts of both the worlds with equal ease. A 'B-High' graded artiste of All India Radio and Doordarshan, he is currently a staff musician at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy.

Sarwar Hussain - Sarangi

Sarwar Hussain is one of the most accomplished and promising musicians of the younger generation of Sarangi exponents in India. He was born on 5th October 1981, at Gohad district near Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh his musical heritage comes from a long line of distinguished Sarangi exponents from Gohad.

His ancestry can be traced back six generations to Ustad Fazal Khan, father of Ustad Ghansi Khan, famous for his mastery of the intricate Tappa Style. Ustad Ghansi Khan taught his sons who included Ustad Chhuttu Khan, Ustad Garru Khan and Ustad Uday Khan, who were the father and paternal uncles and gurus of Padmashree Ustad Abdul Latif Khan, Sarwar’s eminent grandfather and guru.

Sarwar’s father, Anwar Hussain is also a well-known musician. Sarwar began learning Sarangi from his grandfather when he was nine. The superb ‘taleem’ that he received for eleven years is clearly reflected in his playing style. His playing embodies the intricate delicacy of his grandfather’s style as well as the techniques which his grandfather learned from one of the most famous Sarangi exponents of the first half of the last century, Ustad Bade Ghulam Sabir Khan Ambala Wale.

An A grade artist of All India Radio and Doordarshan, Sarwar has received many awards for his outstanding performance.

Tarak Saha- Tabla

Born in a family of musicians, Tarak Saha was initiated into the art of tabla playing at the tender age of six by his father, Sudhangshu Bhushan Saha. Later he learnt from Satchidananda Goswami before becoming a formal disciple of the renowned maestro of the Benaras gharana, Krishna Kumar Ganguly (Natu Babu). Over the years, he has matured into a most sensitive and competent accompanist and has played with many a great artiste, especially vocalists. A regular performer on Akashvani and Doordarshan, he is a regular accompanist at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy.