Hindustani Classical Vocal Concert by Shaswati Mandal and Dhananjay Hegde
accompanied by Dnyaneshwar Sonawane (Harmonium) and Pranav Gurav (Tabla)
A Shadaj Baithak event
supported by Mass Cultural Council
Concert:
When: Saturday August 26th 2023, 4-8 pm
Venue: Pilgrim Congregational Church, 55 Coolidge Avenue, Lexington, MA 02421
Tickets: $30, FREE for members (Become a Shadaj Member!)
Notes:
Information:
tickets@shadaj.org
Ketki Purandare Limaye: 716-907-2084
Milind Ranade: 409-201-7110
Dhananjay Hegde A young and talented Hindustani classical vocalist, Dhananjay Hegde was born in a musical family. A child prodigy, Dhananjay was identifying the shruthi or musical note of a car horn or temple bell at the age of four. Observing this talent, his parents encouraged him to learn music. He began learning music at the age of four from his mother Smt. Geeta Hegde. His father, Sri G.S. Hegde is a Tabla player and founder of "SAPTHAK" - a music organization promoting Hindustani Music in Bangalore.
Later, Dhananjay was fortunate enough to have trained under Pt. Venkatesh Kumar from Dharwad, for a while. In 1989, he joined Pt. Vinayak Torvi for advanced learning and underwent rigorous training under Panditji in the Gurukul tradition. The talim received from Panditji moulded Dhananjay into a complete performer. It was not just learning one-to-one from Panditji, but being with him for his concerts all over, made a huge impact on Dhananajay as a performer. After an intense taleem of 14 years, he shifted to Mumbai to pursue his music career and to reach greater heights. A true student, he still seeks guidance from Panditji.
One of the interesting aspects of Dhananjay’s music is the blend of Kirana and Gwalior Gharana, which he has imbibed from his Guru. Dhananjay aspires to be a honest musician and to follow in the footsteps of maestros of yesteryear.
Shaswati Mandal upholds the finest aspects of the Gwalior gharana, the oldest surviving style of khayal singing. She was born into a family of successful musicians - her grandfather Balabhau Umdekar 'Kundalguru' was a Scindias court musician in pre-Independence times.
She studied under the demanding tutelage of her mother Kamal Mandal before receiving a scholarship to learn from Balasaheb Poonchwale, and has also delved into the Gwalior gharana’s ancestry by studying Dhrupad with the Gundecha Brothers.
Her style is rooted in the Gwalior gayaki, but is also influenced by detailed study of other traditions including ghazal, thumri, Carnatic pallavi, and the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana (“one has to know the rules to break them”). She is considered to be one of the finest exponents of tappa - a semi-classical style derived from Punjabi camel-riders with fast, distinctively angular melodies and lyrics which typically depict the emotional outbursts of a lover.
Dnyaneshwar Sonawane was deeply drawn towards Indian music from an early age. He started training in Harmonium from the renowned Harmonium player Bapu Kulkarni of Nashik. Later he came under the tutelage of internationally acclaimed Harmonium player, Sudhir Nayak of Mumbai where he is developing the art of playing Harmonium as an accompanying instrument as well as solo Harmonium presentations. He has won accolades and awards at various competitions, and has traveled and performed, accompanying renowned musicians from varied genres of music.
Pranav Gurav’s training in tabla began at a very tender age of 3. Pranav gives credit to his father for being his first music teacher. Being an expert himself, Pranav’s father taught him the basic syllables and language of Tabla. Early in his music education, he got an opportunity to learn from one of the greats, Pandit Nana Mulye. He is currently continuing his training under Shri. Suresh Samant.