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Vidyabhushana, sitar symphony to tour US

Last Updated 19 May 2023, 20:11 IST

With a hundred compositions to his credit, Dr Vidyabhushana, Carnatic vocalist, completes 50 years as a singer, and is touring the US with a group of ten sitarists.

Best known for his rendering of the compositions of Purandaradasa, Kanakadasa and other Haridasas, Vidyabhushana has hundreds of concerts and recordings to his credit.

“In about 50 years, he has contributed so much to the art of music through his compositions which are divine and popular,” says Sandeep Vasishta, flute and saxophone artiste, who leads Music Mansion Grand Sitar Symphony.

The Bengaluru-based sitar group is joining hands with Vidyabhushana to commemorate his musical milestone. The US tour, in June and July, features 15 to 20 concerts across the United States, and covers cities such as San Francisco, Sugar Land, Greenbelt, Riverdale, among others.

Once a monk at one of the most orthodox Udupi mathas, Vidyabhushan fell in love and moved out to take up ‘grihasta’ and became a full-time singer. In his autobiography ‘Nenape Sangeeta’ (Memory is Music), he talks about how he was forced into a monastic life, and spent 30 years as a monk. He also writes about time as a pontiff and how he met his wife.
The Music Mansion Grand Sitar Symphony, founded by Sandeep Vasishta, an internationally renowned musician, is a group that adapts the sitar, mostly played solo, for ensemble playing.

It performs a variety of Hindustani and Carnatic classical music, western, contemporary fusion, folk, film and devotional compositions. H P Srinivasan, a disciple of Ustad Ahmad Hussain Khan, has composed some sitar pieces specially for the group.

S Sarvamangala, sitarist, says, “Vidyabhushana is a symbol of integrity and courage. In moving away from monkhood, he has embarked not just on an artistic pursuit but also on an inner journey.” The tour provides an opportunity for US audiences, especially connoisseurs of Haridasa compositions, to listen to Vidyabhushana and the sitar symphony on one stage.

For more information: musicmansion.in

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(Published 19 May 2023, 19:36 IST)

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