First All-night concert of Indian Classical music in Canada

For the very first time in Canada, enthusiasts of Indian classical music will be treated to a truly unique experience of an all-night concert. Held at the awe-inspiring St. Andrews Church, the event will bring together some of the most renowned names in Indian classical music like Samir Chatterjee,Shashank,Ramesh Misra, Swapan Chaudhuri, Dibyarka Chatterjee and Gauri Guha. Music lovers will enjoy the rare opportunity to experience this legendary and well-preserved art through the inimitable orchestration of percussion, strings, wind instruments and vocals.

 

It’s a dawn to dusk music affair, starting at 8 pm until 5 am!

 

All night classical concerts are part of the Indian classical music tradition. For centuries, Indian pundits and ustads have enthralled their audiences with breath-taking renditions of the various ragas that are dedicated to different times of the day. Now, Chhandayan, a not-for-profit organization is bringing this centuries-old tradition to Toronto.

 

Chhandayan was started in Calcutta, India, in 1984, and in 1988, started operations in the U.S. Samir Chatterjee is the Founder-Director of CHHANDAYAN, an organization dedicated to promoting and preserving Indian music and culture. Samir has been teaching for the last 35 years and many of his students are established performers. He has authored a comprehensive 654-page book entitled ‘A Study of Tabla’ and a guide book to Indian music titled ‘Music of India’. He is on the faculty at Yale University, Manhattan School of Music, University of Pittsburgh, New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music and University of Bridgeport in CT.

This not-for-profit organization dedicated to serve all aspects of Indian classical music from teaching to understanding and appreciation of a timeless tradition. Chhandayan offers classes for Indian music (vocal and instrumental) supplemented by periodic workshops, seminars and lecture- demonstrations throughout the year in Manhattan and Jackson Heights (Queens) in New York, Nutley, Edison and Kendall Park in New Jersey, Potomac in Maryland, Ashburn in Northern Virginia and Cheswick (in Pittsburgh area) in Pennsylvania.

Chhandayan’s series of concerts are some of the most popular and exciting events to the local community where it serves. The highlight of these series is the annual all-night concert held in New York City on the second Saturday of May, every year, for the past 11 years.

 

For more details, please visit http://www.chhandayan.com. For tickets for the Toronto concert, visit www.allnightconcerts.org. Tickets are available at $100, $70, $50 and $30. Special discounts available for students and group bookings of 10 and more.

 

 

Samir Chatterjee is a virtuoso Tabla player of India. He travels widely across the world performing in numerous festivals as a soloist or with other outstanding musicians from both Indian and western musical traditions. Samir performed at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo, Norway on December 10^th, 2007, and twice at the UN General Assembly. His compositions are widely acclaimed.

Samir Chatterjee is rated ‘A’ as an artiste of the national radio and television of India. In concert Samir has accompanied many of India’s greatest musicians including Pt. Ravi Shankar, Ud. Vilayat Khan, Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, Pt. Jasraj and Pt. Nikhil Banerjee, among others.

Pundit Ramesh Misra A true example of total dedication, depth and maturity, Pundit Ramesh Misra is a phenomenon in the field of Indian classical music. Mastering one of the most difficult and unique string instruments ‘Sarengi’, Ramesh Misra is acclaimed as an outstanding artist of India. Ramesh started his initial intensive training at a very tender age from his father Pt. Ramnath Misra and acquired further knowledge and training from some of the finest musicians of Beneras Gharana such as Pt. Hanuman Prasad Mishra and Pt. Gopal Mishra. Presently he is under the tutelage of the legendary maestro Pundit Ravi Shankar.

Pundit Swapan Chaudhuri is an eminent tabla player whose musical accomplishments have earned him wide renown. In 1981, Ali Akbar Khan invited him to come to the U.S. from Calcutta and teach at the College. Not only is he a top level musician and performer, but also an excellent teacher.

Dibyarka Chatterjee is a young and promising Tabla player from the Farrukhabad Gharana. His natural inclination towards Tabla became evident shortly after his birth, and at the age of five he was initiated by his illustrious father Pt. Samir Chatterjee. Since then he has been going through the rigorous discipline of lesson and practice.

Gauri Guha An acclaimed Indian classical vocalist for the last 35 years, Gauri Guha has eight albums to her credit. 


A recipient of many grants from the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute, the Ontario Arts Council and the Canada Council, she has performed internationally at many prestigious concerts. Gauri has been profiled on TV, Radio and in various newspapers in North and South America, Europe and Asia.