Ranjit Singh
CHICAGO: The Consulate General of India in Chicago organized an Indian Classical Music Concert on 28 June 2022 as part of events to celebrateAzadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.The Concert featured performances in both Hindustani music and Carnatic music traditions of the Indian classical music, and a blend of two styles.
The event saw participation from over 20 Consulates, including Dean of the Consular Corps, and several Consul Generals, and from the Chicago-based vibrant cultural and student community.
Consul General Amit Kumar in his inaugural remarks welcomed the guests and briefly spoke about the various performances. He, in particular, referred to Lyon Leifer, who first went to India in 1960s to pursue Indian classical music, and continues to pursue as well as promote it in the US.
The evening witnessed performances by accomplished Indian classical musicians LyonLeifer on the flute (Hindustani); Saraswathi Ranganathan on Veena (Carnatic) andSouryadeepBhattacharya on Sarod (Hindustani) with Dhananjay Kunte accompanying on Tabla.
In addition, the students of Ensemble of Ragas School namely, Anuttama Raghu, Vani Rao, JayaVarshiniGudipalli, Vignesh Manoharan with Vocalist Sohana Prakash, who performed on Veena.
The program provided an enchanting glimpse into the rich Indian classical music heritage showcasing our traditional wind, string and percussion musical instruments. After the event, the guests also sampled traditional Indian snacks.
