Indian Classical Music Concert | Baithak Series: Maihar Gharana

Baithak Series is a thematic concert series aimed at presenting esoteric topics on Indian classical music in an engaging and accessible manner. Baithaks, essentially chamber concerts, are a traditional way of presenting Indian classical music to create an intimate connection between the audience and the artist through smaller venues with both floor and chair seating. Each program begins with a curated concert where the artists walk the audience through the theme through musical repertoire and knowledge-sharing. This is followed by an open-floor question and answer session between the audience and the featured artists. The current theme, Gharanas & Banis, explores these socio-musical lineage systems which are prevalent across Indian classical music traditions and tries to address the role they play in contemporary music-making. David Trasoff is a senior disciple of the late maestro Swara Samrat Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. David was privileged to have studied sarode performance and North Indian classical music with his guru since 1973. David is also a senior student of Ustad Zakir Hussain, and continues his study of sarode and vocal music with Pandit Rajeev Taranath. David will explore aspects of raga presentation and performance practice that are defining features of the Maihar Gharana. Innovations pioneered by Ustad Alauddin Khan and presented by his disciples Ali Akbar Khan and Ravi Shankar defined the performance of instrumental music through the second half of the 20th century and beyond. Joining him on stage is local Tabla artist Hriday Buddhdev.