Mala - A Fragrant Garland of Raga with the Flute Sisters

MALA is a Classical Indian Music experience featuring visiting artists Suchismita & Debopriya Chatterjee from Mumbai.  
Supporting The Flute Sisters is Shen Flindell on Tabla. 

Tickets are general admission - there will be space at the direct front of the stage for those who like to sit on the floor to receive the musical experience and plenty of seating otherwise.  Please bring what you need to feel comfortable.

💜 THE HALL IS AIR CONDITIONED/HEATED FOR YOUR COMFORT 💜

WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT 
Join Suchismita, Debopriya and Shen for a nourishing musical experience, of timeless melodies from the ancient tones of the bamboo bansuri flute.  A presentation of afternoon ragas with the traditional alap (slow beginning and exposition of the raga rasa), to the heights of improvised conversations of musical expression, transporting the raga, and our senses, to new heights! 

THE PLAYERS...
Debopriya & Suchismita Chatterjee (for more about the sisters, you can visit www.flutesisters.com)
were born into a musical family in Allahabad - with both parents being Hindustani Vocalists and Composers.  

Under the guidance of the Late Pandit Bholanath Prassanna they received their initial training in flute and further have had the privilege to be trained by the living god of flute, the last word in Indian classical North Indian flute, the magician, PadmaVibhushan Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia.  Flute Sisters share a beautiful bond with their Guru who has been not only a wonderful teacher but also a source of inspiration, initiating them into music and ways of life.  Suchismita & Debopriya are indeed fortunate to inherit the Senia Gharana lineage and lucky to follow the path paved by Baba Allauddin Khan & Smt. Annapurna Devi.  Both sisters can be seen accompanying Guruji in India and beyond.

Both sisters have studied abroad and are well versed in Western and Indian Classical Music traditions, and possess a Masters Degree of Music from Prayag Sangeet Samiti in Allahabad.  Debopriya plays with the all-girl band Sakhi, and Suchismita is a member of Raga Symphony as lead flautist. 

Shen Flindell  (For more about Shen, visit www.ethnosuperlounge.com)
Shen's tabla career began in 1994, learning tabla in Melbourne from Sri Debapriya Bhattacharya.  He very soon followed his passion to the holy city of Varanasi in India to study under Pandit Kaviraj Ashutosh ("Ashu Babu") Bhattacharya, a great tabla master of the Benares Gharana. 

Based in Brisbane, Shen regularly visits Japan and India, and has performed with leading musicians in all three countries. Within the realm of Indian classical music, he is not only capable in the four fields of vocal accompaniment, instrumental accompaniment, Kathak dance accompaniment and tabla solo, but has also given successful accompaniment in South Indian music and dance performances. He has accompanied an extensive list of talented and respected artists including Pt Shantanu Bhattacharyya (vocal), Pt Ritwik Sanyal (Dhrupad vocal), Pt Kushal Das (sitar), Pt Santosh Mishra, Sri Sangeet Mishra (sarangi), Pt Rajan Kulkarni (sarod), Pt Sukhdev Mishra (violin), Smt Prerana Deshpande (Kathak), and many more.

Shen's tabla playing is noted for his clear sound, comfortable rhythmic sense, intuitive and open accompaniment, adept bayan (bass) and a feeling of sincere devotion to Guru, Saraswati, Music and Tabla, thanks to many blessings from his Guru-ji.

Shen opened the Ashu Babu Memorial Tabla School in Brisbane in 2006, with both adult and children's classes.  He holds the Ashu Babu Memorial Tabla School concert annually since 2008, and has become a little Sangeet Mela itself. In 2019 Shen instigated the founding of Queensland Sangeet Mela Association (QSMA) to foster the development of Indian classical music in Queensland and ran the successful Brisbane Sangeet Mela Festival from 2014-2019.

Since his guru-ji passed away in 2004, Shen has received training from a wide range of tabla masters including Pt Pooran Maharaj, Pt Govinda Chakraborty, Pt Nayan Ghosh, Pt Suresh Talwalkar and Sri Hari Om Hari (in light classical styles). In recent years Shen has taken up pakhawaj as a second instrument, with some guidance from Japanese pakhawaji Sri Tetsuya Kaneko.