Headlining Performers
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Bengal Parampara Sangeetalay – Tabla
Bengal Parampara Sangeetalay’s Tabla band was formed in 2014 and began its journey with 27 tabla students from the Bengal Parampara Sangeetalay, Bangladesh. The students of the institute are currently disciples of Pandit Suresh Talwalkar, a renowned tabla artist from India, and also train under the guidance of Ajinkya Joshi and Nilesh Ranadive. Since its inception, the band has performed at the Rajshahi Classical Music Festival in at 2016, Boishakhi Mela 2016, Bengal Classical Music Festival in 2015 and 2016, and at Bengal Sangskriti Utsab 2017. Bengal Classical Music Festival 2017 will feature a tabla recital by Prashanta Bhowmik, Supantho Majumder, M J Jesus Bhoobaun, Fahmida Nazneen, Nusrat-E-Jahan and Shrestha Priyodarshini.
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Bhawani Shankar
Bhawani Shankar, aka Bhawani Kathak, is a renowned Indian classical percussionist. He began playing the pakhwaj and tabla under the guidance of his father, Pandit Babulalji, a recognised maestro of Kathak dance, pakhawaj and tabla from the Jaipur Gharana. Shankar also received further guidance in tabla under Pandit Shivlalji Kathak of the Ajrara Gharana. He has shared the stage with some of India’s greatest maestros which includes Pandit Ravi Shankar, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, Pandit Jasraj, Pandit Birju Maharaj, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Mohammad Rafi, amongst many others. Shankar is the recipient of several prestigious awards including a Grammy nomination, Pandit Jasraj Gaurav Puraskar, Rajasthan Sangeet Natak Academy Award, National President Award, and the Sangeet Natak Academy Award, to name a few. He has travelled around the globe performing solo, as well as accompanying other renowned musicians.
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Brajeswar Mukherjee
Born in Burdwan on March 11, 1984, Brajeswar Mukherjee was initiated by his parents and later learnt from Hara Kumar Chatterjee and Asit Roy. He was then accepted as a disciple by Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty from 1997 and continues to train under him at ITC SRA. Since 2000 he has been teaching at Shrutinandan, the music school established by Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty. He has accompanied his Guru on the harmonium or provided vocal support in concerts around the world. His solo performances have been at prestigious concerts like the ITC SRA Mangaldeep Sammelans.
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Budhaditya Mukherjee
Budhaditya Mukherjee is a renowned classical sitarist from India, an exponent of Imdadkhani Gharana. Considered to be one of the leading classical musicians of his generation, Mukherjee trained in the disciplines of the sitar and surbahar under the guidance of his father Late Pandit Bimalendu Mukherjee. He has extensively toured in India and abroad, Mukherjee was the first musician to perform at the House of Commons in London. He is a recipient of the Sangeet Natak Academi Award, Kumar Gandharva Sanman and Sangeet Mahasanman Award.
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Debojyoti Bose
Debojyoti Bose is a notable tabla artist from India, an exponent of the Senia Bangash Gharana. His grandfather Akshay Kumar Bose had a great passion for tabla which was passed on to the generations that followed. Bose is part of the fourth generations of musicians in his family. His father, Pandit Biswanath Bose, was an exponent of the Benaras Gharana and a disciple of Pandit Kanthe Maharaj. His mother, Bharati Bose, a sitar artist, was a disciple of Ustad Mushtaq Ali Khan and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. He initially trained under the guidance of his parents but eventually became a disciple of Ustad Amjad Ali Khan. Bose also received additional training in classical vocals from Pandit Jayanta Bose, Pandit Rajan and Sajan Mishra and Pandit Vijay Kichlu.
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Firoz Khan
Firoz Khan is a distinguished sitar artist from Bangladesh. He was inspired to follow a career in music by his maternal uncle Ustad Khurshid Khan, and trained under Late Laxmi Kanto Dey. Khan has performed at prestigious shows in Bangladesh and abroad. He also earned several awards throughout his career for his contributions to music. He is presently serving as the Music Director of Bangladesh Betar, Dhaka.
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Gazi Abdul Hakim
Gazi Abdul Hakim is a renowned flautist from Bangladesh. He trained under the guidance of Mukul Biswas, Dulal Babu, Sheikh Ali Ahmed and Binoy Ray. Hakim has performed at prestigious shows in Bangladesh and abroad – some of his notable performances include a show at House of Commons in 1994 and at the Commonwealth Summit in Canberra in 2001. He has been working as a Staff Artiste at Bangladesh Betar since 1974.
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Government Music College
The sixth edition of Bengal Classical Music Festival will feature a khayal recital by students of the Government Music College. The college is one of the oldest and renowned institutions in Bangladesh. It is also an affiliate of the National University.