Indian music with its rich legacy of over three millennia, has always had a place of pride in the world of art.

The NCPA embraces all the major strands of Indian music and continues to feature a wide spectrum of artistes – from emerging artistes to music legends. The range of genres is equally diverse ranging from pure classical, and semi-classical to devotional, light, regional, folk and cross-over music. The unique thematic element associated with each property makes the experience exclusive. Over the past decade, NCPA’s thematically curated Indian music festivals continue to be appreciated by artistes as well as audiences worldwide.

Upcoming Events in September 2023:

NCPA-HSBC Music Workshop on Understanding the art of composing (Part 2)

Supported by HSBC

A free online workshop on Zoom by Shantanu Moitra

When: Saturday, 2 September- 11.00 am 

Duration: 1hr 15mins

About the workshop: Composition is the mainstay of music performance in any tradition. There is no music without composition. It is significant, therefore, to understand what constitutes a composition, and how it really takes shape in the hands of a composer. In today’s world, being a composer is regarded as a valid career option for talented musicians, and thus, it becomes equally important to understand the attributes of a composer.

In the first session of this two-part series, Shantanu Moitra presented his viewpoint about what makes a successful composer and how one identifies the composer within. His deliberation also delved into the basics of composing, the tools used, and approaches that could be adopted while composing for various media.

The second session continues with in-depth details of the building blocks of composing as well as the actual approach leading to a composition.

Starting with advertisement jingles, Moitra went on to compose music for landmark films including some award-winning works like Parineeta, 3 Idiots, Pink, Lage Raho Munna Bhai and others. He has also to his credit independent albums like ‘Ab Ke Sawan’ and ‘Gulzar in Conversation with Tagore’. Furthermore, Moitra has uniquely married his adventures and music to create 100 Days in Himalayas and Songs of the River, based on climbing the great mountains and cycling along the mighty Ganga.

Shyam Rang- Exploring the Divine Trinity: Krishna, Radha and Meera 

by Deepika Bhide Bhagwat & group

An NCPA Presentation

Supported by Rukmani & Kishan Daiya Foundation

When: Saturday, 2 September- 6.30 pm

Where: Experimental Theatre, NCPA

Duration: 2 hrs Age Suitability: 6+

About the show: Indian music has a substantial repertoire that has poetic content based on the amorous exploits of Krishna, the cowherd of Brindavan. Several compositions are also dedicated to devotional and philosophical thoughts associated with his divine love.

With Janmashtami just a few days away, we present a musical event celebrating the legend of Krishna, “the dark one”, through the voices of Radha and Meera, his two ardent devotees belonging to two different eras. Radha was his contemporary and her devotional outpourings therefore seem real, earnest and heartfelt. Whereas, for Meera, he dwelt in her imagination and forever remained a distant dream.

Deepika Bhide Bhagwat has had the privilege of training with several accomplished vocalists including Madhukar Joshi and Dhondutai Kulkarni. At present, she is under the tutelage of Dr. Ashwini Bhide Deshpande and Shubha Joshi for khayal and semi-classical music respectively. Endowed with a mellifluous voice ranging three octaves, her musical expressions seem aptly suited for several genres from khayal and thumri to hori and bhajan.

Interspersed with pertinent comments, this presentation will feature various musical forms like thumri, dadra, kajri and bhajan, exploring some common threads as well as distinguishing traits in the artistic/poetic creations that voice the outpourings of Radha and Meera.

NCPA Citi Promising Artiste Series

Supported by Citi

When: Friday, 8th September- 6.30 pm

Where: Experimental Theatre

Duration: 90 minutes approx

Entry: on a first-come-first-served basis 

Name Of the artistes:  Asaramji Sable (pakhawaj)- Citi NCPA Scholarship Winner (2017-18) Mukund Dev Sahoo (dhrupad)- Citi NCPA Scholarship Winner (2015-16)  

About the artistes: 

Asaramji Sable, Citi-NCPA Scholarship Winner (2017-18), has completed his master's in music from the Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University, Pune, where he won the gold medal in Hindustani Instrumental Music for his proficiency on the pakhawaj. He has trained with Keshva Jagdale and Prakash Shejwal, Sable has accompanied many stalwarts onstage including Ronu Majumdar, Devaki Pandit and the Gundecha brothers, among others. He has won several awards and has performed in several concerts around the country.

Born in a family with strong musical ties, Mukund Dev Sahoo received his initial musical education in the kirtana style of music from his father, Hem Chandra Sahoo. He is a senior disciple of the Gundecha brothers and has evolved into a dynamic exponent of the dhrupad style of singing. He studied Hindustani music from Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya, Bhubaneshwar. He has received personal guidance from Vijayananda Naik (Gwalior gharana), Bhushen Nagdev and Arun Kashalkar. Dev has performed in many prestigious music festivals within India and abroad and has collaborated with international artistes including Belgian flamenco dancer, Marisol Valderrama Guerrero. Mukund Dev was awarded the Citi- NCPA Scholarship for 2020-21.

Aaj Phir Jeene Ki Tamanna Hein-  A tribute to Lata Mangeshkar

An Audio-visual presentation by Yatindra Mishra

When: Friday, September 15-  6.30 pm

Where:   Experimental Theatre

About the show: Lata Mangeshkar was regarded as a living legend during her lifetime, and forever her name is etched in golden letters in the annals of music as one of the greatest and most influential Indian singers. Born Hema Hardikar (1929-2022), her delicate voice soaked in astounding tunefulness, coupled with immaculate intonation and a total mastery over breath, transformed her rendition into a flawless work of art, leaving her listeners absolutely speechless!   Having recorded thousands of songs under the baton of several music directors spanning over 75 years, she sang in 36 Indian regional and foreign languages! The list of her non-film songs is also equally impressive.  

Yatindra Mishra is a celebrated poet, author and scholar of music and cinema. He has to his credit, four collections of Hindi poetry. His other contributions include writings on the life and work of great artistes like Girija Devi, Sonal Mansingh, Bismillah Khan, Begum Akhtar, Lata Mangeshkar and books such as ‘100 years of Hindi cinema’ and a detailed documentation of Ayodhya. Impressive list of many awards received by Yatindra Mishra includes Uttar Pradesh Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar, Bharatiya Janapitha fellowship, Raza Foundation Award and such others. His book 'Lata : Sur- Gatha' won 6 awards in 2016, including the National Film Award and MAMI Mumbai Film Festival Award for Best Writing on Cinema.

Celebrating the legend of Lata Mangeshkar, this presentation will include some of her audio excerpts of film and non-film renditions. A host of memorable photographs and experiences shared by Yatindra Mishra will make the evening come alive.

TUMHE YAAD HOGA -  Evergreen songs of Hemant Kumar & Talat Mahmood By Surojit Guha and Sangeeta Melekar 

In collaboration with Sahachari Foundation Events  

Where: Tata Theatre  

When: Friday, September 29 - 6.30 pm 

About the show: A retro evening in which Surojit Guha presents evergreen songs of Hemant Kumar and Talat Mahmood, iconic playback singers and composers of yesteryears, 

Having started his singing career at a very young age, Surojit Guha has to his credit a large number of performances of Hindi film music, Adhunik Bangla and Rabindrasangeet. He has also performed songs in numerous other languages.  

Known for his haunting voice remarkably similar to that of Hemant Kumar’s, Surojit will present songs immortalized by Hemant Kumar and Talat Mehmood, accompanied by Sangeeta Melekar, a talented female singer. The songs will be strung together by a compere.   

Music arranger: Pradipto Sengupta

Details and tickets to all events on BookMyShow