Faculty
Abhijit Banerjee is considered to be one of the top-ranking Indian Musicians of the present generation. His contribution to Indian Music, as a performer and a composer, richly draws both from traditional Indian heritage as well as innovative experimentations in global crossover music. He is accepted as one of the pioneering disciples of the illustrious percussion virtuoso, the late Pandit Jnan Prakash Ghosh. Abhijit has accompanied maestros such as late Pt. Ravi Shankar, late Pt. Nikhil Banerjee, Begum Parveen Sultana, late Pt. Jasraj, Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma, Dr. Balamurali Krishnan and a host of music stalwarts from around the world. He has been holding center stage in all major classical music festivals in India and touring extensively in U.S.A., Canada, U.K., Europe, Japan, Australia, South Africa, South East Asia and Mexico giving concerts, conducting workshops and attending seminars in eminent Universities and music schools. He has scored music for Indian television & won the National Award for Music for a Documentary film on Calcutta ‘The Trail’, which was screened in the Munich and Amsterdam film festivals. Abhijit has founded & established Dhwani Academy of Percussion Music in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Kolkata attracting talented students and enthusiasts from all over the world and supporting the musical aspirations of visually impaired, economically backward students. Abhijit is Head of the Departmentof Tabla, at Chinmaya Viswavidyapeeth, Pune in Maharashtra. In his academic life he is a graduate in English literature and post graduate in Journalism.Visit: http://www.banerjeeabhijit.com
Jyoti Prakash started learning tabla from a very early age and later, as he advanced through his musical activities, came under the tutelage of Pandit Abhijit Banerjee, one of the top-ranking Tabla-players in India. Jyoti Prakas has performed in All India Radio and Television programs. He has conducted Tabla workshops in West Bengal and was also on the panel of Judges for music competitions, arranged by Calcutta University, India. Jyotiprakas has participated in a number of music conferences in India and the U.S.A. with the likes of Pt. Jasraj, Flute maestro Pt. Keshav Ghinde, Kathak dancer Pt. Chitresh Das and Tap dancer Jason Samuel Smith in Monterey Bay University, California. Visit:www.jyotiprakas.com
A highly acclaimed name in South Indian Percussion, Somnath Roy has made his mark for his in-depth knowledge and mastery of both North and South Indian style of percussion. He is undoubtedly a name to reckon with when it comes to playing the Ghatam, an earthen clay-pot which is an exclusive percussion instrument of South Indian classical music. An inseparable part of TARANG since its inception and a much sought after percussionist in the film industry. Somnath has shared the stage with great maestros of Indian music and had the privilege of participating in world music festival, like ETNI MALAGA FEST (Spain), India Festival (Belgium), World Festival of Sacred Music and many more.
Visit: http://www.ghatamsomnath.com
Rabishankar is a highly skilled Tabla-player in the field of Light Classical Devotional Music and Folk music. He has performed at all major Folk Festivals in India and conducted Seminars in different cities in India on Folk Percussion styles of North India and different regions in Bengal. He has extensively travelled to countries like U.K., U.S.A., Canada and Australia where he has conducted Seminars on Folk Percussions. In the U.S., he has performed in venues like Scribal Center, Los Angeles and World Music Institute, New York. He is a much sought-after artist for playing with Devotional songs in the community too. His special forte is BAUL and JAGARAN kind of music and lots of artists and religious organizations including Temples keep corresponding with our organization to contact him for playing at their festivals.
Uchhal Banerjee, a Tabla-player of well-repute in West Bengal, India, is adept of playing Tabla, especially in different vocal styles of Indian Classical Music. From an early age, he came under the guidance of the great Tabla maestro Pt. Jnan Prakash Ghosh and later continued his learning Under Pt. Samar Saha. Presently he is under the guidance of the eminent Percussionist Pt. Abhijit Banerjee for more than 7 years. His expertise primarily lies in Indian Classical Music and Devotional Percussion Art Form. He has performed at major festivals in West Bengal and outside. He is the honorable life member of the prestigious Calcutta Cine Musicians Association and Calcutta Stage Performing Musicians Welfare Association.
Rupayan started learning the Tabla at a very early age and later came under the training and guidance of Abhijit Banerjee, of Farukhabad Gharana, disciple of Legendary Tabla maestro Pt. Jnan Prakash Ghosh.
He has performed at ‘Dhaka Ramakrishna Mission’ in Dhaka, Bangladesh; Indian Classical Music Concert” (Kala Sangam) at Jabalpur in Madhyapradesh, Classical Conference of ‘Parampara Academy’ in Coochbehar. He was nominated as a Judge for the ‘Student Youth Festival’ organized by ‘Youth Service Department’, Govt. of West Bengal.
He received ‘Sangeet Ratna’ and ‘Sangeet Prabhakar’ under ‘Bangiya Sangeet Parishad’ and ‘Sangeet Visharad’ under ‘Pracheen Kala Kendra’ Chandigarh on Tabla i.e. equivalent to Graduation. In each examination, he was placed in the first division with Distinction. Besides he got many awards in various programs.He has a long experience working as an art journalist and specially in electronic media. He is well-versed in Graphic Design and Artistic Web Development and specializes in arranging music and making music videos.