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In Concert: North India's Spiritual Emissaries

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Highlights from the Gundecha Brothers performance at Asia Society New York on May 8, 2010. (3 min., 59 sec.)

NEW YORK, May 8, 2010 - A rare opportunity for Americans to hear the deeply spiritual Dhrupad music of North India came when the renowned Gundecha Brothers performed before an Asia Society audience. Dhrupad, an ancient style of classical Hindustani vocal music, traces its origin to the ancient text of Sam Veda, and seeks to induce feelings of inner contemplation in the listener.

The program featured the five-member ensemble comprised of Umakant Gundesch (Dhrupad vocal), Ramakant Gundecha (Dhrupad vocal), Akhilesh Gundecha (Dhrupad pakhawaj), Nirant Gundecha (tanpura), and Jenifer Melmon (tanpura).

Prior to the performance, Shalini Ayyagari, a specialist in North Indian musical practices, gave a lecture in which she described the Dhrupad tradition and the cultural context from which the Gundecha Brothers emerged. Click here to watch the lecture. 

Presented with the Sanskriti Center NY.

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