Sangeet Mela 2017

ARCHIVE OF POSTS FROM SANGEET MELA 2017

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Sangeet Mela is Australia’s premiere Indian classical music and dance festival featuring both Hindustani and Carnatic styles. Sangeet Mela 2017 will be held from 2:30pm to 9:30pm on Saturday 2nd September at Queensland Multicultural Centre (BEMAC), and will feature our biggest international lineup ever, headlined by doyenne of Saraswathi Veena, Smt Nirmala Rajasekar (veena – Chennai/USA). In addition to veena, you’ll have the chance to witness accomplished artists in vocal, bansuri flute, sarod, tabla, mridingam, and violin, as well as dance exponents in the southern Bharatanatyam and northern Kathak styles. Take a day trip to experience the best of Indian culture at Sangeet Mela 2017.

BOOK NOW VIA PREMIERTICKETS.COM.AU

NEW: Unique workshop opportunities for kids and adults with Nirmala Rajasekar on Sunday 27th August. Visit www.sangeetmela.org/workshops/ for details.

NEW: Check out our delicious menu – pre-book your meal to save time and money.

The full list of this year’s featured artists is:


Help out Sangeet Mela by printing out our high resolution flyer and putting it up in your local cafe, Indian shop, noticeboard, etc…

Sangeet Mela 2017 is supported by  platinum sponsor Yoga King, the Lord Mayor’s Suburban Initiative Fund via The Gabba Ward, silver sponsors Sahaja Yoga Meditation, Homeopathy for Health (Rukmani Paliwal), and Sitar Restaurant, and exclusive media sponsors Brisbane Indian Times and Australian Indian Radio. Sangeet Mela is organised by Sangeet Premi Club in conjunction with EthnoSuperLounge.

PROGRAMME

Afternoon Session: 2:30pm to 4:00pm

~ INTERVAL ~

Sunset Session: 4:30pm to 6:45pm

~ INTERVAL – DINNER ~

Late Session: 7:30pm to 9:45pm


ACCOMPANISTS:
VIOLIN – Sri Ganesh Prasad (Chennai), Sri Aswin Narayanan
HARMONIUM – Sri Joseph Abhay Nand
MRIDANGAM – Sri Thanjavur Murugaboopathi (Chennai), Sri Balaram Ramagiri
TABLA – Sri Maharshi Raval (Sydney), Sri Simranjit Singh (Golden Temple, Amritsar), Sri Shen Flindell
PADHANT / KATHAK CHOREOGRAPHY – Smt Namita Debroy
VOCAL – Smt Usha Chivukula
BANSURI – Sri Darshil Shah

