Melodies of the Night
Sanjoy Banerjee and Namami Karmakar
Friday, September 13, 2019
7:00 PM–9:00 PM
Indian classical music has been passed from guru (teacher) to shishya (student) in an oral tradition that stretches back to 1500 BC. This concert features the guru Pandit Sanjoy Banerjee with his shishyas performing Melodies of Night. The evening will begin with singer Namami Karmakar followed by Pandit Sanjoy Banerjee. Through his soulful singing and fluid improvisations, combined with his mastery of sargams, taans, and Khayal, Sanjoy Banerjee displays the melodic and emotional power of night ragas.
Banerjee and Karmakar will be accompanied by Dibyarka Chatterjee on tabla and Anirban Chakrabarty on harmonium.
Presented with Harrice Miller Entertainment and community partner Sunny Thakkar of Sneh Arts.
About the Musicians
Pt. Sanjoy Banerjee is a world-renowned vocalist from India and a distinguished exponent of the Kirana Gharana of North Indian vocal classical music. With his sonorous voice, he has enthralled audiences at home in India and abroad, performing in the United Kingdom, Germany, Bangladesh, and the United States.
Banerjee was a scholar at the prestigious ITC Sangeet Research Academy under the able guidance of the late Pt. A.T. Kanan and Sangeet Bidushi Malabika Kanan, who considered him the successor to their musical heritage. He has received many awards and honors including the Surmani Award from Sur Sringar Samsad, Mumbai; a National Scholarship from Ministry of Human Resource and Development; and a Government of India and Junior Fellowship from the Department of Culture, Government of India. In addition, Sanjoy Banerjee is a successful guru teaching at his own institution, Suromurchhana in India and the United States, and at the Chhandayan Center of Indian Music, New York, producing students who have already earned acclaim.
Namami Karmakar began studying under the late Pt. A.- Kanan and the late Sangeet Bidushi Malabika Kanan before continuing training under their senior disciple Sanjoy Banerjee. She is a faculty member at Kolkata Suromurchhana imparting guidance to students in Kolkata, India and internationally while also teaching at Chhandayan Center for Indian Music.