August Concert NYC

28 August 2010 Songs of the Soul Concert. Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, New York University.  In what is becoming the season's tradition, two back-to-back free evening concerts were once again offered to accomodate an overflow crowd of Manhattanites seeking music of the soul on a summer's eve.

The evening's program included:

Samir and Sanghamitra Chatterjee Samir is a virtuoso tabla player who has collaborated with some of the finest musicians of the world. Joining him in performing Sri Chinmoy’s songs is his wife Sanghamitra, one of India’s leading classical vocalists.

Leonard Bernstein’s Raga for Sri Chinmoy was composed by the Maestro on 28 March 1979 as a gesture of gratitude to Sri Chinmoy, following their first meeting a week earlier when Leonard Bernstein heard the song Sri Chinmoy had composed in his honour. Based on the Indian raga ‘Bahar’, which invokes the coming of spring, it is composed for voice (Prachar Stegemann), flute (Premik Tubbs), sitar (Kanala Auer) and tabla (Sadanand Magee).

Santanu Bhowmick and Tapan Modak  We welcome our special guest Santanu, who is visiting from Kolkata, India. Tonight he is joined by Tapan on tabla and other friends to give Sri Chinmoy’s songs a unique Indian interpretation. Their debut CD is available for sale this evening.

International Finale.  For tonight’s finale, singers and musicians from over 20 countries come together in a performance that blends Sri Chinmoy’s music and poetry into a soulful tribute to the morning dawn.