Concert + conversation: Nordic Sangeet

Stockholm Sangeet invites you to a musical encounter between the outstanding musicians Sameer Naimpalli, Sanskriti Shrestha and KG Westman. Despite coming from three different countries and having three different approaches to South Asian classical music, they are united by their passion for music, solid craftsmanship and the ability to indulge in the moment of improvisation .

4:00 PM – Doors open / light refreshments

4:15 PM – Panel discussion

5:00 PM – Concert

The concert and conversation are organized in collaboration with Stockholm Sangeet as part of Nordic Sangeet, a project that aims to create and develop artistic collaborations and networks between artists and organizers within South Asian classical music in the Nordic region.

Before the concert there will be a panel discussion about art, tradition and transition. What happens when South Asian classical music is moved from its roots to another part of the world? Does it change, or does it become even more focused on tradition? What strategies do musicians in South Asian music develop to present and continue their art in a Scandinavian context? Astri Ghosh will lead the conversation with the three musicians.

Artists:

Sameer Naimpalli is a vocalist born in Mumbai but based in Helsinki, Finland. He is an accomplished practitioner of Hindustani classical music, specializing in ghazal singing and other semi-classical styles. Coming from a musical family, Sameer Naimpalli was trained in tabla, harmonium and vocals at a young age by his father, Pandit Sadanand Naimpalli, and later by his gurus Dr. Suresh Wadkar and Padma Ji Wadkar. He is also a vocal scholar at the Ajivasan Institute and has been trained in Carnatic music at the Shankar Mahadevan Academy. He performs regularly in India, Europe and the United States, and has a large number of students worldwide.

Sanskriti Shrestha is a Nepali tabla player, composer and bandleader, based in Oslo. She is considered one of the leading female percussionists in the Nepali and Scandinavian music scene. In addition to conveying the Hindustani tabla tradition, she actively works to expand the scope and language of her instrument and through her collaborations with artists across genres, she has developed an innovative and creative playing style. She comes from a famous musical family, and at the age of four she began learning tabla from her aunt, Sumitra Shrestha and teacher Pandit Hom Nath Upadhyaya. She holds a master's degree in tabla from Prayaag Sangeet Samiti – Allahabad, a master's degree in music performance from the Norwegian Academy of Music. She has won several awards, has appeared on a number of albums, has worked on commissioned works and has toured in Europe, Australia and Asia.

KG Westman is one of Europe's foremost musicians in North Indian classical and semi-classical music performed on sitar and surbahar. As a senior disciple of Pandit Rabindra Narayan Goswami, he has performed in Asia, Europe, the USA and Russia for the past 20 years, as well as playing on radio and television. Westman is trained in both Indian and Western music and is a renowned teacher and conductor, teaching in Stockholm and at the Anubhab Academy in Germany. KG Westman is one of the founders and main organizers of the Stockholm Sangeet Festival, one of Scandinavia's most prestigious events for Indian classical music and dance, which has been organized for more than 15 years.

Nordisk Sangeet is organized in collaboration with Stockholm Sangeet with support from the Nordic Culture Fund and the Swedish Art Council.