ARTISTS

Smt Nirmala Rajasekar (veena – Chennai/USA) - Nirmala Rajasekar is a master veena artiste and vocalist. A dynamic and vibrant performer, she is one of the most recognized names in the world of Indian Classical music today. She began training in this art from the age of 6 and began her career as a concert performer when she was 13. Nirmala’s music […]
Smt Sunita Tikare (Hindustani vocal – Mumbai) - Sunita Tikare is an outstandingly melodious Vocalist inclined towards Indian Classical music from early childhood. An inspiring pat on the back for a flawless performance coupled with an ardent admiration by Late Honorable Prime Minister Smt Indira Gandhi for this lead singer at a tender age of Nine ( later also Late PM Shri.Rajeev Gandhi) […]
Sri Taro Terahara (bansuri – Japan) - Taro Terahara is one of the leading musicians in the thriving and highly competitive Indian classical music scene in Japan. Born in Chiba-ken, in 1968 to teacher parents Taro Terahara was passionate about music from a very early age. Seeing his potential, his parents encouraged him in many ways to help him gain the experiences […]
Sri Rahul Bhattacharya (sarod) - Rahul (Sabyasachi) Bhattacharya is a Hindustani (North Indian) musician who plays the 19th string sarod. Hailing from the city of Varanasi he commenced his musical studies at the age of 5 with vocal training and also undertook studies in Western Classical Guitar. He migrated to the sarod in the late 80s, and received tutelage from […]
Smt Padmalakshmi Sriram (Bharatanatyam Dance) - Smt. Padmalakshmi Sriram is a professional Bharatanatyam Classical Dancer from South India. Bharatanatyam, a classical Indian dance form that originated in the temples of Tamilnadu, India, is known for its grace, purity, tenderness, and sculpturesque poses. Lord Shiva is considered the God of this dance form. Today, it is one of the most popular and […]
Sri Ganesh Prasad (violin – Chennai) - B.U. Ganesh Prasad hails from a family of connoisseurs of classical music & his blazing talent was recognized at a very young age by his father late B.S. Umakanth. He had his initial violin training under Basavanagudi Nataraj & vocal guidance from Bangalore S. Shankar during his formative years. It was under the able guidance […]
Sri Thanjavur Murugaboopathi (mridangam – Chennai) - Murugaboopathi aka Boopathi is one of the world most celebrated mridangam players of today. His techniques and creative ability in accompaniment, solo renditions, and jugalbandhi programs with his North Indian brethren have earned him a critical acclaim around the world. Sri Murugaboopathi was born 19th April 1965 in Madras, India and hails from a family […]
Sri Simranjit Singh (tabla) - Simranjit Singh started learning the basics of tabla the age of 9 from his school teacher Mr. Daljit Singh, before going into the depths of the Punjab Gharana with Ustad Jaspal Singh ji Jawaddi Taksal. A specialist in tabla solo, he has performed 6 times at Harivallabh Sangeet Sammelan as well as many other great stages […]
Sri Maharshi Raval (tabla) - Maharshi is a promising tabla player from Benaras Gharana (school) living in Sydney. Maharshi is a student of Late Pt. Nandan Mehta who was a disciple of the legend of Benaras Gharana Late Pt. Shri Kishen Maharaj and has been learning for the last 25 years at Saptak School of Music in Ahmedabad. He has travelled extensively to various […]
Smt Namita Debroy (Kathak padhant, choreo) - Namita Debroy is the founder and director of Nritya Bharati School of Kathak Dance, established in 1998 in Brisbane with 2 branches at Hamilton and Sunnybank Hills. An accomplished Kathak dancer, she was ranked first (East Zone) in her Bachelors in Performing Arts (Lucknow University), trained under the instruction of Pt Bihari Lal Singh and […]
Sri Joseph Abhay Nand (harmonium) - Joseph Abhay Nand is a stalwart participant in the Brisbane Indian classical community. Originally from Fiji, he learnt harmonium from Ustad Mohammed Hussein from Pakistan and Ustad Mehmood Dholpuri from India. He is also accomplished in both tabla and vocal. He learnt tabla from his elder brother Sri Viveka Nand, Ustad Mubarak Khan, Pt Surendra Bhatt and Ustad Hashmat Ali Khan, […]
Smt Usha Chivukula (vocal) - Usha Chivukula is a passionate promoter of the Indian traditional performing arts, and an experienced performer in dance, drama and music herself. She received training in Carnatic and Hindustani vocal music, and also in the veena, for many years in India, before going on to be selected as an All-India radio artist. More recently Usha […]
Sri Aswin Narayanan (violin) - Aswin Narayanan has been playing Carnatic Music on the violin for over 15 years. He grew up in Singapore where he started learning the violin under Sir CN Thyagaraju. He later oved to New Zealand where he continued learning under his current teacher of over 11 years, Dr Ashok Malur in Auckland. Aswin has often […]
Sri Balaram Ramagiri (mridangam) - Balaram Ramagiri began playing khol from the age of eight, which later inspired him to develop his knowledge of percussion by learning mridangam. Starting at the age of twelve, Balaram received his mridangam training from Arthavan Selvanathan, taking him from the basic lessons to thani aavarthanams that included different nadais and spanned various thaalams. He […]
Sri Darshil Shah (bansuri) - Financial Advisor by the day and Musician by heart, Darshil has been learning and playing Bansuri since 2002. Based in Brisbane, Australia since 2009, Darshil has a dream of passing on the legacy of the Ancient Indian Classical Music to cross-cultural communities and next generation of musicians. Born and brought up in Mumbai, he has […]
Sri Shen Flindell (tabla) - Shen Flindell started learning tabla in Melbourne from Sri Debapriya Bhattacharya in 1994 and soon went to the holy city of Varanasi in India to study under Pt. Kaviraj Ashutosh (“Ashu Babu”) Bhattacharya, a great tabla master of the Benares Gharana. Shen is now mainly based in Brisbane, Australia, but typically spends several months of […]

