Maestro Zakir Hussain on Tabla Debut in the West and Upcoming TISRA Tour With Sarangi and Bansuri
BOSTON–Tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain this spring presents TISRA (three) with two of India’s finest young musicians, Sabir Khan and Debopriya Chatterjee. See the program schedule below.
In a Face-to-Face interview with INDIA New England News, Tabla maestro discusses the US tour with two Indian artists, his upcoming performance in Boston and the debut of Tabla in the West as well as his historic win of three Grammy awards.
To watch the full interview, please click here, or on the image below.
This unique TISRA trio is comprised of tabla, sarangi, and bansuri (bamboo flute), a combination not often heard on the classical stage. Sarangi and bansuri each have roots in ancient India and its mythology; both are also folk instruments.
TISRA showcases the rich folk and classical traditions of the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Punjab. It is widely accepted that the musical influence of Rajasthani gypsies has been heard far beyond the borders of India, and that Uttar Pradesh incorporated the folk music forms of Nepal, Bhutan, and Tibet into its music.
This colorful mix combined with Indian classical music and the rich rhythm repertoire of Punjab makes for a compelling offering that TISRA brings to audiences in the United States. Moreover, the trio intends to initiate a conversation between the sarangi, with its close resemblance to the human voice, and the bansuri, a breath instrument.
The pre-eminent classical tabla virtuoso of our time, Zakir Hussain is appreciated as one of the world’s most esteemed and influential musicians, one whose mastery of his percussion instrument has taken it to a new level transcending cultures and national borders. Along with his legendary father and teacher, Ustad Allarakha, he has elevated the status of the tabla both in India and around the world. Zakir is the founder and president of Moment! Records, an independent record label presenting rare live concert recordings of Indian classical music and world music.
Sabir Khan is one of India’s most talented and sought-after musicians of the present day. His instrument is the sarangi, a bowed instrument said to possess the sound closest to the human voice. He is the son of the great sarangi player/vocalist Padma Bhushan Ustad Sultan Khan, their family belonging to the Sikar gharana (school) of music, which has given several stalwarts to Indian classical music, including his great-grandfather Ustad Azim Khansahib, a court musician at Sikar in Rajasthan.
The musical journey of Debopriya Chatterjee began at home, under the guidance of her parents Professor Robin Chatterjee & Mrs. Krishna Chatterjee, both vocalists & composers from Allahabad. Debopriya started her initial flute training under the guidance of the late Pandit Bholanath Prasanna Ji of Allahabad. Her quest to express the depth and richness of Hindustani classical music, and of her chosen instrument, the bansuri (bamboo flute), brought her to the feet of her guru, the great exponent of the Maihar Senia Gharana Padmavibhushan Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia.
In the past 25 years, under the tutelage of her guru, she has grown tremendously as a musician and a performer. She has had the honor & privilege of accompanying her guru on stage for various prestigious concerts in India and abroad. She has also performed individually and along with her elder sister Suchismita at various music conferences and soirees all over the world. Known as the “Flutesisters”, they are among very few women flautists performing Hindustani classical music.
Tour schedule”
3/15F Al Larson Prairie Center for the Arts, Schaumburg, IL.
3/16Sa Shannon Hall at Wisconsin Union Theater, Madison, WI
3/20WWashington Performing Arts, Washington DC.
3/22F Bailey Hall, Cornell U., Ithaca, NY.
3/23Sa SPA Little Theater, Saratoga
3/24Su Berklee Performing Arts Center, Boston, MA
3/27WIsabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts, Kingston, Ontario.
3/28H Place Des Arts, Montreal.
3/29F Flato Markham Theatre, Markham, Ontario.
4/2Tu Lucas Theatre, Savannah, GA.
4/6Sa Lawrence Memorial Chapel, Appleton, WI.
4/7Su James Lumber Center for the Performing Arts, Grayslake, IL.
4/12F Matthews Theatre, Princeton, NJ.
4/13Sa Victoria Theater, Newark, NJ.
4/20Sa Bank of America PAC, Thousand Oaks, CA
4/21Su San Ramon PAC, San Ramon, CA.
4/23Tu Carriage House Theatre at the Montalvo Arts Center, Saratoga, CA.
4/24WHarris Center, Folsom, CA.
4/26F The Moore Theater, Seattle, WA.
4/27Sa Chan Centre, Vancouver, BC.
4/28Su The Royal Theater, Victoria, BC.