The inaugural concert for the World Percussion Festival at the Berklee College of Music featuring the great Mridangam Maestro Trichy Sankaran, Grammy award winner Glen Valez and the well known New England music group RARE was a treat for all ears. Glen Valez displayed his rhythmic genius by playing rhythm instruments from several countries. As he was playing the shakers, he vocalized the "Pancha Nadai" (fundamental rhythm patterns in the South Indian Classical music tradition) beautifully illustrating the fusion of eastern and western musical forms. "I am greatly influenced by the South Indian drumming tradition," said Glen Valez as he described his musical training.

Glen's presentation was followed by a riveting Mridangam presentation by Trichy Sankaran. He demonstrated the complex process of the tuning of the Mridangam. "Thanks for your patience with the tuning process. The instrument needs to be fine tuned for playing correctly. As you can see my remote controlled Shruti box, a high-tech creation from India is helping me in this process" said Sankaran. It is rare to hear a solo Mridangam concert. Sankaran made presentations in different Talams. He gave an inspiring performance that demonstrated his expertise with both rhythm and tone. The mostly non-Indian audience (all of whom had musical training) of over three hundred people was totally taken by his presentation. His "Kanjeera Jugalbandi" with Glen Valez was greeted with a standing ovation.

The fitting finale for the evening was a combination of melody and and rhythm presentation by the Raga and Rhythm Ensemble from New England. It was led by Dr. Raghavendra on the Veena. He was accompanied by Raman on the flute, Dr. Anand Iyer on the Mridangam and Glen Velez on the Frame Drum. The ensemble played "Dance of Shiva" and "Rare Pulse". Both were very special and reached out to the audience. "The students were really inspired after this performance," said Dean Anderson, Chairman, Percussion Department of the Berklee College of music. The CDs of these compositions may be purchased from www.raghasmusic.com.

I felt privileged to be able to attend this event. The event was subsidized and the entrance fee for this wonderful event was only $5. I recommend such events especially to those who would like to introduce their children to music. Please check the website www.berklee.edu for more information.

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