Citi- NCPA Aadi Anant Music Festival Announces its 9th Edition at the Chowdiah Memorial Hall on Feb 8, 2020

The National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) and Citi India recently announced the ninth edition of the much-awaited Indian Music festival – ‘Citi-NCPA Aadi Anant: From Here to Eternity’. The festival will feature some of the most respected maestros of the classical music fraternity which include, Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma, Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Pt. Niladri Kumar, TM Krishna, Shri. R. Kumaresh and Smt. Jayanthi Kumaresh amongst others.

The travelling Indian music festival will showcase its most awaited concert in Bengaluru on (Saturday), 8th February 2020 at Chowdiah Memorial Hall, Bengaluru. The concert will feature renowned maestros - T. M. Krishna (vocal), R.K.Shriramkumar (violin), Praveen Spars (mridangam) and ChandrasekaraSharma (kanjira). In this recital, T. M. Krishna and his group will present an array of forms: padam, varnam and svarajati composed by some composers belonging to the period (prior to 1765 AD), which is before the rise of the revered trinity of Carnatic music: Thyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Syama Sastri. After the Chennai performance, the Citi-NCPA Aadi Anant festival will travel to Pune.

As trendsetters in their respective fields, Citi and NCPA constantly strive to work towards preserving Indian heritage and music. Citi-NCPA Aadi Anant celebrates the concept of Eternity through artistic traditions that are perpetuated from one generation to the next, in an uninterrupted manner through the age-old institution of the Guru – Shishya parampara. The festival will give audiences an opportunity to engage with Indian culture through some of our country’s oldest forms of music and enjoy current renditions of age-old compositions.

Mr. Khushroo N. Suntook, Chairman, National Centre for the Performing Arts said, “We, at the National Centre for the Performing Arts, recognize the importance of arts in our lives, especially for the young minds. Be it nurturing the young artistes or showcasing iconic works of legendary maestros or fostering newer audiences, we are relentless in our pursuit to preserve, promote and propagate performing arts. As we complete 50 years in the service of performing arts, it is a matter of great pride to have with us on this journey, Citi, our esteemed patron and partner for over the last twelve years. It is indeed gratifying that with a shared passion to nurture India’s great heritage, we have been able to join hands and walk the same path undertaking several initiatives to sustain the ‘Guru-shishya’ tradition”.

Ashu Khullar, CEO Citi India, said, “We are proud to be a longstanding partner of a globally acclaimed institution like the NCPA. Respect, discipline and determination are qualities that are exemplified through the ancient Guru Shishya Parampara, and are qualities that we as a society, must emulate. The Aadi Anant Festival reaffirms this tradition and showcases Indian music through the ages, providing a platform for young talented musicians to demonstrate their mastery over India’s vibrant past and colorful future. We are delighted to partner with the NCPA on various initiatives that further this cause.”

Commenting on the festival, Dr. Suvarnalata Rao, Head Programming – Indian Music, National Centre for the Performing Arts said, “The Guru-Shishya parampara nurtures the training and transmission of knowledge from a teacher to the student through the oral –aural system. It is an integral part of Indian music tradition from ancient times. The Citi-NCPA Aadi Anant festival celebrates and fosters this age-old tradition for the posterity. We are thankful to Citi India for their long-standing support towards nurturing our great Indian heritage”.

In addition to the festival, Citi India and NCPA have collaborated on various CSR initiatives in the field of Indian and Western Classical Music. With the intent of keeping alive the age-old Guru-Shishya tradition, both institutions are committed supporting musicians at every level, ensuring that they have the opportunities and skills to experience and pursue Indian classical music.

Program 1: Support to Gurus: Under this scheme 8 Gurus receive financial support to train three promising disciples each, in the traditional format of one-on-one teaching. The program is free of cost for the disciples.

Program 2: Scholarships to Young Musicians: This scheme is meant for talented amateurs (age group: 18-30) in the field of Hindustani music (vocal –dhrupad & khayal, instrumental music –melody & percussion). A total of nine scholarships are given annually based on the quality of performance in a live audition.

Program 3: Introducing Music Training to School Children: This program trains school children in Indian Music, working in 9 schools with approximately 600 students.