Hindustani Classical Music and Dance Festival

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.

Nilan Chaudhuri is a Bay Area based percussionist, educator, and performer. Initiated into
the tradition of Indian Classical Music at the age of five by his father, Pandit Swapan
Chaudhuri, Nilan has been performing as a tabla soloist and accompanist for nearly two
decades. Prior to beginning his formal training with his father in 2000, Nilan studied tabla
with Brad Van Cleve, Tim Witter, and Uttam Chakraborty, all of whom are senior disciples of his father.

Drawing inspiration from his father’s innovative approach to classical tabla solo, Nilan was
determined from a young age to be a soloist. He presented his first public tabla recital at theage of eleven, at the Ali Akbar College of Music in San Rafael, in the presence of Maestro AliAkbar Khansahib. It was during these formative years that Nilan was introduced to the world of Tabla accompaniment by Maestro Ali Akbar Khan, providing rhythmic support for his vocal and instrumental classes at the college.

As a teenager, Nilan was inspired by the Jazz-fusion Band ‘Oregon’ a group spearheaded by his cousin, multi-percussionist, Collin Walcott. The band’s music influenced Nilan to broaden his rhythmic studies, and in 2003, he began learning the drum set with Sly Randolph, of Richmond, California. Today, Nilan experiments regularly with bridging the two styles of Indian and American drumming, and plays a hybrid kit that fuses together the tabla and drum set, and incorporates electronic percussion instruments like the Roland HandSonic, and Ableton Push. Since 2007, Nilan has had the incredible opportunity to attend tabla-centric rhythm workshops conducted by Ustad Zakir Hussain. He has also attended South Indian percussion classes taught by ghatam Vidwan Subhash Chandran, kanjira Vidwan Ganesh Kumar, and Jim Santi Owen.

Since his debut performance in concert with his father in Queens, NY, in 2005, Nilan has had the privilege of sharing the stage with some of Hindustani Classical Music’s most celebrated artists, like Ustad Amjad Ali Khansahib, Ustad Shujaat Khan, Pt. Ramesh Misra, Pt. Debashish Bhattacharya, and Alam Khan, at venues such as Carnegie Hall, The Fillmore, The Monterey Pop Festival, The Richmond Folk Festival, Fox Theater, The San Francisco War Memorial Opera House, and The Kennedy Center. His genre-bending collaborations include performances, projects, and recordings with the likes of conductor Michael Morgan and the Fremont Symphony, pop star, Beck, sitarist, Arjun Verma, sarodist, Manik Khan, violinist Raaginder Singh Momi, The Toronto Tabla Ensemble, George Brooks, Dennis Chambers, Miles Schon, and DJ Teeko. In addition to maintaining a rigorous performing schedule, Nilan teaches Tabla throughout the Bay Area as a faculty member at the Ali Akbar College of Music, in San Rafael, and as the Director of Percussion at Chitresh Das Institute, in San Mateo. He also serves as an archivist at the Ali Akbar College of Music, where the construction of a musical archive spanning 40 years of his Father’s work, is underway. It’s his lifelong mission to contribute to the preservation and enrichment of Indian Classical percussion.

Raaginder, hailing from the San Francisco Bay Area, is a multi-talented artist known for his prowess as a violinist, composer, and songwriter. With deep-rooted training in the ancient art of Indian Classical music, he masterfully weaves soul-stirring melodies on the violin. His creative journey has given birth to several groundbreaking albums, seamlessly blending the rich tapestry of Indian classical music with contemporary sounds. His compositions traverse the spectrum from velvety R&B vocals to entrancing raga-based pop, crafting lyrical and rhythmic experiences that captivate the senses. Having graced prestigious stages worldwide, including iconic venues like the Crypto Arena, Wembley Arena, and The Kennedy Center, Raaginder’s artistry consistently delivers a powerful and captivating auditory adventure for his audience.

Rohan Misra is a promising musician, specializing in the unique Indian bowed instrument called the Sarangi (translation: An instrument with a hundred colors). As the son and disciple of great Sarangi virtuoso Pandit Ramesh Misra, Rohan has inherited many of his father-Guru’s specialties, including tonal quality and aesthetic approach.

