Morning Ragas performed by
Indradeep Ghosh (violin)
Eman Hashimi (tabla)

Where the Bow Meets the Soul – A rare concert Morning Ragas performed by virtuoso North Indian violinist Indradeep Ghosh with Eman Hashimi on tabla.

Join us for a unique opportunity to hear an intimate recital of Hindustani morning ragas in the Dhrupad [devotional vocal music] Style, Baaj, from the Maihar tradition. This is the tradition that gave us such revered artists as maestros Ustad Allaudin Khan, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Pandit Ravi Shankar, and Pandit Nikhil Banerjee.

Indradeep Ghosh has performed and been celebrated worldwide. He is one of only a few musicians who play Hindustani (North Indian) classical music on the violin. Indradeep performs on a unique custom five-string violin/viola with eight sympathetic/resonating strings (modeled after other traditional Indian instruments like the sitar and the Norwegian Hardanger fiddle), which gives a richer tone and reverberant effect.

This concert offers the rare opportunity to hear morning ragas at the appropriate time of day and in an intimate setting that replicates the long tradition of baithak (sitting) where ragas were traditionally performed in private at the home of a patron or in the royal court to an audience passionate about the music. In recent years, particularly since the rise in global popularity of Indian music in the 1970s, many performers have shifted the focus of the music from a leisurely exposition of melodic aesthetics to more rhythm-heavy performances aimed at general audiences. With this recital, Indradeep will highlight the more traditional melodic, improvisational, and meditative aesthetics that are at the spiritual core of the music.

The program offers both a full raga performance (beginning with an extended alap or non-rhythmic exposition) and concludes with several shorter semi-classical forms that typically draw on traditional folk melodies from diverse rural Indian traditions. We hope to introduce this centuries-old tradition to new listeners and to delight those already familiar with it. Of course, chai will be served along with Indian snacks and sweets.

Biographies

Indradeep Ghosh has performed throughout the world at venues including the 10th Asia Festival in Barcelona, SXSW music festival at Austin, USA, Learn Quest Music Festival, Boston, USA, Tansen-Tyagaraja Music and Dance Festival, Rajahmundry, India Festival Du Bout Du Monde, France, the YOMAD Festival in Croatia, Yoga-Vidya Music Festival in Germany, to name a few. He has performed throughout Europe, including Germany, France, Austria, Luxembourg, Spain, Denmark, Croatia, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and has toured all over the USA.

He has collaborated with several Western musicians such as Grammy-winning Kora player Mama Dou Diabate, world-famous rock band drummer Steve Smith, Jazz Organ Monster Tony Monaco, and versatile Flutist Pedro Eustache, to name a few.

He has to his credit many Classical and Fusion Music albums. He is the only Indian Violinist to release the first-ever commercial VIOLA (Bass Violin) album titled “Tribute to Miyan Tansen on Viola”. He has also contributed to the album, Melodic Intersect: One Vision, which won the Akademia Music Award in January 2016 from Los Angeles.

He has also composed new ragas such as Ganapati, Indradhanush, and Hamsavahini, which have gained enormous appreciation and popularity from both Indian and global listeners.

Eman Hashimi is an Afghan-American tabla virtuoso and percussionist, widely regarded as the future of Afghan tabla and one of the most sought-after young artists of his generation. Rooted in one of the most renowned musical families of Afghanistan, his artistry is both a continuation of a timeless legacy and a bold step toward the future of Afghan cultural expression.

Born into the rich traditions of Kharabat, Kabul’s historic music quarter, Eman is the son of the legendary Ustad Toryalai Hashimi, one of Central Asia’s foremost percussionists and a pioneer of Afghan tabla. Under his father’s guidance, Eman began formal training at the age of seven, immersing himself in Afghan classical and folk rhythms alongside the powerful Punjab Gharana style of tabla.

Eman was recognized early on as a child prodigy, giving his first concert alongside his father at just nine years old. In 2009, he deepened his mastery under the tutelage of the iconic Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri, one of India’s greatest tabla maestros, becoming one of the youngest students ever to perform a tabla duet with his guru. He has also attended masterclasses led by Ustad Zakir Hussain & Pandit Yogesh Samsi and other master percussionists. This rare lineage bridging Afghan, Indian, and Central Asian traditions has shaped Eman into a uniquely versatile and dynamic artist.

Location: Dresher Ensemble Studio, 2201 Poplar Street Oakland, CA United States