CFAA is the proud co-sponsor of the
Lamont World Music Concert and Lecture Series
University of Denver, Lamont School of Music, 2344 E. Iliff Ave. Denver, CO 80208
Inaugural Concert
An Evening of North Indian Classical Music and Dance
Who:
Dr. George Ruckert, sarod; Charlotte Moraga, kathak; Nabin Shrestha, tabla
When:
February 18, 7:30pm
Where:
Hamilton Recital Hall at the Robert & Judi Newman Center for the Performing Arts
, 2344 E. Iliff Ave. Denver, CO 80208
TICKETS:
Adults $21; Seniors $19; Students from any school (w/ID)
All Pioneer Card holders: Free.
CFAA Patrons: Limited FREE Tickets (First Come First Served Basis)
Free parking. A reception will follow the performance.
Biographies of the Artists
Dr. George Ruckert—performer, composer, arranger, author, and teacher—is a rare artist with an extensive background in the disciplines of both Western and Indian classical music.
One of the senior-most disciples of the late sarod maestro Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, he focused his attention on sarod and vocal music for nearly thirty years. During this period he also served for many years as teacher and Director of the Ali Akbar College of Music. During this tenure, he composed, arranged, conducted, and performed with and for the College’s innovative east-west ensemble, the New Maihar Band. He also composed music for several of the dance dramas of Kathak dance master Chitresh Das, notably Sita Haran and The Gold Rush. As a solo artist on the sarod, he has performed extensively in India, Europe, Canada and the United States. He also composed two new rāgas: Shenan Mand and Usha Kanra.
Dr. Ruckert holds an MA degree in music theory and composition and a PhD in ethnomusicology from the University of California at Berkeley. His doctoral dissertation focuses on the music of Ali Akbar Khan. He is a Senior Lecturer at MIT, and a co-founder of MITHAS, which has presented some 150 programs of Indian classical music and dance since it was established in 1993. Dr. Ruckert is also the author of five books on Indian classical music including the popular Music in North India: Experiencing Music, Expressing Culture published by Oxford University Press (2003) and with Ali Akbar Khan, The Classical Music of North India: The Music of the Baba Allauddin Gharana as Taught by Ali Akbar Khan (1991, 2004).
Charlotte Moraga is a Kathak artist, educator and choreographer. She began her training with master Kathak artist and guru Pandit Chitresh Das at San Francisco State University in 1992 and continues to study deeply in the guru-shisya parampara (a tradition of one-to-one intensive training) to the present. She was formerly a professional jazz dancer, trained in ballet and jazz dance from the age of nine.
Ms. Moraga has toured India eight times to date. As a solo artist, she has performed to critical acclaim in Mumbai, Calcutta, Pune, Agra, Madurai, Pondicherry, and Coimbature. She has performed at prestigious festivals such as the American Dance Festival, Denpasar Bali Arts Festival, The International Kathak Festival in Chicago, Ali Akbar Khan’s 80th Birthday Gala, and World Arts West’s Ethnic Dance Festival. For her work as a Kathak dancer she has received awards including a San Francisco Foundation Shenson Performing Arts Fellowship, a CA$H grant, and a residency for the Performing Diaspora Project at CounterPulse.
Ms. Moraga is the Principal Dance Company member of the Chitresh Das Dance Company (CDDC). She is a senior instructor at the affiliated Chhandam School of Kathak Dance and is director of the Chhandam Youth Dance Company. She is largely responsible for developing the CDDC’s arts education program and has written several articles about Kathak for dance publications such as Dance Spirit, Dance Magazine, and In Dance.
For Nabin Shrestha, music has been an essential part of his life since early childhood in Nepal. Nabin began learning tabla at nine years old with the guidance of his Guru Shree Rabin Lal Shrestha and was inspired by his brother Rajendra Shrestha. To this day, he still views himself as a continuing student in an ever-expanding exploration of the dynamic sounds and musical interpretations possible with the tabla.
Nabin received a scholarship from the Indian Council for Cultural Relationship to pursue music at Aakhil Bharatiya Gandharva Music University of Delhi. There, he worked to develop his musical career with tabla masters including Ustad Shri Faiyaaz Khan and Shri Tansen Shrivastav. Upon completion of a master’s degree, Nabin received the exceptional opportunity to further his musical studies under the guidance of the great tabla maestro “Taalmani” Pandit Sureshji Talwalkar. Upon returning to Nepal, Nabin kept busy with various recordings, performances and music lessons at the University in Nepal. At present he is based in Colorado, where he continues to record, compose music and offer private tabla lessons. A favorite tabla player in the region, he has performed with artists including Ustad Roshan Jamal Bharatiya, Pandit Joginder Virdi, Sarah Morelli and many others.
Sincere Appreciation to the following donors and supporters of this event:
Donors to Ethnomusicology at DU
The DU Phipps Performing Arts Fund
DU Honors Program
TICKETS On Sale NOW: Adults $21; Seniors $19; Students from any school (w/ID) & all Pioneer Card holders: Free. Groups of 8 people or more have a 20% discount, and for orders on the phone a flat service charge of $5. Online: (24/7) www.newmantix.com a $2 service charge is applied per ticket purchased online. Phone: (business hours only) Newman Center Box Office 303-871-7720 a $4 service charge is applied per ticket purchased by phone. In Person: (business hours only) Newman Center Box Office. There is no service charge for tickets purchased in person. 20 minute free parking is available in the loading zone at the entrance on Iliff Ave. Newman Center Box Office Hours: Mon-Fri 10am – 4pm; Saturdays from September – May: 12pm – 4pm; 1 hr prior to concert time.
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