Saturday, October 23, 1999, 7:00 pm
Ronu Majumdar (Flute)
with
Vijay Ghate (Tabla)
Venue:
The Saint Paul Student Center Theater,
University of Minnesota, Saint Paul campus
About the artists:
Ronu Majumdar was born in Varanasi and was initiated into the art of flute playing by his father, Dr. Bhanu Majumdar, a gifted flautist. Later, Ronu received valuable guidance from Pandit Laxman Prasad Jaipurwale, who was a legendary vocalist. Pandit Vijay Raghav Rao, a scholar and a well-respected performer, groomed Ronu into a concert flautist. Expert guidance, hard work, and natural talent enabled Ronu to establish himself as one of the most accomplished exponents of his instrument and a fine concert artist. Awards and recognition have followed Ronu all along the way. The first place award in the All India Radio Music Competition in 1981 was one of the first. He won special praise when he performed at the Asiad '82 in Delhi and in the Festival of India in Moscow, as a performer in the musical ensemble led by Pandit Ravi Shankar. Ronu has, in recent years, given performances extensively in Europe, the USA, Canada, Japan, Australia and the Middle East.
Vijay Ghate is considered by vocalists, instrumentalists, and by classical dancers as one of the best of the young tabla players of India. Originally from Jabalpur (MP), Vijay learned his art at a very early age. He then moved to Mumbai, and for over twelve years he was under the tutelage of Pandit Suresh Talwalkar, one of the most creative and knowledgeable teachers. Even at the age of 16 he became well-known for his scintillating solo performances, as well as, accompaniment with vocal and instrumental music and kathak dance. Vijay is known for clarity, dexterity, accuracy, and purity of various complex tabla compositions. During the past ten years or so he has accompanied many well known artists like Hariprasad Chaurasia (flute), Ram Narayan (sarangi), D. K. Datar (violin), C.R. Vyas (vocal), Rajan & Sajan Misra (vocal), Ulhas Kashalkar (vocal), Arati Tikekar (vocal), Kala Ramnath (violin), Shahid Parvez (sitar), Ronu Mujumdar (flute), Vishwa Mohan Bhatt (guitar), Jasraj (vocal), Sanjeev Abhyankar (vocal), Rohini Bhate (kathak), Birju Maharaj (kathak) and many others. He has accompanied many of these artists on their tours of Japan, Germany, Netherlands, France, Canada, the U.S.A., Africa, and various countries of the former Soviet Union.
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