Alec Goldfarb, guitar
Aditya Phatak, tabla
Vanraj Shashtri, sarangi
Join guitarist Alec Goldfarb for an evening of Indian classical music that bridges tradition and innovation. The program opens with an extended performance featuring Alec in dialogue with New York–based tabla player Aditya Phatak, exploring the depth and nuance of the tradition through Alap, Jor, Jhalla, and Gat. Later, they are joined by special guest Vanraj Shastri on sarangi and voice, weaving rich textures of melody, rhythm, and improvisation into a collaborative journey featuring the upcoming generation of Hindustani Classical musicians.
Vanraj Shastri is a sarangi player and singer from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. Born and raised in a family of musicians, he has been pursuing music since the age of 9 and began his musical training with Indian classical vocal and tabla; he's been playing Sarangi since 2009. Vanraj is a disciple of the sarangi maestro late Pandit Dhruba Ghosh and at present, he is pursuing his advanced training of Indian classical music from Pandit Nayan Ghosh in Mumbai. Some of his most noteworthy performances and achievements include: T-Series Music Co’s Season Mixtape, Bollywood Singer Neeti Mohan, music composer Salim-Sulaiman, opened a concert for the legendary singer Bryan Adam during his Tour to India in 2018. He received 2nd place in the All India Radio Competition in 2018, was signed as a “B grade Artist” of All India Radio, and also received 2nd place in classical vocal in the state level youth festival - 2018 (Gujarat University). He has represented Gujarat University twice in the instrumental category (sarangi solo) at the All India National Level Youth Festival and secured 3rd position in the year 2015 and 2016.
Aditya Phatak is a tabla player based in New York City. A child prodigy, he began playing at the age of two and has studied under the renowned Pandit Samir Chatterjee since 2008. Known for his dynamic accompaniment and solo performances, Aditya has appeared at venues such as the Chhandayan Center for Indian Music and with Brooklyn Raga Massive. Alongside tabla, he also studies Hindustani vocal music.
Alec Goldfarb is a Brooklyn-based guitarist, composer, and Hindustani classical musician known for blending jazz, new music, and Indian classical traditions. A DownBeat Magazine award-winning composer, his music is described as "full of ingenious juxtapositions" (The Wire), and unravels hidden meeting points between disparate sound cultures, revealing the intricate movement of traditions across time. An exponent of the Senia-Maihar Gharana, he performs Hindustani classical music globally using a unique guitar technique inspired by the sarod and sitar. Alec has premiered works by prominent composers and performed at major venues including Roulette Intermedium, NESCO Center, Skanu Mezs, India Habitat Centre, the Jazz Gallery, Bangalore International Center, and the Asia Society NYC. He has performed with Anthony Braxton and the Creative Music Orchestra at Darmstadt, JACK Quartet, John Wetton (King Crimson), Steve Lehman, Patrick Bartley Jr., Immanuel Wilkins, and Eric Wubbels.
Live at St. Paul’s Chapel — or, watch on YouTube.
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