An Evening of Classical Music & Dance. Kathak by Sunayana Hazarilal and Students of Natawari. Sitar by Niladri Kumar. Dhrupad by Gundecha Brothers (Pakhawaj: Akhilesh Gundecha).
In collaboration with Natawari.
Sunayana Hazarilal, distinguished Kathak practitioner and Director of Natawari, is the only surviving performer of the old and rare style of the Jankiprasad gharana from Banaras. She learnt her art from Hazarilalji, the foremost student of Nritya Samrat Ashaque Hussain. She has received numerous awards, such as the title of Nritya Vilas (1981), the Abhinaya Kala Saraswati (Chennai, 1976), the Maharashtra State Cultural Award (1994), the Maharashtra Gaurav Puraskar (2004) and the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2003). She has performed at prestigious festivals in the UK, Europe, USA and Canada, including the Florence Festival, the Festival of India in Switzerland, the International Rhythm Festival, among others. She holds regular workshops in New York and San Francisco and has taught at ballet companies in Italy and Berlin. One dance critic has described her art as 'a connoisseur's delight in interpretational suggestiveness' while another has lauded her 'controlled movements', 'subtle abhinaya' and 'impressive range of technique'.
Niladri Kumar, the son and disciple of sitar maestro, Kartick Kumar, is a maverick musician. Regarded as one of the more serious exponents of Indian classical music, he represents the lineage of five generations of sitar players. Equally at home in classical and contemporary music, he is recognised for his dazzling technical prowess and maturity of his musical acumen. In March 2007, he won the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi's 'Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar' for Instrumental Hindustani Music. 'The Sanskriti Award', 'The Jadubhatta Puraskar' and 'The MTV IMMIES for the Best Classical/Fusion Instrumental Album' for his album 'IF', are some of the other accolades that have come his way.
Umakant and Ramakant Gundecha are among the country's leading performers of the dhrupad style of music. They are also among the most active young performers of the dhrupad in the Indian and international performing circuits. Born in Ujjain in Central India, they were initiated into music by their parents and honed their vocal art under the renowned vocalist, Zia Fariduddin Dagar, as well as Zia Mohiuddin Dagar (the acclaimed performer of rudra veena) in Dhrupad Kendra, Bhopal. The repertoire of the Gundecha Brothers is excitingly varied, encompassing great Hindi poetry by Tulsidas, Kabir, Padmakar and Nirala. They have recorded widely and have sung for several television and radio channels in India and abroad. They have toured all of India's prestigious music festivals, and have presented their work in about twenty-five countries in Europe, U.S.A, Australia, Japan, Egypt, Singapore, Bangladesh, U.A.E and Hong Kong.

Akhilesh Gundecha has learned the pakhawaj from Shrikant Mishra and Raja Chhatrapati Singh JuDeo. He holds a post graduate degree in music and has received several scholarships. He has accompanied many of the dhrupad maestros, such as Zia Fariduddin Dagar, Fahimuddin Dagar, Siyaram Tiwari, Asgari Bai, Ritwik Sanyal and Bahauddin Dagar. He has also played solo recitals at several prestigious festivals, including the Tansen Festival in Gwalior, the Haridas Sangeet Samaroh in Mumbai, among others. He has toured internationally and has been widely featured on radio and television programmes.