Boston University Office for the Arts Presents Colors of Spring: Raga Music of North India Residency
Engage in cross-cultural dialogue with three stellar classical musicians and experience the power and beauty of Indian classical music live this spring at BU
Boston University Office for the Arts Presents Colors of Spring: Raga Music of North India Residency
Engage in cross-cultural dialogue with three stellar classical musicians and experience the power and beauty of Indian classical music live this spring at BU.
Three stellar classical musicians from Mumbai, India, will be visiting Boston University this spring as part of a three-day residency co-sponsored by BU Office for the Arts, LearnQuest Academy of Music, BU School of Music, and BU Center for the Study of Asia. Maestro Sudhir Nayak, acclaimed master of the Indian portable organ, the harmonium, will be joined by the superb vocalist Dhananjay Hegde and tabla virtuoso Yogeesh Bhat. This will be a unique opportunity for the BU community to interact with these musicians, learn from them in masterclasses, and hear them live in concert.
As BU Office for the Arts continues to expand, the office is thrilled to continue bringing global music to BU. “In the past, we have hosted a variety of artists through our annual Global Music Festival, and as we transition into this new chapter for the office, this residency continues the spirit of what makes Boston University such a vibrant campus,” says Elana Harris, Interim Managing Director of BU Office for the Arts.
“Boston University has a rich South Asian cultural presence, and the Colors of Spring residency celebrates and strengthens that connection while contributing to the University’s growing appetite for the arts. We’re proud to create an opportunity for both the BU and Boston communities to engage with such a talented group of Indian artists. It is a breath of fresh air and a wonderful way to welcome the spring season after this extended winter.”
School of Music’s Igor Iwanek, Lecturer in Music, Music Theory, was instrumental in bringing the group of musicians to BU. “Personally, this residency is a huge milestone for me. I have a deep appreciation for the musical and spiritual culture of India. I’m a student of North Indian Classical Music (NICM), which is a style of music that I felt drawn to since childhood. Pandit (Indian term for maestro) Sudhir Nayak has been a wonderful mentor and a guide on this path for me, and now I’m delighted that BU students will be able to experience his magic as well,” says Iwanek.
Iwanek explains how the eruption of colors and fragrances of the spring season has captivated the minds of Indian artists for centuries. “In NICM, there is a whole body of music dedicated to the coming of spring,” explains Iwanek. “In our case, having just recently recovered from a long and bitter winter, we have very good reasons for celebrating the coming of spring. The “Colors of Spring” residency couldn’t be timed better.”
In North Indian Classical Music, there is a whole body of music dedicated to the coming of spring. In our case, having just recently recovered from a long and bitter winter, we have very good reasons for celebrating the coming of spring. The “Colors of Spring” residency couldn’t be timed better.
Iwanek has been bringing NICM to the curriculum at BU College of Fine Arts, and along with BU Student Wellbeing, initiated the Breath, Rhythm & Music workshops. “This is the fourth semester in which BU students are introduced to yogic practices for emotional self-regulation through these workshops.”
more info on bu office for the arts’ residencies
FEATURED ARTISTS/BIOS
SUDHIR NAYAK
Maestro Sudhir Nayak is an internationally acclaimed harmonium (Indian portable reed organ) artist and a familiar presence at major music festivals internationally, such as the BBC Proms and Darbar Festival. Renowned as a sensitive accompanist to leading vocalists and instrumentalists, he has also established himself as a distinguished solo harmonium performer.
A disciple of the harmonium maestro Pandit Tulsidas Borkar and the noted vocalist-composer Pandit Jitendra Abhisheki, Sudhir carries forward a rich musical lineage while shaping his own distinctive artistic voice.
Sudhir had the honour of playing with many of the doyens in the field of Indian Classical Music: Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Pandit Jasraj, Ustad Rashid Khan and Pandit Birju Maharaj, to name a few. He is also regularly associated with such artists as Smt. Shubha Mudgal, Pt. Rajan & Sajan Misra and Pt. Ajoy Chakravarty, among many others.
Sudhir performed with Pandit Bhimsen Joshi at the Central Hall of the Parliament of India, on the occasion marking the Golden Jubilee celebrations of India’s independence, and with Shubha Mudgal to mark the 60 years of the Parliament of India.
He has performed widely in the USA, the UK, Canada, Europe, Australia, and Asia. Sudhir was a visiting artist at Stanford, UC Berkeley, Brandeis, Yale University, and Ithaca College, as well as other educational institutions around the globe.
In addition to performing, he is an active composer, educator, and mentor. He currently serves as Visiting Faculty at Mumbai University and Somaiya University, Mumbai.
Drawing on his extensive experience and eclectic artistic vision, Sudhir has devoted himself to nurturing the arts through ‘Kala Coast’, a cultural movement whose flagship initiative is the Global Music and Arts Village in Karnataka, India.
