Annual Dover Lane Classical Music Conference in Kolkata begins on 22 January

Kolkata, Jan 03 (HS): Altogether 32 renowned vocalists, sitarists,sarod vadak, tabla artistes and percussionists of Hindusthani and Karnataki classical music from across the country like Pundit Jasraj, Ustad Rashid Khan, Pundit Ajay Chakraborty (vocalists), Hari Prasad Chourasia, (Flute), VIswamohan Bhat (Mohan Veena) and Aman Ali Bangash (Sarod) will perform ’68th Annual Dover Lane Classical Music Conference’ in the city from 22 to 25 January.

Announcing the programme details of the four night long extravaganza here this afternoon, Managing Director of Patton Industries Sanjay Budhia and Director, P C Chandra Group Of Jewellers, A K Chandra said this year’s Conference had been dedicated to the memory of Sitar Maestro Pundit Ravi Shankar on his birth centenary. In addition, this year’s ‘Sangeet Samman’ (Award) would be given to Ustad Aashis Khan.

Reiterating that the Dover Lane Classical Music Conference, being held for over six decades now, was known worldwide for its unique efforts to promote budding artistes from all corners of the country and place them before a large audience every year to help them get the due recognition in the music world.

‘This Music Conference has no border on the basis of caste, creed or religion’, Budhia said and claimed that the only consideration of this music Conference was the artiste’s ability to sing or perform in world standard to mesmerize the packed crowd, who literally made bee line before the ticket counters every year to get a chance to witness and listen to the performance of such great artistes all through every night.

Highlighting the selection of this year’s artistes and performers, both Budhia and Chandra informed Hindusthan Samachar later that among others for the first time an All Women Instrumental Ensemble of Hindusthani and Karnataki classical music called ‘Stree Shakti’ would perform by playing a unique combination of Tabla, Pakhawaj, Sitar, Veena, Ghatam and Kanjira.

The all women team would be led by renowned tabla and Pakhawaj player Anuradha Pal who had popularised the Indian classical music in a number of world music conferences like those of Woodstocks and Warmhearst in the UK.

Among others there would be well known vocal artistes like M Venkatesh Kumar, Manjiri Asanare Kelkar, Kaivalyakumar, Arati Analikar and Aswini Bhide, besides Mukut Kedia and Manoj Kedia in Sitar and Sarod, Uday Bhsakaran in Dhrupad and L Shankar in Violin.

About the tickets, they said since there would be no daily ticket this year,the seasonal ‘Donation cards’ would be available at the rates of Rs 1500, Rs1800, Rs 2500 and Rs 3,000 each from 6 January at selected outlets.