This classical music concert in Bengaluru brings together a celebration of vocal and instrumental performances
Siddhartha Belmannu, a classical vocalist from Karkala, Karnataka, has been making waves in the Indian music scene with his unique blend of tradition and innovation. Trained under renowned Vinayak Torvi, he has mastered the intricacies of hindustani classical music while developing his own distinctive style. He will be performing at the Acharya Devo Bhava concert, a tribute to sitar legend pandit Bimalendu Mukherjee, celebrating his centenary and showcasing the beauty of Indian classical music. Siddhartha lets us in on what the audience can expect at this upcoming concert.
Tell us about Acharya Devo Bhava?
Acharya Devo Bhava is a concert curated to celebrate the birth centenary of sitar maestro pandit Bimalendu Mukherjee. He has contributed greatly to music, both as a performer and as a guru. He was primarily a sitarist but was also proficient in almost all traditional Indian instruments like rudra veena, saraswati veena, surbahar, sursingar, mandrabahar, dilruba, esraj, tar Shehnai, sarod and pakhavaj and was equally adept in vocal music.
How does this concert celebrate the legacy of the musical icon and what can audiences expect?
This concert is part of a year-long musical celebration happening across India, curated by Anupama Bhagwat, an acclaimed sitarist and a senior disciple of Bimalendu. It is meant to showcase various forms of hindustani classical music by acclaimed artistes, including sitar, vocal including khyal and dhrupad, violin, santoor and flute and I am very happy and fortunate to be performing in this great event celebrating the maestro.
Who are the notable artistes sharing the stage with you?
There are many notable artistes that I am honoured to be sharing the stage with. Accompanying me will be Mayank Bedekar (tabla) and Prasad Kamath (harmonium). Other performances include a violin recital by N Rajam trio who will be accompanied by Abhishek Mishra (tabla) and Aravind Kumar Azad (tabla), santoor recital by Vinay Desai, accompanied by Rahul Pophali (tabla), flute recital by Ashwin Srinivasan who will be accompanied by Ravindra Yavagal (tabla), dhrupad recital by Uday Bhawalkar, accompanied by Pratap Awad (pakhawaj) and a sitar recital by Budhaditya Mukherjee who will be accompanied by Soumen Nandy (tabla).
What’s next for you?
I am looking forward to performing in this wonderful event and to convey the rich music I have tried to adapt from my gurus to the connoisseurs present in the audience and will give my best to pay my respects to the great gurus of our musical heritage.
INR 500 onwards. January 11 & 12, 6 pm onwards. At Chowdaiah Memorial Hall, Vyalikaval.
Written by: Rinisha P
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