Maestro Series
Rhythm Sticks Festival – South Bank Royal festival Hall, LondonQueen Elizabeth Hall – South bank, LondonSt Johns College, Cambridge – Cambridge ConferenceEdinburgh International Festival – Edinburgh Aug 2003Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow

Vikku Vinayakram– Ghatam Percussion
India's finest ghatam (a large clay pot percussion instrument) player, he is devoted to extending and expanding ancient Indian traditions. Vikku has played in numerous experimental and avant-garde ensembles. He is probably best known for being part of Shakti, a groundbreaking acoustic jazz/Indian fusion band with guitarist John McLaughlin, violinist L Shankar, and Zakir Hussain on tabla. He has also played under the direction of Zubin Mehta and shared the stage with internationally acclaimed musicians like Herbie Hancock, Peter Gabriel and Larry Corryell. In 1991 he participated in the recording of Planet Drum as a music composer and co-producer together with Mickey Hart.

Shiv Kumar Sharma Instrumental Santoor
Pandit Shivkumar Sharma – The Santoor maestro, is an exceptionally gifted musician. He was trained in vocals, percussion and instrumental music by Pandit Umadutt Sharma. In 1955 he decided to reflect his true personality through the Santoor. Pandit Shivkumar Sharma has elevated the folk instrument of Kashmir to concert hall status around the world.

Indian Classical Dance and Music

YOUNG MASTER SERIES

*Nehru Centre – London (July 31st to 27th Aug 2003)
*Traquair Fair – Traquair House (2nd & 3rd Aug)
*The Edinburugh Fringe Festival

Shubhendra & Saskia – Sitar and Cello
Shubhendra Rao is a worthy disciple of sitar maestro Ravi Shankar. He belongs to the Maihar Gharana. Saskia is a talented cellist from the Netherlands. She has a strong foundation in western classical music and is one of the few musicians who perform Indian Classical music on the Cello. Together they bring out the best of both instruments in a blending of sounds, which are from the classical Indian and the Western Classical traditions.

SHARAT CHANDRA SRIVASTAVA & GYAN SINGH – VIOLIN & TABLA
As part of the 'guru - shishya parampara' (teacher-pupil relationship) Sharat learnt the violin from his grandfather. His nascent talent, nurtured by his grandfather has lent him rare understanding of the Dhruoad – Ang a style unique to the Senia Gharana (or style). Sharat has performed in numerous concerts across Europe and Asia.

Gyan is an accomplished Hindustani Classical Tabla player with years of dedicated training; he is associated with Gandharva Mahavidyalaya. One of the most talented younger generation tabla players of India today, Gyan has accompanied many stalwarts in their concerts. He is an able teacher and a great performer.

Gaurav Majumdar – Sitar
Gaurav was born into a family of musicians and studied the violin under the tutelage of. I.D. Mazumdar and Kamala Bose. The legendary Pt. Ravi Shankar accepted him as his disciple. Sitar, the instrument of his Guru thus became the means to his own spiritual goal. Having performed in numerous concerts in India, Europe and USA, it is possible to compare the fieriness in Mazumdar's playing with the blazing performance style that suffused Ravi Shankar's work in the fifties and sixties.

Ameen Ali Khan – Sarod
Ameen Ali Khan hails from the famous Senia Gwalir Gharana. He belongs to the seventh generation of this family of great musicians. His paternal uncle is the Sarod Maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan. Learning from his father the renowned Sarod Artist Ustad Rehmat Ali Khan, Ameen plays sarod in the typical style of the Gwalior Gharana blending in the knowledge of Dhrupad that he has acquired from his guru Ustad Zia Fareeduddin Dagar. Ameen is a talented upcoming classical musician devoted towards carrying on his family tradition amongst the younger generation.

Sandeep Mahavir – (Dance - Kathak)
Belonging to the traditional family of musicians & vocalists from the Jaipur Gharana. Son of the famous film Music Director K Mahavir. Having had his initial grounding in classical music, he then started learning Kathak under eminent exponents of the form. Continuously exploring three forms of the arts – dance, music and acting., Sandeep is proficient in all three and this gives him an edge over his peer group. A very talented dancer and one of the leading exponents of the form in the new generation.

Bijayini Satyapathy – Dance - Odissi
Dedicated to the fine art of Odissi, Bijoyini has over 200 performances to her credit across the world. One of the first students of Nrityagram she has been trained by Guru Kelucharam Mahapatra and Protima Gauri. She has a perfect sense of laya (rhythm) and aesthetics. She has taken the most magnificent bits of coloured glass from the great gurus to put together the most brilliant kaleidoscopic masterpiece - herself!

Gayatri-Dance - Bharatnatyam
A renowned Bharatnatyam dancer who has been working with contemporary themes. Her work showcased internationally has received wide spread recognition in the UK and Singapore.

CONTEMPORARY MUSIC

National Theatre Festival, South Bank, London
Chelmsford, Barnet, Brentford, Croydon Clocktower. Alnwick Playhouse
Cannizaro Festival
Rhyl Pavilion
Warrington
Traquair fair – Traquair House, Scotland (2nd & 3rd August 2003)
The Festival Fringe

Indian Ocean – World Music

The most exciting thing about this 4-member band is their ability to take traditional Indian hymns, chants and poetry and give them terrific contemporary treatments, and create quite simply, " Music for the soul". Drawing form roots as diverse as ragas and rock, reggae and folk, jazz and pop, their album "Desert Rain" was a fascinating blend of Indian contemporary music. Their more recent album "Kandisa" is an intricately woven musical masterpiece.

Pete Lockett & Network of Sparks
London
Pete Lockett’s Network of Sparks was formed in 1998 and has since traveled the world collaborating with traditional music groups and musicians. The project features Pete Lockett on world percussion, Simon Limbrick on balafon/samplers/midi mallets, and Nana Tsiboe on congas/djembe/thumb piano/vocals/African percussion and integrates musical styles and traditions from every part of the globe. Pete Lockett has created a new genre in music through a 3-week workshop in India.