Vinay Desai is a world-renowned Santoor Player who carries the tradition of the Maestro Pandit Shivkumar Sharma. Vinay regularly performs throughout USA, including Hawaii, Argentina, Canada, The Bahamas, Australia, and India. He has performed for some of the well known organizations and prestigious festivals in different countries. Though specializing in Indian Classical Music, Vinay has worked with all genres with shows of Bollywood music, Hollywood music, Theater and drama music, Jazz, and western Classical. He is known for his meditative and dynamic musical phrases. His devotion to the purity and the depth of Shivkumar Sharma's style comes forth in performance. Vinay continues to spread his Guru’s work not only through performances, but also teaching and lecturing at different places. He has performed with legends including Ustad Tari khan, Pandit Anindo Chatterjee, Ustad Sukhvinder Singh Pinky.
The concert will begin with a meditative melodic improvisation that takes the listeners to a place of deep stillness. Once the mood of the raag (melody) is set and the ambience built, the tabla player will join Vinay in creating powerful rhythmic phrases that take the listeners on a melodic and rhythmic journey. The concert usually ends with a fast paced piece that enthralls the audience. Usually, this classical piece can last for about 45 minutes followed by a semi classical devotional piece. Vinay is known for his superlative melodic improvisations and sharp sense of rhythm. With a tabla player, they have an astonishing ability to embrace, dive into and reinterpret traditional music.
Live at St. Paul’s Chapel — or, watch on YouTube.
If you don’t have a current Columbia ID, you MUST register by clicking the blue “register” button below. (Please do not use the same email address to register multiple people; this will confuse the system.) Registration will close at 11am sharp the day before the concert.