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| MITHAS Spring 2011 Concert Series Off To A Great Start |
Press Release
03/17/2011
(This article is sponsored by Masala Art)
Spring 2011 concert series for MITHAS was off to a great start on March 6th at the Wong auditorium, MIT, Cambridge, MA. Four well-spirited young artists adorned the stage for the first twenty minutes or so, followed by well-accomplished musicians from the New England area. Radha Rao and Anusha Kulkarni, (both 13), students of Smt Shuchita Rao at the Rasarang School of music presented 3 compositions in raga brindaavani saarAng in Teentaal, ektaal and keherwa. Their rendition was crystal clear highlighting the subtlities of the raag and the sheer confidence with which they sang was quite amazing. They were ably accompanied by Rohit Rao (15) on the harmonium and Pranav Ghatraju (turned 14 on that day) on tabla. The efforts of these youngsters under the direction of Shuchita brought about a great start to the evening's program. According to Shuchita, Pranav understands the pulse of accompaniment quite well and plays according to the need of the artists and the moment.
This was followed by a soothing vocal recital by Smt Shuchita Rao. If spring had to be thought off and experienced, one had to have attended this concert. The afternoon raga patdeep- a composition in vilambit ektaal, a composition in drut Teentaal and a taraana in drut ektaL set the stage for the ensuing main concert. Shuchita concluded with a dadra in raag pilu. George Ruckert on the harmonium and Amit kavthekar on tabla added their talent and color through their unobstructed support to Shuchita.
The main artists of the afternoon were Pandit Chirag katti, an accomplished Sitar musician. He was accompanied by Amit Kavthekar, another well-respected tabla player, fairly new to the area. Chirag played Alaap, Jod and jhaala in Raag mArwa followed by compositions in jhaptAal and Teentaal. He concluded with a fusion piece in khamaj and charukesi. As Chirag mentioned in one of his earlier interviews, "I love playing off my audiences' response. The energy levels are so high, that after a performance, instead of being tired, I feel invigorated." So true to his words, the audience was spell-bound throughout the concert and was in total bliss.
Amit kavthekar matched up quite well with Chirag on tabla and it was such a treat to listen to them. The chemistry was great and the perfect harmony was well appreciated.
Having an open act by local artists featuring young students was a wonderful idea. We look forward to more such events from MITHAS.
Do not forget their upcoming concert this Sunday, March 27, 2011 .
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