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A rare, 24-hour concert of Hindustani music this weekend

April 4, 2013

West Philadelphia-based Crossroads Music is putting on a unique concert this weekend – one that hasn’t been seen in the U.S. in decades. A group of heralded Indian musicians will combine their talents for a 24-hour concert on April 6-7 at the Main Building at Drexel University (3141 Chestnut Street).articles_5

The Raga Samay Festival will feature 10 soloists who perform classical Hindustani (North Indian) music. They will perform 15 concerts over the 24-hour period, beginning at 6 p.m. on Saturday. The concerts will include vocal solo performances accompanied by tabla and harmonium, instrumental solo performances accompanied by tabla and instrumental jugalbandi (duets). Perhaps the best part, is that the music is improvised so what you hear will be a unique performance.

The schedule includes:

• Sunset performances by vocalists Arati Ankalikar and Kaivalyakumar Guruv
• A unique sunrise duet dedicated to the memory of Ravi Shankar, featuring santoor maestro Tarun Bhattacharya (his student) and mandolin virtuoso Snehasish Mozumder (who performed with his ensemble)
• A midnight sarod solo by Alam Khan, the American-born heir to a legendary family of Indian musicians (see video below).
• A noon performance on flute from Steve Gorn
Kala Ramnath‘s famous “singing violin”
• The versatile Nayan Ghosh, one of the few masters of both sitar and tabla
• Concerts by two world-class Philadelphia-area artists: vocalist Sanhita Nandi and sitarist Allyn Miner

Tickets range from $15 to $50. More information on tickets is available here. Below is a video featuring Alam Khan, who will be onstage at midnight.

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