Families That Perform Together
The Spring series of Mid-day Mantra
Three Saturdays of chat and performance screenings between mothers, fathers, sons, daughters and partners who all have music and dance as a shared passion.
Mid Day Mantras have, over the years presented exceptional live music events to audiences in Birmingham. Presently we are able to offer you these concert events online wherever you are.
Join us at facebook.com/sampad.arts on Saturdays 24 April, 1 May and 8 May. Mid-day Mantra’s are FREE online events.
Line up:
Saturday 24 April, 12noon (BST) Dancing Together – Kiran Ratna and daughter Vibha Selvaratnam, and Ashwini Kalsekar and daughter Siya Kalsekar meet with Anaya Bolar and Chitraleka Bolar.
Saturday 1 May, 12noon (BST): Making Music Together – Dharambir Singh MBE and family meet with Seetal Kaur.
Saturday 8 May, 12noon (BST): Singing Together – Satadeepa Gupta with son Srideep Mallick, and Vandana Mukesh with family meet with Titiksha Shah.
Saturday 1 May, 12noon (BST): Making Music Together – Dharambir Singh MBE and family meet with Seetal Kaur
Ustad Dharambir Singh MBE is one of the most prominent Sitar players and Indian Music educators based in England. Disciple of the legendary Sitar maestro Ustad Vilayat Khan, Dharambir has truly imbibed the sound of the rich Imdad Khani and Vilayat Khani Gharana style. Dharambir received immense love and guidance from Ustad Vilayat Khan and as a result of his dedication and the blessings of the masters he was invited for Ganda Bandhan, a traditional initiation ceremony, in Bombay in 1979.
Dharambir moved to England in 1979 and has since been active performing, teaching, advising, organising, mentoring, composing and passionately laying a strong foundation for Indian classical music in England. His services to music and education were recognised with an MBE in 2011 and he continues to teach and advocate for the positive impact of music and its cultural heritage through his own charity, the Sitar Music Society.
Photo by Simon Richardson
Smt Gunwant Kaur is a highly experienced and well loved teacher of Hindustani Classical Music, including Gurbani singing, Bhajans and Sitar. Having had her training in classical vocal music at Delhi University she completed her post graduation in 1980. After working in a well reputed school in New Delhi, she came to England in 1983 and has been teaching vocal music in the UK ever since.
Gunwant teaches students from 6 years old to 60 and over, and after 20 years in Leeds she now lives in Leicester, continuing her work as a music teacher for various organisations as well as online.
Surmeet Singh is a talented young Sitarist from a musical family born and brought up in England. He began learning Sitar at the age of six from his father, Ustad Dharambir Singh. Many other distinguished musicians including Pandit Arvind Parekh, Ustad Shahid Parvez, Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty, Kushal Das and Mehboob Nadeem have also helped Surmeet develop his musical talent.
Surmeet has taken part in and won numerous music competitions and festivals including the Croydon Music Festival, as part of the ensemble Saaz and the Wharfedale Music Festival as a soloist. Having taught and guided youngsters and adults on the sitar he now balances his love for music with providing for his young family as a qualified Management Accountant.
Ramnik Kaur grew up learning tabla with the late Bhai Gurmeet Singh Virdee in Leicester. In later life, she took a leading role in organising concerts in a Gurdwara in Leicester, the atmosphere and programme attracted a regular appreciative audience. Ramnik now focuses her time on her work and two young children whilst continuing to be an avid supporter of the arts.
Upneet Singh has an innate musicality as a Tabla player. Being born into a musical family, he has developed a fine balance between the art of accompaniment and technical skill. Upneet practices the Benares Gharana style or school of Tabla, and had the privilege to be trained under the tutelage of the late Pandit Sharda Sahai Ji. Upneet is now a disciple of Pandit Sanju Sahai Ji who is the 6th generation and torch-bearer of the Benaras Gharana lineage.
Son of the eminent Sitar maestro and visionary, Ustad Dharambir Singh MBE, Upneet has grown up in an environment that has allowed for experiencing many styles of music and interactions with musicians from all over the world as the family home has always been a host to house concerts, known as bhaitaks. He has performed at many prestigious venues and festivals such as Darbar music festival, BBC Womad festival and Musicport festival to name just a few.
Photo by Kabilan Raviraj
Priya Kaur been involved in vocal music since very young and has developed a passion for soulful ghazals, geets and shabads with her melodious voice. She began with learning shabad kirtan from her mother and regularly joined her family in community kirtan or Sikh devotional hymns. Since then, she has learned from Surinder Singh Sond ji, Tofail Ahmed ji and Ustad Dharambir Singh MBE as well as attending summer schools and learning intensives. Whilst vocal has been the main focus, Priya also learnt tabla from Bhai Gurmit Singh Virdee aiding her understanding of rhythm. For the past number of years, Priya has been developing her vocal ability with Shri Mukul Kulkarni and is skilled at accompanying herself on the Harmonium while expressing a range of emotions through her voice.
Kaviraj Singh combines musicality with complex rhythm, and is emerging as a unique and celebrated talent of the new generation. In 2008 he was the youngest artist to have performed at the prestigious Darbar Festival and has shared his music widely at popular venues across India, Europe and the UK.
His journey with the Santoor started at the age of six under the tutelage of Ustad Harjinderpal Singh, senior disciple of international maestro, Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, alongside the guidance of his pioneering father, Ustad Dharambir Singh MBE. After learning vocal music throughout his childhood, Kaviraj went on to train in India under Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty for an intense period during his teenage years. Growing up in a family where service to music was of the highest importance, Kaviraj was surrounded by visiting musicians, live concerts and new ideas with support from organisations such as South Asian Arts UK.
Seetal Kaur combines her love for rhythm and music with swift movement and emotive expression as a Kathak dancer. Having trained in Bharatnatyam and vocal music from a young age, she started learning Kathak with Amina Khayyam in 2012 and toured nationally and internationally with the company’s production of ‘Yerma’ from 2013-2015. For the past 6 years, Seetal has been focusing on developing her Kathak practice under Smt. Aditi Sen, and has also been seeking guidance from Guru Pandit Rajendra Gangani for intensive periods in India, Switzerland and the UK.
Photo by Simon Richardson