Rohan Started learning the Sarangi from his father Pandit Ramesh Misra at the age of six.
Coming from the family of nine generations of Sarangi players, Rohan aspires to succeed as the 10th generation in his lineage. He also wishes to further his musicality by blending certain aspects of Western music into his heritage of Indian classical music to emerge with a unique musical expression.

Rohan has performed at Carnegie Hall, Columbia University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, The Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C., California and North Carolina. He has performed with luminaries such as Pt. Birju Maharaj, Smt. Kumudini Lakhia, Pt. Swapan Chaudhury, Pt. Rajendra Gangani, Ustad ma Zila Khan, Pt. Anindo Chatterjee, among others.

Vidushi Smt. Sanhita Nandi, an internationally acclaimed classical vocalist and prominent exponent of the Kirana Gharana, has captivated audiences worldwide with her soul-stirring performances. Trained by the late Pandit A. Kanan and Pandit Vinayak Torvi, with further mentorship from Ustad Mashkoor Ali Khan, her singing is distinguished by its emotive power and serene quality, marked by a deep exploration of ragas in slow tempo and intricate melodic improvisations. Her exceptional ability to express subtle musical emotions and craft original melodic ideas has earned her widespread acclaim, with her sargams and fast-paced tanas being particularly praised.

As a leading exponent of the Kirana tradition, Sanhita Nandi continues to enthrall audiences with her nuanced and detailed melodic improvisations, showcased on the grand canvas of vilambit laya. Her performances have been met with great appreciation at numerous prestigious music conferences and festivals worldwide. Sanhita Nandi has graced stages globally, performing at top classical music festivals and concerts. Highlights of her illustrious career include performances at: Indian Performances: Tansen Sangeet Samaroha in Gwalior, Sawai Gandharva Sangeet Sammelan in Pune, Ustad Amir Khan Sangeet Samaroha in Indore, Annual Saptak Sangeet Sammelan in Ahmedabad, Shree Baba Harivallabh Sangeet Sammelan in Jalandhar, Mallikarjun music conference in Dharwad, Nawaz Ustad Shaik Dawood Trust in Hyderabad, Ustad Rahmat Khan Sangeet Sammelan in Dharwad, Glimpses of Kirana Gharana Music Festival in Hyderabad, Samrat Sangeet Sammelan in Goa, Chandigarh Sangeet Sammelan, A R Rahman Conservatory in Chennai, Sur Festival in Kolkata, Parampara Music Festival in Chennai, Gururao Deshpande Sangeet Sabha in Bangalore, and many more. International Performances: Annenberg Center in Philadelphia, Chhandayan All Night concert in New York, Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan in London and New York, MIT University in Boston, Learn Quest Classical Music conference in Boston, World Music Festival in Chicago, Arohi classical music festival in Toronto, Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton, Raag Mala concerts in Calgary and Edmonton, Sarb Akal classical music festival in Calgary, Philadelphia Crossroad music festival, Basantbahar org in California, and Spicmacay University concerts in USA among others.

Her debut film song in the movie “Salt Bridge” was shortlisted in the Original Song category for the 88th Academy Awards, Pride of Bharat award from Adileela foundation and Sangeet Bhushan award from Tarana Art and Music in delhi.Her repertoire extends beyond Khayal to genres like Bhajan, Thumri, and Ghazal. For more information, visit

Kedar Naphade is a leading concert Harmonium soloist, accompanist, and educator specializingin Indian Classical, Semi-Classical, Devotional, Ghazal and Folk Music.. Over a performance career spanning more than 30 years, Kedar has been featured as a soloist
and accompanist at numerous concerts in India, US, Canada and Europe. This includes
prestigious venues such as The Carnegie Hall (NY), The Metropolitan Museum of Art (NY), The Lincoln Center(NY), The Smithsonian Institute (Washington D.C.), The California Theater (San Jose,CA) Dadar Matunga Cultural Center (Mumbai), Alladiya Khan Smruti Samaroha (Mumbai) and The World Harmonium Summit (Bangalore).

He has also performed at numerous devotional and spiritual concerts at Ashrams and events like Sivananda Ashram, NY, Arsha Vidya Gurukulam, PA, Chinmay Naad Bindu festival in CA, Anand Ashram, NY, Arsha Bodha center, NJ and “I meditate NY” with Chandrika Tandon and Sri Sri Ravishankar at Lincoln Center, New York.

Kedar’s music has been broadcast on National Public Radio in the US and several other
radio stations in the US and UK.