Sitar Concert -Abhishek Mallick And Dibyarka Chatterjee
Abhishek Mallick
The Sitar is a world in itself….. a world of not just strings, but of transcending heights and unfathomable depths. Exploring this realm of infinity is something that Abhisek has made the mission of his life. Initiated into tabla at the tender age of four years, Abhisek stepped into the domain of sitar when he was seven. Under the strict tutelage of Pandit Shyamal Chattopadhyay, who is the disciple of the Late Ustad Md. Dabir Khan (the last descendant of Mian Tansen) and the legendary maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar, his musical skills blossomed, helping him evolve as one of the most promising sitarists of this generation. Abhisek has also been fortunate to have received taalim from another maestro, Pandit Manilal Nag of Bishnupur Gharana. At present he is continuing his taalim under Pandit Shyamal Chattopadhyay. He gave his first public performance at the age of 8 and has been a regular artiste of All India Radio since he was ten.
Abhisek has proved his musical acumen by receiving the prestigious “President’s Award” from the Government of India, after achieving the first position in All India Radio (Hindustani Classical Instrumental) Music Competition in Sitar in 2003. The Ministry of Tourism and Culture , Govt. of India , has conferred upon him the senior National Scholarship of 2003, in the field of Hindustani Classical Music (Instrumental). He is also the recipient of the Award in the year 2003 from I.T.C. Sangeet Research Academy organised by the “International Foundation for Fine Arts”, Mumbai. His musical career is etched with numerous other awards — “The Rajya Sangeet Academy Award”, “Pandit Ravi Kichloo Award”, “Salt Lake Cultural Association Award”, being some of them. His musical recitals have been widely acclaimed by critics and he has received many positive press reviews from notable dailies and magazines like —“Anandabazaar Patrika”, “The Hindustan Times”, “The Telegraph”, “The Statesman”, “ Pratidin”, “ Sananda” and the like.
He has accompanied his Guruji at many reputed classical conferences in and around Kolkata. He has also performed at various concerts of eminence across India.
Abhisek is presently a graded artist of All India Radio, and Doordarshan and other media channels. Through his recitals, he has moved audiences not only at home, but also at several venues across Europe and America. For the last two years, he has been residing in USA and touring extensively on account of his concerts. Academically, he is also a B. Tech ( Electrical).
Dibyarka Chatterjee
Dibyarka Chatterjee is a young Tabla player from the Farrukhabad Gharana, and is the son and disciple of Pt. Samir Chatterjee. Having grown up in a musical environment, his natural inclination towards Tabla became apparent early in his childhood. At the age of five he was initiated by his father into the ancient system of pedagogy called the guru-shishya parampara (master-disciple tradition).
Dibyarka was born in Kolkata, where even in his childhood he was already performing in concerts as well as on Akaashbani Kolkata’s Children’s Section (National Radio – Kolkata Station). At the age of ten he moved to New York City with his family; since then he has continued to perform regularly with both Indian and Western music. Dibyarka has had the honor and privilege of performing with renowned musicians like Pandit Jasraj, Pdt. Budhhadev DasGupta, Pta. Lakshmi Shankar, Utd. Shujaat Khan, Pta. Joya Biswas, Utd. Mashkoor Ali Khan, Pdt. Ramesh Mishra, Pta. Shubhra Guha, Pta. Tripti Mukherjee, Pdt. Suman Ghosh to name only a few.
He has collaborated in world music projects with groups like the Dance Theater of Harlem (in ‘South African Suite’), the Battery Dance Co. (in “Songs of Tagore”), and with fusion musician/composers like Salman Ahmad (Junoon), Douglas Cuomo, John McDowell (on the award-winning documentary “A Son’s Sacrifice”), Gary Lucas & Najma Akhtar (on their collaborative album “Rishte”) etc. He has composed music for, and performed in, two off-Broadway theatrical productions (Nuraldeen’s Lifetime & Lee/gendary). He has also performed in many prestigious venues like Carnegie Hall, the United Nations General Assembly, Lincoln Center & Asia Society in NYC, Place des Arts (Montreal), the Google Amphitheater (Palo Alto), Salt Lake Music Conference (Kolkata, India), Pratishruti Festival (Bhopal, India) etc. He has also appeared on numerous radio shows such as The Leonard Lopate Show and New Sounds on NPR, Raag Aur Taal on WKCR etc.
Dibyarka has a Masters in Fine Arts from Goddard College (VT). His academic pursuits are mainly focused on the history, theory, and philosophy of Indian Music. As a guest lecturer, Dibyarka has conducted classes and lecture demonstrations at numerous institutions such as Columbia University, Dartmouth College, New York University, Manhattan School of Music etc. He also teaches Tabla classes regularly at various institutions and locations in NY & NJ.