RISING STARS

Sangeet Premi Rising Star Award 2017 Winners

Ku Sheena Rinky Bala (Kathak dance) - Sheena (Rinky) Bala has always been passionate about dance, and it was after discovering her Guru in 1998, Namita Debroy at the age of 6, that she found her love for Kathak. Her Guru, Namita Debroy was trained by the esteemed Pt. Bihari Lal Sing and Dr. Umashankar Chakraborty (disciple of Pt Birju Maharaj) at […]
Ku Madhu Murali (Carnatic vocal) - Madhuvanthi Muralidharan began her musical journey at the age of 5 from Smt. Raji Krishnamoorthy between 1999-2004 (Adelaide, SA), and then trained under Smt Rasika Vishwanath (Singapore) between 2004-2008 and Smt. Suma Rudrapatna (Adelaide, SA) between 2004-2014. She has since been under the tutelage of Smt. Bharathy Subramaniam (Canberra, ACT). Apart from her formal training, […]

SEE ALL RISING STAR AWARD WINNERS SINCE 2014 HERE.

CONDITIONS OF ENTRY (2017):

As part of Sangeet Mela’s mission to foster Indian classical culture in Brisbane, several young artists will be given the opportunity to perform at the festival and will receive a “Sangeet Premi Rising Star Award”. Each year one or two awards may be given in each of four categories (Vocal, Instrumental, Percussion and Dance), each in the two broad genres of Hindustani and Carnatic Sangeet.

Download the Rising Stars Application Form (2017) here.
(Instructions on submitting your application are in the form.)

SANGEET PREMI RISING STAR AWARDS – CONDITIONS

  • Two genres – Hindustani, Carnatic
    Four categories – Vocal, Instrumental, Percussion, Dance.

  • Applications close Friday 21st July, 2017. Winners will be informed by Friday 4th August, 2017.

  • Winners must be available to present 20 minutes performance at Sangeet Mela 2017 on Saturday 2nd September at QLD Multicultural Centre, Kangaroo Point.

  • Winners in the Percussion category (eg Tabla, Pakhawaj, Miruthangam, Ghatam) may be requested to perform solo and/or accompaniment, hence must submit video evidence of both styles of performance.

  • Open to applicants born after 2nd September 1992 (under 25 years old on the date of Brisbane Sangeet Mela). Previous Sangeet Premi Rising Star Award winners are not eligible to apply in the same category. It is expected that applicants will be capable of performing at a high standard approaching professional level. We do not recommend that young children apply unless they are unusually talented.

  • Entrants must be Australian citizens or permanent residents for at least 5 years to be eligible.

  • Judging committee may not give an award in some categories if the quality of applications is deemed insufficient. The award may also be granted to any individual deemed worthy by the judging committee, although they may not have officially applied.  In 2017 we hope to award 3-5 awards in the 8 overall categories. 

  • Past/planned study trips to India viewed favourably.

  • Applicants should submit the completed application form along with support material.

  • Compulsory support material – artist photo, biodata, and video file of applicant’s example performance.

  • Optional support material – press reviews, references from guru and/or other respected parties.

  • Entrants from outside the Brisbane region are eligible but must cover their own expenses to participate in the festival.

