The SPK Academy of Music and LearnQuest Academy of Music presents

 Jugalbandi

Sitar maestro Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan
Violin maestro Pandit Atulkumar Upadhye
Tabla maestro Shri Mukesh Jadhav

Venue:  125 Prospect Street,Framingham MA 01701
Date & Time: Fri, Oct 2, 2015 at 8:00 pm (doors open at 7.30)Tickets:  http://www.spkacademy.org/tickets/concert-jugalbandi-october-2nd-2015

The sublime sitar virtuosity of Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan meets the musical violin talent Pandit Atulkumar Upadhye in concert together on Friday Oct 2nd, with tabla accompaniment by Shri Mukesh Jadhav. The on-stage chemistry of the artists is simply beautiful and adds an extra dimension to the richness inherent in the divine music they produce. This evening of music is not to be missed.

Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan is a premier performer for All India Radio and recipient of numerous awards including the prestigious Sur Shringaar, the Kumar Gandharva Samman and the M.L. Koser Award. He was also awarded the Sangeet Natak Academy Award of 2006 -- one of India's highest musical honors, and the prestigious Government of India Padma Shri award in 2012 — one of India’s highest civilian awards. He has performed at every major musical festival in India, and has enthralled audiences at numerous international festivals including the Festival of India held in the US, Europe, USSR, Canada, Middle East, Africa and Australia and the Darbar Festival held in the UK. Ustad Shahid Parvez has released over 100 solo recordings on major Indian labels including Saptak and Rhyme, as well as numerous DVD's. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest performing sitar players.

Ustad Shahid Parvez preserves the demanding traditions of Indian Classical music, while sublimely pushing its boundaries to achieve immense beauty out of endless innovation. He is acknowledged as one of the most brilliant exponents of the centuries old Etawah Gharana (school of music) and represents the seventh generation of an illustrious musical lineage. His family has produced some of the most revered and influential figures in Indian Classical Music including the likes of Sahabdad Khan, Imdad Khan, Enayet Khan, Waheed Khan and Vilayat Khan.

A very young Shahid Parvez was initiated into the rich musical heritage of the gharana by his renowned father and guru, Ustad Aziz Khan—a famous musician and noted composer. As is the custom, Ustad Aziz Khan taught his son vocal music and tabla before training him on sitar with all the rigor that contributed to the gharana's many accomplishments and maintained its pristine musical reputation through the years. Shahid Parvez was soon recognized as a child prodigy and gave his first public performance at the age of eight. His passion for the instrument, undying perseverance and exceptional talent have imbued his art with extraordinary technical prowess. He has infused the sitar with the rich tonal depth of vocal music -- arguably to an unprecedented degree -- and his unique, yet highly traditional interpretations of the raga form fascinate audiences worldwide.

Pandit Atulkumar Upadhye is a spirited and ardent violinist who belongs to the revered Pandit Bhaskarbuwa Bakhale Gharana. Drawing inspiration from his father and guru, Prof. Balkrishna Upadhye, a noted violinist himself, Pandit Atulkumar’s style represents a unique blend of Indian as well as Western technique inspired by Pandit Shridhar Parsekar and Dr.Yehudi Menuhin. His unique style of playing violin which blends Gayaki Aang and Tantkari Tantra techniques has helped establish violin as a complete solo instrument in Indian music.

Atulkumar has many National level awards and accolades to his credit, including the prestigious President’s Award of All India Radio. The well-known institution Sur Singar conferred on him Surmani. He has performed solo recitals for All India Radio and Doordarshan on many occasions. He has performed in prestigious music conferences all over the world including the famous Sawai Gandharva Music Festival in Pune, Swarazankar Music Festival all over Maharashtra, Jitendra Abhisheki Mahotsav in Goa and Nasik, Shankar Darbar Festival in Nanded,  etc. to name a few.

Atulkumar currently heads one of the oldest violin institutes in India and he is also a founder of Swarazankar and the Centre for Promotion of Music, which have made a big name in the music society in India. Many of his disciples are recognized as performing artists and have won National awards too. His recognition as a teacher par excellence and Guru at the Lalit Kala Kendra of Pune University enhanced his stature as a master musician. He is also well known for his jugalbandis with Shehnai, Bansuri, Sarod, Mohan veena and Sitar. Recently his performances with Sitar maestro Ustad Shahid Parvez , Mohan Veena maestro Pt Vishwa Mohan Bhatt and renowned Shehnai player Pandit Daya Shanker were well acclaimed all over the world. Atulkumar has carried the fragrance of Hindustani music to U.S.A, U.K, Switzerland, France, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Italy,  and other European countries.

Atulkumar Upadhye is known for his versatility, technical brilliance, mature presentation, improvisation and deep understanding of the subtle nuances of Hindustani Classical music. Music lovers can always look forward to exhilarating and melodious performances by this accomplished violinist.

Shri Mukesh Jadhav is an A Grade performer for All India Radio and a child prodigy. He is an ardent disciple of Pandit Shantaram Chigri of Benares gharana. Although he belongs to Benares Gharana, he combines in his performance the quintessence of other gharanas. His strengths include his ability to go into innumerable permutations and combinations of each Tal, the exceptional clarity of his stroke and the instinctive insights in the art of accompaniment. His ability to give his tabla improvisations a colorful finish has made him very popular among the youth. His awards include Kalashree by the Kalashree Foundation, the Rsik Agrani Award, the Shri Shafad Ahmad at the prestigious Sawai Gandharv Music Festival, and the Talankur Award from Harihar Pratishthan.

Mukesh Jadhav has accompanied almost all the masteroes in Hindustani and Karnatak classical styles.  He has won praises and blessings of great Indian maestros like Pandit Jasrajji,  Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Ustad Allah Rakha, Ustad Zakir Husain.  He has performed at all the famous traditional music festivals all over India, and has spread the message of love and harmony through his tabla all over the world by performing in USA, Britain, Germany, Australia, France, Japan, Portugal, Malaysia, Singapore many times. Mukesh Jadhav also enjoys a cultural exchange with the West. He has played Jazz with famous drum player Shivmani.

He is the director of Tal-Vihar music academy which is always working in search of new talents in Indian Classical Music.

About the sponsors:

The Shahid Parvez Khan (SPK) Academy of Music is dedicated to providing the finest quality of training in Indian classical music in North America. Upholding the ancient guru-shishya tradition of teaching, yet has finding new and innovative ways to practice it in the contemporary world, the Academy trains students to perform and thus disseminates this refined and classical art across the continent.

LearnQuest Academy is a non-profit Institution devoted to providing formal instruction in Indian classical music, both vocal and instrumental, in both Hindustani and Carnatic styles; and organizing seminars, concerts, and workshops for its community of students and music aficionados.

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