Music kindles love and infuses hope. It has countless voices and instruments. It elevates, inspires, strengthens, and invigorates… Music melts the hardest hearts… If at all there is anything in this world which can change the heart of a man in a very quick time, that is music and dance.
— Swami Sivananda, Bliss Divine
Join us for an uplifting and inspirational experience of classical Indian music and dance, as renowned masters come together to share with us their musical gifts and messages. This is a rare opportunity to listen to and watch masters of classical Indian music and dance, who have practiced all their life and obtained perfection, each on their own instrument.
Come be inspired by the unique sounds and rhythms of Indian music and experience music as a doorway to the harmony, love, and hope in our hearts.
Offered as 4 satsangs and 3 workshops (subject to change).
The presentations associated with this Yoga Vacation Program begin with an 8pm satsang on the first day of the program and conclude with an 8pm satsang on the last day of the program. Click here to read more about the Yoga Vacation Program details and view the ashram schedule for yoga classes and meals during your stay. We suggest you arrive at least one day prior to the start of your program for the optimal experience.
Swapan Chaudhuri is considered one of the top masters of tabla in the world. He is the Director of Percussion at Ali Akbar College of Music in San Rafael, California. He developed his skill through years of accompanying Ali Akbar Khan and other leading musicians of India.
Pandit Habib Khan began his sitar training at the age of five under the strict eye of his accomplished father and has emerged among his peers as an ambassador of Indian classical music. Creating music that spans many genres, Khan has become an important contributor to the Indo-American classical music world as well as to the jazz scene and the fusion movement in the United States. As an accomplished composer and vocalist, he is as much at ease with light classical and devotional music as he is with pure classical renderings of Indian ragas. Khan frequently uses Western guitar, drums, violin, and Japanese Taiko drums in his orchestral compositions.
Labonee Mohanta, trained by Kathak maestro Pandit Chitresh Das since the young age of 8, proves to light the stage with her speed, grace, and flare.She brings mesmerizing movements, fiery footwork, and rhythmic exploration to the stage, and is well-known to amaze audiences with her lightning speed spins.As one of the most energetic dancers of her generation, Labonee Mohanta has performed powerful displays of both dance & music to great acclaim in dance festivals throughout the US, Canada, and India.She also employs Panditji’s innovation Kathak Yoga where she simultaneously sings the rhythmic cycle, dances complex mathematical patterns, and plays the harmonium.In addition to dancing as a Kathak soloist, Labonee tours internationally with the Chitresh Das Dance Company and is a teacher and branch director at the Chhandam School of Kathak.
Dr. Pooja Goswami Pavan is a Hindustani classical vocalist, composer, teacher and scholar. Growing up in an environment of music and theater, she developed a deep interest in composing music to verses in Hindi and Urdu. The versatility in Pooja’s repertoire is evident in her ability to sing Thumri, Dadra, Ghazal, Bhajan, Sufiana Kalam and folk genres such as the Hori, Chaiti & Kajri besides the Khayal. Pooja was trained in Hindustani music by Pandit Surendra Goswami, Professor Ajit Singh Paintal and continues her advanced training in Khayal with her brother Professor Shailendra Goswami. She has also been trained in semi-classical music by the eminent vocalist Vidushi Shanti Hiranand. Pooja received a Ph.D. in Indian Classical Music from the University of Delhi.
Dr. Pavan, Ph.D., based in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota, is a Tabla player and teacher. He initially trained in Tabla under Sri G. Laxmiah and has studied with several masters over the years. He presently trains with Sri Rajendra Nakod and Ustad Shabbir Nisar, the illustrious son and disciple of the Tabla legend Ustad Shaik Dawood Khan. He has performed for Katha Dance Theater, Pangea World Theater, and Indian Music Society of Minnesota (IMSOM) in several productions and concerts. Pavan also appears on recordings of world/fusion music with many Minnesota based artists. Pavan co-composed and performed with Nirmala Rajasekar, Minnesota based Veena artist, the score for Pangea World Theater’s production “Partitions” in 2002, and the score for “5 Weeks” in 2017 with Dr. Pooja Goswami Pavan, his wife, who is a Hindustani vocalist, teacher and composer.
Jayanti Sahasrabuddhe is an accomplished Hindustani classical vocalist. Trained in the traditional Indian Gurukula education system, Jayanti is a leading disciple of renowned vocalist Vidushi Veena Sahasrabuddhe. She holds degrees in music, sociology, anthropology, and is an award-winning performer. Jayanti has performed in India and the United States, and she teaches music to her students in San Francisco.
Join our email list to learn more about our in-person and online programs, courses, and free events.