Jugalbandi (from the Sanskrit yugala meaning duet and bandhana meaning combination) connotes two performers in concert fusing different instruments or systems of music.

The Learn Quest Academy, annual 5-day musical feast of Indian classical music highlights this form in a unique way this year. Artists from various genres, backgrounds and places fuse to create music that will enchant all. This year, the Carnatic talent is daring, innovative and promising so don’t miss this opportunity to be there and enjoy it.  Artists have stepped beyond their realm by combining creativity, demonstrating theory with practice and experimenting with music genres. BRUNO RÃ…BERG  an internationally renowned bass player and composer performing on Saturday expresses it well:

My world music group Garuda, which I present to you today, is the fruit of my studies. My immersion in Carnatic music has given me a whole new perspective on how music can be put together. With Garuda, I explore and mix Indian music with jazz and fusion. There is always the risk of watering down the traditional music when mixing it with other styles. I do however believe that, with both respect and knowledge, an artist can blend and create anew. I’m deeply thankful to Durga Krishnan for giving me the opportunity to present my music at the festival this weekend and I’m really looking forward to a soulful and rhythmically exciting performance.  I sincerely hope you will enjoy the music of Garuda.

The festival will also for the first time local talented youngsters performing or accompanying other artists.  The five day musical event will take place at the Regis College, Weston MA as well as at Harvard University - March 30th, Boston University - March 31st and at Regis College, Weston MA - April 1st to April 3^rd.         

Here are some highlights and lineup of events.

Wednesday, March 30th 7:00 PM ♦   

  Richard Wolf, Veena, Professor of Music, Department of Music, Harvard University
  David Nelson,Mridangam
 Deepti Navaratna, Tambura

 Dr. Richard Wolf is a professor of ethnomusicology at Harvard University’s Music Department, specializing in veena and mridangam, among his other varied interests. Professor Wolf has done has done extensive fieldwork in South Asia over the years and has cross-disciplinary interests in linguistics, religion, and anthropology

Friday, April 1st

 9:00 PM ♦    Ganesh & Kumaresh Violin

 Well known duo of two brothers, Ganesh and Kumaresh are possibly the only violin duo in the world to have been performing together for close to forty years. The brothers, who were hailed as child prodigies, gave their first public performance in 1972, when Ganesh was just 7, and Kumaresh, 5. Since then, they have performed extensively in India and abroad, by themselves, as well as with a long list of illustrious artistes.
Trained by their father Shri T. S. Rajagopalan, a veteran violinist; they are known for blending a classical technique with an innovative approach to presentation which has brought them recognition both among purists and novices. They have made significant creative contributions in the Carnatic classical music space and have been involved in several collaborations with other musicians, both in the Indian and Western music arena.

Saturday, April 2^nd

  10:00 AM ♦   Bruno Raberg  Carnatic-Western Fusion

 BRUNO RÃ…BERG is an internationally renowned bass player and composer. Since coming to the US from his native Sweden in 1981, he has made six recordings as a leader, about 30 as a sideman, and has performed numerous world-class artists. Some of the distinguished musicians RÃ¥berg has performed/recorded with include Jerry Bergonzi, George Garzone, Sam Rivers, Billy Pierce, Donny McCaslin, Billy Hart, Bob Moses, Mick Goodrick, Ben Monder, Bruce Barth, Jim Black, Matt Wilson, Bob Mintzer, and John Medeski. Tours have taken RÃ¥berg throughout Europe, Scandinavia, USA, Japan, Africa, and Central America, and to jazz festivals such as Pori, Umbria, Monterey, Nancy, Bologna, Graz, Stockholm, Boston, and Cape Town. RÃ¥berg is currently leading several constellations of his own: the Lifelines Quartet with Chris Cheek, Ben Monder, and Ted Poor; the Bruno RÃ¥berg Nonet featuring Allan Chase, Phil Grenadier, Jeff Galindo, and others; and Ascensio, a quartet with Allan Chase, Phil Grenadier, and Marcello Pellitteri. As an educator, Bruno RÃ¥berg stands out. He has been a professor at Berklee College of Music in Boston since 1986 and has traveled to Poland, Czech Republic, Italy, Mexico, and Costa Rica as a clinician/performer for Berklee.

