HINDUSTANI SLIDE GUITAR
"Mohan Veena meets Chataurangui"

We welcome you to join us for this beautiful concert at the iconic Aquarius Church in Nimbin.
We're excited to present this acoustic show of Indian Classical strings, with Tabla accompaniment.

Doors will be open at 6.00pm with music beginning around 6.30pm with an intermission.

MEAL TICKETS AVAILABLE - Please pre-purchase meals if you would like to dine on delicious Vedic Vegetarian food from our local Krishna restaurant.
* Tickets are sold separately, so you can purchase up until Wednesday prior to the show!
* Chai will also be available during the evening @ $4 - please bring cash for this.
THE MENU:
Large Meal - Rice, Dhal & Salad - $15
Small Meal - Samosa & Salad - $8
Dessert - Halva (Vegan, NOT GF) - $5

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT:
The concert will present a melodious journey through early-evening Indian Raga music. From exquisite subtleties in the Alap (meditative beginnings), to heights of rhythmic excitement and improvised embellishments, as the music flourishes to envelope the audience in a sweet crescendo.

ABOUT THE INSTRUMENTS:
The Mohan Veena’s journey into being… Grammy winner Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, a sitar disciple of Pandit Ravi Shankar, encountered the Hawaiian guitar and became enamoured with the sounds. He adapted the guitar to include sympathetic strings, and with other changes the Mohan Veena was born. He has championed to include the Mohan Veena into Indian Classical music and is the exponent of this instrument world-wide.

The Chataurangui - was created by Pandit Debashish Battacharya in 1978, after receiving a Hawiian guitar at the age of 3. He has produced 4 differently styled instruments and is an award winning player and composer.

Currently Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt & Pandit Debashish Battacharya are the two leading exponents of the Indian Slide Guitar world-wide, with Poly under the tutelage of Pandit Bhatt and Shivam under the tutelage of Pandit Battacharya.

ABOUT THE MUSICIANS:
POLY VARGHESE:
We are happy to have Poly Varghese in Australia! Poly’s musical career began in Kerala where he trained in the Classical arts, specifically the Mridangam – a percussion instrument used mostly in Carnatic, or South Indian Classical Music. Whilst undertaking further training in West Bengal, he began to pursue Indian Classical on electric guitar. A chance meeting with Pandit Bhatt fired his adoration for the adapted Mohan Veena. He since dedicates his time, under the tutelage of Pandit Bhatt, to pursue practise and learnings of this beautifully evocative instrument. He has performed at many festivals around the World and composed for film and theatre.

SHIVAM RATH
Shivam Rath is a second generation Aussie Indian Musician, following his fathers footsteps in both the world of Yoga and Indian classical music and since seriously taking up the path is sliding up to be Australia’s leading Slide Guitarist. Born into a musical family he has been combining his knowledge and path of meditation into the classically trained field of Music, Mantra and Raga. He is also writing and producing his own musical compositions, with many tracks bridging, reviving and blending the ancient arts, mantra and music into our modern world.

Shivam has studied music directly from some of the worlds top leading instrumentalists including Riley Lee (Shakuhachi) Japanese flute & Indian Slide guitarist Debashish Bhattacharya as well as Tabla from Chota Lal Mishra (former BHU University Professor). He is particular passionate about sharing his experience and knowledge of music and has taught and hosted workshops, retreats in numerous countries and locations around the world as well as multiple tours with some of India's incredibly acclaimed maestros, earning a respect and recognition for establishing himself in this rich and ancient musical tradition.

RODNEY WRIGHT:
Rodney Wright landed in India as a young man, and started learning Tabla in India 1992. In 1995 he was initiated into the Banares Gharana (Tradition) under his Guruji, the late Pandit Kedarnath Bhowmick. To this day Rodney maintains his tradition and enjoys collaborating and performing with artists of various backgrounds.