It is with much sadness we share the news that one of the most prominent figures of New England’s Indian Music community,

Dr. Suresh Mathur, passed away last week on January 2^nd at the age of 94. A nuclear physicist and academician by profession at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, Dr. Mathur was an accomplished Hindustani flautist and a learned Indian musician. An avid collector and archiver of Indian Classical Music (ICM), Dr. Mathur’s passion and dedication to creating a culture of learning and sharing music helped nurture the growth of ICM in the New England area from early 1980s to late 1990s. Dr. Mathur advocated and applied the structured and rigorous academic approach of mastering a subject to learning and practicing music as well.

After several years of informal music gatherings of a group of classical music aficionados in the area, Dr. Mathur initiated and organized numerous Baithak concerts by local and visiting Hindustani and Carnatic musicians. This culminated into his founding a grassroots nonprofit music organization called KHMC (Karnatak and Hindustani Music Circle). KHMC promotes and actively organizes performances on regular basis by students and teachers of Hindustani and Carnatic music in the New England area.

It is fair to say that LearnQuest as a music school, which began its activities in 1995 as an academic support and enrichment center, is an unintended consequence of music activities stimulated and encouraged by Dr. Mathur. Dr. Mathur’s legacy lives on. He will be remembered as a passionate supporter of Indian Classical music, who made a significant impact on nurturing the growth of Hindustani and Carnatic music in the New England area.

Rest in peace, Dr. Mathur. We are grateful and remain inspired by your contributions and service to the Indian Classical music community.



LearnQuest Academy of Music Team

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