Master of Sarod: Anirban Dasgupta feat. Mir Naqibul Islam

Renowned for his lightning fast improvisations, perfect tunefulness and depth of performance, Anirban Dasgupta is one of the foremost modern exponents of the Hindustani sarod. Trained from a young age by his celebrated father, Pandit Buddhadev Dasgupta, Anirban presents the rich traditional repertoire of his particular musical lineage, the Shahjahanpur Gharana, with unparalleled finesse.  He will be accompanied on tabla by Mir Naqibul Islam, another artist deeply steeped in his relative tradition whose creative presentations of Farukhabad style tabla in New York City have made him one of today's most sought after accompanists. Together, they present an evening of Hindustani classical music of the highest caliber.

The concert will begin with a brief introduction by Halcyon Arts' Global Music Institute associate director Joel 'Veena' Eisenkramer about the fascinating history of Dasgupta's musical lineage, the Shahjahanpur Gharana. Of particular interest to American audiences is the musical style's origin: the founder of the gharana defied the typical nepotism of the time to train an orphaned child to be recipient of his musical knowledge. The style later developed into one of the richest traditions of North Indian classical music, including luminaries like Ustad Mohammed Ameer Khan, known for his mastery of martial arts as well as music, and Pandit Radhika Mohan Maitra, a renaissance man of the early 20th century who invented multiple instruments and wrote on many topics beyond the scope of music.

Halcyon Arts New England will be transformed into a festive south Asian concert hall on the evening of the performance with a pop-up Indian handicrafts market hosted by Vidhiism. Concert goers will be able to sip homemade chai and shop for colorful shawls, leather goods and bags during the breaks.

Watch a recent performance of Anirban and Mir at Columbia University, click here