  • Winners may choose their own accompaniment for the concert, or have accompanists arranged by the Brisbane Sangeet Mela Organising Committee. Please note there is no budget for paying these performers.

It is hoped that these annual awards will encourage young students of Indian classical arts to pursue their practice diligently year by year, practise regularly with other musicians, give classical performances at community events, visit India for the purposes of taleem and riaz, and aim to present themselves as artists with attractive photos, biodata and video. In so doing we hope to foster the development of Indian classical music broadly in the community – those who do not win may benefit more in the long term than those who do!

Requirements for 20 minutes performance

HINDUSTANI:

  • Vocal – minimum 1 Chhota Khyal or Dhrupad bandish; other pieces may be classical or semi-classical.

  • Instrumental – performance of one raga including alap and 1 or 2 gats.

  • Dance – Classical Kathak or Odissi performance including one item for laya component and one item for abhinaya component.  May use live accompaniment or CD, but preparation of live accompaniment will be viewed favourably.

  • Percussion – Winners in the Percussion category may be requested to perform solo and/or accompaniment, hence video should be submitted demonstrating both:
    : 10+ minutes solo with naghma
    : 10+ minutes demonstrating accompaniment of vocal or instrumental music

CARNATIC:

  • Vocal – 2-3 minute raga aalaap, rendition of a kriti, Niraval (2 rounds of slow tempo and 3 rounds of fast tempo and chauka kaalam, if capable) and Kalpana swaram. Optional Thillana to complete 20 minutes.

  • Instrumental – equivalent to Carnatic vocal repertoire above.

  • Dance – Classical Bharat Natyam, Kuchipudi or Mohiniyattam performance including one item for laya component and one item for abhinaya component.  May use live accompaniment or CD, but preparation of live accompaniment will be viewed favourably.

  • Percussion – Winners in the Percussion category may be requested to perform solo and/or accompaniment, hence video should be submitted demonstrating both:
    : 10 minute accompaniment of Carnatic classical vocal/instrumental, demonstrating capacity to accompany songs through a combination of basic nadais, copying of sangathis and playing appropriate theermanams.
    : 10 minute solo item structured as appropriate for the relevant school (potentially including different nadais) with a farans and mohora-korvai.

Video submitted in application should reflect these requirements.

Download the Rising Stars Application Form here.

For further information, please email awards@sangeetmela.org

NEWS

Sangeet Mela 2017 official videos (12/2/2018) - The Youtube playlist for all the official performance videos from Sangeet Mela 2017… If you prefer to watch and share on Facebook, please visit our Facebook page. 
Sangeet Mela 2017 official report (12/2/2018) - Saturday 2nd September 2017 saw the Indian classical music lovers of Brisbane and around Australia gathering at Queensland Multicultural Centre for Sangeet Mela 2017, the 4th edition of this wonderful celebration of Indian classical music and dance. The first session opened with a Kathak dance performance by Rising Star Award winner Ku Sheena Rinky Bala, […]
Book your meal for Sangeet Mela 2017 (22/8/2017) - As part of our commitment to provide you with memorable experience at Sangeet Mela 2017, we have organised snacks from 2pm to 6pm plus a buffet dinner from 6:30pm. You can purchase meals for $12 on the day or pre-book for $10. Please see the menu below. High Tea 2.00 pm to 6 pm – […]
Meet the International Artists coming to Sangeet Mela 2017 (12/6/2017) - Meet the international artists coming to perform at Sangeet Mela 2017: Sri Taro Terahara (bansuri – Japan), Smt Sunita Tikare (Hindustani vocal – Pune) and Smt Nirmala Rajasekar (veena – Chennai/USA). Please share this video on Facebook too…
Sangeet Mela video playlists (18/4/2017) - We’re very happy to announce that all the performance videos from Sangeet Mela 2016 are now available online on both our Facebook page and Youtube.  Here are the Youtube playlists for each of the past 3 Sangeet Melas: