Top Indian artists slated for new Society for Indian Music and Arts concert season

The Society for Indian Music and Arts will present “A Season of Duets,” a collaboration of tabla artist Pandit Anindo Chatterjee and sarangi artist Pandit Ramesh Misra, on Oct. 1.

The tabla is a percussion instrument, somewhat similar to the bongos, while the sarangi is a bowed, string instrument with a short neck.

“Gifted with an ability to summon crystal-clear melodies from his drums, Chatterjee continues to give new voice to his instrument,” SIMA student and musician Harkeerat Mangat said. “His technical perfection and artistic skill combine to make him one the greatest cultural gems of the Indian musical tradition today.”

Chatterjee and Misra are considered masters of their instruments, according to SIMA.

“Concert attendees will experience the musical genius of Pandit Anindo Chatterjee on the tabla and Ramesh Misra on the sarangi,” Mangat said. “For each piece, Chatterjee will select a rhythmic cycle and demonstrate a variety of complex rhythmic patterns and subdivisions within it. He will perform fixed tabla compositions and will improvise, creating his own spontaneous ideas on stage.”

SIMA was formed in 2007, and the group has grown in size over the past decade.

“I first met Arijit Mahalanabis, the founder of SIMA, when the organization was based in Seattle,” Mangat said. “Since then, our shared passion for music led to a number of enriching conversations about Indian classical music and SIMA’s mission to build an active community of artists, students and listeners. I am currently based in Duesseldorf, Germany, where I study fine art, and periodically visit State College to attend SIMA concert programs and study music with Arijit, whom I now take as my music teacher.”

“The foundational principle of SIMA is that an art form’s health is dependent on the active encouragement of symbiosis between performer and audience,” according to its website. SIMA offers workshops on campus as well as online classes throughout the year, in addition to monthly concerts during the academic year.

“The Society for Indian Music and Arts is a community of people who study, teach and perform traditional Indian music, art and dance,” Mangat said. “Because of its proximity to Penn State University, many of SIMA’s students are students and faculty at the university. ... We regularly attract India’s top artists, giving students and audiences unique opportunities to engage with them directly.”

Indian music has reached far beyond its own genre to influence some of the most popular artists of all time, like The Beatles after their famous trip to India.

“Indian classical music had great influences on the formation of new types of fusion music, such as Indo jazz,” Mangat said. “Musicians like John Mayer and Joe Harriott come to mind, as well as groups like Karma, who took inspiration from Indian music’s structures and patterns to form their musical style. Minimalist composers such as Le Monte Young and Terry Riley also reflected on Indian Music in their work. A notable example is Young’s famous Dream House light and sound installation.”

The local music and art appreciation society has more events like this scheduled for next year, including spring’s annual Happy Valley Indian Music Festival.

“Until now, the Happy Valley Indian Music Festival has only had musical performances, but next year, we are excited to be including several dance performances in the festival as well,” Mangat said.

Mangat thinks this show is truly a unique chance to appreciate something special.

“The upcoming Pandit Anindo Chatterjee concert is a rare opportunity for the people of State College to experience the percussive side of Indian classical music firsthand from one of India’s finest tabla maestros,” Mangat said. “A ticket supports SIMA’s efforts to build an active musical community in State College and will make more events like this possible in the future.”

This story was originally published September 29, 2016 at 12:34 PM with the headline "Top Indian artists slated for new Society for Indian Music and Arts concert season."