Adventurous musicians’ collective Brooklyn Raga Massive returns to Fotografiska to present Colors of Raga, an intimate, deep listening gathering featuring two dynamic duets of Indian classical music.
Set I.
Josh Feinberg, sitar
Vivek Pandya, tabla
Set II.
Rajrupa Chowdhury, sarod
Nitin Mitta, tabla
About the Artists
Josh Feinberg (sitar)
Over the last 20 years, Josh has established himself as one of the most original and dynamic sitar virtuosos performing in the world today. Raised in the New York City jazz scene in the 90s, and then attending New England Conservatory for his bachelors and Goddard College for his MFA, Josh studied with masters such as Paul Bley, Dave Holland, Kenny Wheeler, Drew Gress, Ben Monder, Dan Weiss and Jackob Sacks before immigrating to Hindustani music and sitar. In 2003, Josh became a protégé of the renowned genius Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and his disciples. He is a 2006 Fulbright scholar to India, and a recipient of several grants including one from the Regional Art and Culture Council in Portland, Oregon. Josh regularly tours the US, Canada, Europe, India, the Middle East and Australia with upcoming tours planned for South America.
Vivek Pandya (tabla)
Vivek Pandya has been regarded as a tabla prodigy, having started playing at an early age and training as a tabla disciple by age 5. He proudly carries the legacy of tabla maestros, accompanying renowned young artists and respected musicians all around the globe - in Mumbai, Pune, Kolkata, Bangalore, Solapur, and across the US. He has currently two albums to his name, one with santoor player Vinay Desai called Chidaksha, as well as an album called “20 for 20”, alongside NY Philharmonic member, Yale University, and Juilliard graduate, Inbal Segev. To spread the legacy and culture of Indian Classical Music, Vivek has started to teach a few young students, who will be the future of this great art.
Rajrupa Chowdhury (sarod)
Rajrupa Chowdhury, born in Kolkata, took up the sarod at the tender age of five, taking Talim (instruction) from Siddhartha Roy Chowdhury. She has also received guidance from Pandit Ajay Sinha Roy and has taken advanced talim from Prof. Sanjoy Bandopadhyay. In 2006, she placed first class first for her Masters in Instrumental Music from the Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata. She is an A Grade artist of All India Radio and an official artist with the lndian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).
Nitin Mitta (tabla)
Nitin Mitta is a dynamic tabla soloist and a highly sought after accompanist who has performed with some of India’s most celebrated musicians such as Pandit Jasraj, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Ustad Imrat Khan, Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Ustad Shahid Parvez, and Ustad Nishat Khan to name a few. Mitta's Gurus' Pt. G.Satyanarayana and Pt. Arvind Mulgaonkar, are disciples of Ustad Amir Hussain Khan, the Legendary doyen of the Farukhabad Gharana. Nitin has also made a mark as a versatile collaborator in other spheres when he joined forces with Grammy Nominated pianist Vijay Iyer and electric guitarist R. Prasanna to produce a studio album titled Tirtha. Another collaboration with R. Prasanna can be heard on the soundtrack of the Oscar-winning documentary Smile Pinki. He has also performed and toured extensively with two time Juno (Canadian Grammy) award winning singer Kiran Ahluwalia. He has performed at several prominent venues including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, the Indian consulate in New York, and the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C.