We are truly looking forward to enriching interactions and engaging in an open with the students and the community at BU! Through these performances, workshops and discussions, guests will gain deeper insight into the nuances, aesthetic depth, and cultural richness of Indian classical music. The program also provides a meaningful platform to explore the similarities and differences between Indian classical traditions and other global musical systems, encouraging thoughtful dialogue and cross-cultural understanding. –Maestro Sudhir Nayak
DHANANJAY HEGDE
Born into a musical family, Dhananjay Hegde is a sought-after Hindustani (North Indian) Classical vocal artist. He started his formal training in music at an early age, learning from his mother, Geeta Hegde.
Dhananjay was later groomed by the eminent vocalist Venkatesh Kumar. For the next 14 years, he went through a very intensive, traditional “Gurukul” form of training under the illustrious vocalist Vinayak Torvi. In this type of training, the student studies and lives with his teacher and accompanies him to concerts and festivals, observing and participating in each and every performance. These experiences had a huge impact on Dhananjay as an artist.
A distinctive feature of his music is the seamless blend of the traditional styles of the Kirana school and the Gwalior school of rendering ragas (Gharana). Dhananjay is based in Mumbai, the music capital of India. He continues his journey as a performer and teacher, and performs frequently in festivals in India and internationally.
YOGEESH BHAT
Yogeesh Bhat is an Indian classical percussionist who specializes in Tabla and is recognized as one of the finest tabla players of the younger generation. He is acclaimed for his sensitive and profound Tabla accompaniment and solo performance. Yogeesh’s musically inclined familial upbringing in Karnataka, India, inspired him to learn the Tabla at the tender age of 4 from Vidwan Bhaskar Hegde Muttige. He later continued learning from Pandit Madivalayya Sali. Presently, he is mentored by the internationally renowned virtuoso Pandit Ravindra Yavagal and his son Kiran Yavagal.
Yogeesh’s keen interest in innovation led him to foray into the fields of Carnatic (South Indian) music and multi-stylistic genres of music as well. He currently trains in the Carnatic Thala (metric) system under Vidwan K U Jayachandra Rao.
Yogeesh has also received training in Hindustani (North Indian style) of playing violin and is also adept in vocal music. In addition, Yogeesh holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering.
RESIDENCY EVENTS
Founded in 1839, Boston University is an internationally recognized institution of higher education and research. With more than 34,000 students, it is the fourth-largest independent university in the United States. BU consists of 17 schools and colleges, along with a number of multi-disciplinary centers and institutes integral to the University’s research and teaching mission. In 2012, BU joined the Association of American Universities (AAU), a consortium of 62 leading research universities in the United States and Canada. Learn more at bu.edu.
Boston University Office for the Arts ensures that the arts are fundamental to every Terrier by developing, supporting, and celebrating University-wide programs that advance community-building through the arts, encourage interdisciplinary arts teaching and research, and highlights diverse artists and forms of artistry. Learn more at bu.edu/arts.
Established in 1954, Boston University College of Fine Arts (CFA) is a community of artist-scholars and scholar-artists who are passionate about the fine and performing arts, committed to diversity and inclusion, and determined to improve the lives of others through art. With programs in Music, Theatre, and Visual Arts, CFA prepares students for a meaningful creative life by developing their intellectual capacity to create art, shift perspective, and think broadly. CFA offers a wide array of undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs, as well as a range of online degrees and certificates. Learn more at bu.edu/cfa.
Founded in 1872, the School of Music combines the intimacy and intensity of traditional conservatory-style training with a broad liberal arts education at the undergraduate level, and elective coursework at the graduate level. The school offers degrees in performance, conducting, composition and theory, musicology, music education, and historical performance, as well as Artist and Performance diplomas and a certificate program in its Opera Institute. Learn more at bu.edu/cfa/music.
Founded in 1994, LearnQuest Academy of Music has been a beacon of music education in the greater Boston area. Rooted in the belief that music enriches lives, the academy provides quality instruction and fosters cultural appreciation through diverse programs and events. Learn more at learnquest.org.
Boston University’s Center for the Study of Asia at the Pardee School of Global Studies, established in 2008, promotes comprehensive, interdisciplinary, and cross-national understanding of Asia through coordination of teaching missions, research support, community-building among faculty and students, and broad outreach beyond the university. It strives to be an intellectual hub for new ideas and cutting edge research in the humanities and social sciences. Learn more at bu.edu/asian.
Student Wellbeing is a campus-wide initiative to support students’ health and wellbeing during their time at BU. We believe that everyone deserves to feel good and that how students feel matters. Our collective goal – as administrators, faculty, and staff – is to inspire our students to feel fulfilled each day, despite the ups and downs of life on campus. Learn more at bu.edu/studentwellbeing.