- Have you ever been mesmerized by the hypnotic tones of the Indian tanpura (drone)?
- Or transported by the sound of the seductive sitar or sublime sarod?
- Or left spell bound by the incomprehensible patterns of the tabla?
- Do the names Ravi Shankar, Nihkil Banerjee, ZM Dagar, the Dagar Brothers, Ali Akbar Khan, or Zakir Hussain mean anything to you?
If you answered YES to any of these questions, then you’ve got an interest in North Indian Classical Music!
And if you’ve got an interest in North Indian Classical Music, then we’d like to invite you to join us for Tuesday Sessions in Hindustani Music Appreciation. Sessions occur on Tuesday evening from 7:00 to 9:00 PM at SHRII (1141 SE 72nd Ave, PDX, OR). Suggested donation is $10 per session with all proceeds going directly to the Society for Historic and Rare Instruments of India.
During each session, participants will listen to curated performances or recordings made by some of the most well known Hindustani musicians in the world. All recordings will be played through a high quality Nakamichi or Bose sound system. In addition, stories and information will be shared about the performers, the ragas, the instruments, Hindustani music theory, and the festivals, venues, and recording studios in which these performances occurred.
About the Session Facilitator
Brian D. Bontempo, Ph.D. has been a passionate devotee of music for over 40 years. Brian was a DJ and Chief Operator for WBVU in Lewisburg, PA, an active participant in the Chicago Area Taping Society (CATS), and a regular MC for Portland’s Earth Day Celebration. He is known for his collection of live recordings, some of which he made himself. His enthusiasm is contagious and his knowledge is dangerous. He has an uncanny ability to bring a performance to life and has exposed many to some of the lesser known performances of the world’s greatest rock bands.
After 20+ years as a guitarist and singer/songwriter, Dr. Bontempo began studying North Indian Classical Music in 2010. He has studied Sarod extensively through the Ali Akbar College of Music with Alam Khan (son of the great Ali Akbar Khan) and Dhrupad Surshringar with Jody Stecher. He has attended some of the world’s greatest North Indian Classical Music Festivals including the Darbar Festival (London, UK) and Dover Lane Music Conference (Kolkata, IN).
His interest in historic and rare instruments stems from his collection of 4 sarods, one of which was made in the 1940s, 1960s, 1980s, and 2000s, 2 surshringars (one of which was the last surshringar made by the late great Mohan Lal Sharma), and 3 tanpuras.