Saturday, May 13, 2017 • 8:00 P.M. HINDUSTANI MUSIC CONCERT DePaul Concert Hall 800 West Belden Avenue • Chicago Saturday, May 13, 2017 • 8:00 P.M. DePaul Concert Hall HINDUSTANI MUSIC CONCERT Kushal Das, sitar Ramdas Palsule, tabla PROGRAM Pt. Kushal Das will announce this evening’s selections from the stage. HINDUSTANI MUSIC CONCERT • MAY 13, 2017 ABOUT TONIGHT’S PERFORMANCE Hindustani music has been performed for centuries in the regions that are now the countries of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. Hindustani music is based on modal melody types called raga. They typically have extra-musical meanings that correspond with a time of day or night, season, or occasion. The musician improvises the melody within highly prescribed, traditional “rules” of a particular raga, which include characteristic phrases and emotional nuances. No two performances of the same raga will be alike. The aesthetic and emotional feeling created by a raga, known as its rasa, is considered an essential element of a successful performance In a sitar recital, the performer may play an alaap, jor, jhala, and gat – the solo sitar plays for an extended period, first in slow free rhythm, then introducing steady pulse, moving into high speed, all before the tabla enters in a tala, a rhythmic cycle of set number of beats. Or, the performer may simply play a brief alaap followed by the appearance of the tabla in one or more improvised pieces based on compositions in the given cycle. HINDUSTANI MUSIC CONCERT • MAY 13, 2017 ABOUT THE PERFORMERS Pandit Kushal Das is the leading sitar player of his generation, hailing from Kolkata, India. He received his first lessons on the sitar from his father, Sri Sailen Das, and his uncle, Sri Santanu Das, both respected members of the famous Maihar gharana (school of raga interpretation). He continued studies under the guidance of Prof. Sanjoy Banerjee and Pandit Ajoy Sinha Roy and also benefitted from vocal lessons with Pandit Manas Chakraborty and Sri Ramkrishna Basu. He soon gained fame as, perhaps, the contemporary player whose music is closest in spirit and sheer ability to the playing of the late Nikhil Banerjee. But his questing and deeply modest nature has led him to seek further incorporations into his instrumental approach. Since 2002, Das has also played the surbahar, a lower-pitched or bass sitar with very few contemporary adherents. He has given multiple performances at the top music festivals in India and at prestigious venues in Europe and the United States, and he has made numerous recordings. In addition, All India Radio and Doordarshan, the Government of India’s radio and television broadcasting services, have long rated him at the highest level. Pandit Ramdas Palsule is familiar to Hindustani music aficionados as an intellectual tabla player. As a senior disciple of the famous tabla maestro Taalyogi Padmashree Pandit Suresh Talwalkar, he is recognized as one of the finest players of his generation. An accomplished soloist as well as versatile accompanist, he has performed widely in eminent music festivals in India and abroad, and he has accompanied distinguished vocalists, instrumentalists and Kathak dancers. Palsule is an important tabla pedagogue, and for the over twenty years, he has served on the Faculty of the Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Pune in India. HINDUSTANI MUSIC CONCERT • MAY 13, 2017 ABOUT THE SOUTH ASIAN CLASSICAL MUSIC SOCIETY Special thanks go to the South Asian Classical Music Society for their assistance in arranging Pt. Kushal Das’s and Pt. Ramdas Palsule’s visit to Chicago. Now in its fifth season, SACMS is focused on presenting the finest performers of Hindustani and Carnatic music. In addition to bringing renowned exponents of this music to Chicago, SACMS provides a stage for fine local and regional performers and to rising talent. SACSMS welcomes your participation in their activities! For more information, please visit SACMS’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ SouthAsianClassicalMusic/. HINDUSTANI MUSIC CONCERT • MAY 13, 2017 UPCOMING EVENTS Friday, May 19 • 7:30 P.M. Sunday, May 21 • 2:00 P.M. Concert Hall DePaul Opera Theatre presents Monteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea Saturday, May 20 • 3:00 P.M. Concert Hall Percussion Ensemble Saturday, May 20 • 4:00 P.M. Recital Hall Wind/Mixed Chamber Showcase Saturday, May 20 • 8:00 P.M. Concert Hall African Drum Ensemble Sunday, May 21 • 8:00 P.M. Concert Hall Brass Ensemble Monday, May 22 • 8:00 P.M. Concert Hall Composers Forum Monday, May 22 • 8:00 P.M. Recital Hall DePaul Jazz Combos Tuesday, May 23 • 8:00 P.M. Concert Hall Ensemble 20+ Wednesday, May 24 • 7:00 P.M. Symphony Center • 220 S Michigan Avenue DePaul Symphony Orchestra Free, tickets required. Visit the “Concert & Events” page on music.depaul. edu for more information, or call 773.325.7260. Thursday, May 25 • 7:00 P.M. Recital Hall Opera Workshop HINDUSTANI MUSIC CONCERT • MAY 13, 2017 UPCOMING EVENTS Thursday, May 25 • 8:00 P.M. DePaul Student Center • 2250 N. Sheffield Ave. DePaul Jazz Ensembles Thursday, May 25 • 8:00 P.M. Concert Hall String Chamber Showcase I Friday, May 26 • 8:00 P.M. Concert Hall DePaul Wind Ensemble Saturday, May 27 • 8:00 P.M. Concert Hall DePaul Concert Orchestra and Symphonic Choir Sunday, May 28 • 2:00 P.M. St. Vincent de Paul Parish • 1010 W. Webster Ave. DePaul Concert Orchestra and Symphonic Choir Sunday, May 28 • 8:00 P.M. Concert Hall Baroque Ensemble Tuesday, May 30 • 7:00 P.M. Concert Hall Faculty Recital: Stephen Balderston, cello As a courtesy to those around you, please silence all cell phones and other electronic devices. Flash photography is not permitted. Thank you. Sign up for Music @ DePaul E-Notes! Receive monthly updates in your inbox on performances taking place at the School of Music, as well as special offers and discounts to ticketed events! You can choose to unsubscribe from the list at any time. We have a strict privacy policy and will never sell or trade your email address. You can sign up for E-Notes by visiting music.depaul.edu and clicking on Concerts and Events. DePaul University School of Music Concert Hall • 800 West Belden Avenue • Chicago Recital Hall • 804 West Belden Avenue • Chicago music.depaul.edu • 773.325.7260 804 West Belden Avenue Chicago, IL 60614 773.325.7260 music.depaul.edu.