A Classical Music Conference 2023 is all set to be held at ICCR, 9A Ho Chi Minh Sarani, Kolkata – 700019
22-23 April 5:30 p.m to mark the occasion of the birth centenary of Vidushi Aparna Chakravarti once a vocalist of Agra Gharana besides a classical music critic.
Vidushi Aparna Chakravarti (1923-2007) had a musical career which spanned several decades. She was a leading vocalist of the Agra Gharana of Hindustani Classical Music. She had a very successful career as performing artiste and was, in her later years, a highly respected music critic. Her career combined musical performance, teaching and research in equal measure.
Aparna married Mukul Chakravarti, a renowned actuary and grandson of Jadav Chandra Chakravarti, whose textbooks on mathematics were well-known and widely-used. Aparna, Mukul and some of their friends ran the “Jhankar Music Circle” in Kolkata for many years. This promoted Indian Classical Music (vocal, instrument as well as dance) and invited artistes from all parts of India to perform. Many of the present maestros had their first break at this music circle.
The Vidushi Aparna Chakravarti Centenary Music Conference 2023, organized by her disciples and family, will showcase the evolution of Hindustani Classical music, featuring both cultural nuances of a bygone era and 21st Century technical innovations.
A lecture-demonstration on the changing traditions of Hindustani music will be presented by Pt. (Dr.) Vidyadhar Vyas the noted researcher, teacher and guru from Mumbai.
In keeping with the traditional shloka “Geetam, vadyam, nrityam, trayang sangeet muchyate”, the festival will feature vocal and instrumental music as well as dance. The audience will have the chance to hear such rarely played instruments as the surshringar by Pt Anindya Banerjee, rudra veena by Shri Sayak Mitra and surbahar by Shri Ujjalendu Chakraborty.
The vocal music of the Agra Gharana to which Aparna belonged will be represented by its doyen Vidushi Bharathi Prathap from Bengaluru and Aparna’s disciples Smt. Arpita Chatterji, Smt. Kalyani Das and Dr. Rita Chakravarti.
The concluding kathak recital by young Snigdha Mishra will feature traditional pieces as well as Kathak yoga and other innovations for which her late guru Pt. Chitresh Das was famous.
The conference will also include the release of a book featuring Vidushi Aparna Chakravarti’s musical reviews and other writings and the announcement of an annual prize for Actuarial students in memory of Sri Mukul Chandra Chakravarti. Nilotpal Chakravarti says,” It’s truly a special occasion at our end. Though We currently stay abroad but we grew up with Indian culture specially Indian Classical music as my mother was into it. It’s her birth centenary year. She maintained a low key profile regarding her publicity being a performing artiste.As it’s her birth centenary year We plan to celebrate the special occasion through music.”