 11:20 AM ♦   Tara Anand & Students  Carnatic Violin –Accomplished artist Tara Anand performers with her students.

Founded in 1989, Smt. Tara Anand's Anubhava School of Music has been one of the pioneering schools for Carnatic music in the Boston area. The school offers lessons in classical vocal and violin across three locations.Tara started learning vocal music at the age of four under Sankara Sarma and S. Gopalakrishnan. She gave her first concert at the age of eight and has continued to perform ever since in live concerts as well as on TV and Radio.

Tara started learning violin at the age of eight under Smt. Vedavalli Ramaswamy. She performed with her teacher at the age of twelve, and a couple of years later, went on a national tour with Prof. T. R. Subramaniam as his accompanist. She trained and performed with Smt. T. Rukmini after moving to Chennai.She has won several awards, both as an artist and as a teacher.

6:30 PM ♦   Shashikiran, Kiranavali, Ganesh -  Carnatic Vocal/Chitra Veena

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Sunday, April 3rd

11:00 AM ♦   Roopa Mahadevan  Carnatic Vocal

 Roopa Mahadevan is a bright, young Carnatic vocalist. Born and raised in San Jose, California, Roopa underwent her formative training under Smt. Asha Ramesh, disciple of the late Sangeetha Kalanidhi D.K. Jayaraman and Sri Nanganallur Ramanathan. In 2007, Roopa was awarded the highly-regarded Fulbright Scholarship by the Department of State, USA to receive advanced training in Chennai, India under Smt. Suguna Varadachari, a senior vidushi and respected teacher of the Musiri Subramania Iyer traditionShe has performed full-length concerts in several venues in India and North America, including the well-known Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana, where she has been awarded the first prize for raga alapana and krithi rendition in their annual competition in years past. In 2010, Roopa was honored with the title "Kala Ratna" by the Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana, for her commitment to the pursuit of Carnatic music as a young American.

2:40 PM ♦    Dr. Kannikeswaran  Lec Demonstration:Connecting Dhrupad and Carnatic Music

  Kanniks Kannikeswaran is a visionary musician, composer, music educator and writer with several recordings, productions and scores to his credit. Often referred to as "The Magical Musician from Madras", Kanniks' skill lies in his ability to create captivating music easily accessible to a broad audience base, blending complex features of diverse World Music forms. Kanniks' projects aim to build community by celebrating the threads of commonality between diverse peoples and cultures. Kanniks is hailed as the pioneer of the Indian American choral movement. He has founded and directed Indian American community choirs in Cincinnati OH, Bethlehem PA, Houston TX and Tampa FL and created a large repertoire of choral music based on raagas. His magnum opus, "Shanti, A Journey of Peace" -- a musical theater production and a choral symphony -- made history by bringing together a community choir of over 150 singers of both Indian and western origin in the Cincinnati community.

5:40 PM ♦   VK Raman and Anupama Bhagwat  Flute/Sitar Jugalbandi

 V.K. Raman , one of the leading flautists in the Carnatic style of Music, started learning flute at the age of nine. At the age of fifteen, he started giving full-fledged concerts. Since then Raman has performed in many prestigious organizations in India and abroad. Raman has had the privilege of performing flute duets along with his Guru, the great flute maestro Dr. N. Ramani on several occasions.
A master of blowing and fingering technique; he plays krithis in a Gayaki (Vocal) style combined with the unique mind-boggling possibilities of his instrument. He has also performed Jugalbandi and Fusion Concerts and has been very successful as a Music Composer. He is an 'A' Grade artist and a Grade I composer for AIR.

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