Established in June 1997, The Kalavant
Center for Music and Dance is a non-profit cultural
organization dedicated to promoting and preserving
traditional music and dance of South Asia, with a
special emphasis on Indian classical music.
CULTURAL DIVERSITY
The evolution of Indian music over thousands of years
has engendered a rich variety of 'schools' known as
gharanas, each with its own unique approach to the
musical idiom. Just as in the ecological sphere, where
humanity in the twentieth century gave inordinate
preponderance to select commercially viable species,
and as a result, where we witnessed the extinction
of entire species of plant and animal life, so too,
many of Indian classical music’s gharanas have
become endangered species, with an irreparable loss
to human culture. The Kalavant Center proposes to
address this imbalance, so as to nurture the renaissance
of Indian classical music as a whole, ensuring cultural
diversity for the benefit of humanity.
UNIVERSALITY OF MUSIC
The ancient yet timeless wealth of Indo-European
culture has spread across the globe, and has everywhere
dissolved barriers of race, religion, and creed, testifying
to the universality of music. The very name of India,
Bharata, refers to music as a universal language.
'Bha' - bhava, 'ra' - raga, 'ta' - tala. Bhava literally
means “to become”, or “becoming”,
and in this context refers to the universal emotions
conjured and brought to life by an accomplished musician.
Raga is the melodic language of India, and tala is
the rhythmic language of India. Thus, through these
melodic and rhythmic languages, the ultimate goal
of an Indian classical musician is to bring to life
in their audience an experience of a Universal nature.
ACTIVITIES
The Kalavant Center’s main activities focus
on performing and teaching Indian classical music
at the highest level. Presently in New York City,
The Kalavant Center's working staff consists of professional
musicians, some of whom have 40+ years of experience
performing and teaching Indian music. This staff is
enriched regularly with other great musicians who
come from India to teach and perform.
The Kalavant Center provides an active platform for
musicians and dancers to work through concerts, workshops,
demonstrations, and master classes. Equally important,
The Kalavant Center’s activity’s also
includes recording eminent guest artists and disseminating
these recordings in audio and visual formats.
USTAD KADAR KHAN
The founder-director of The Kalavant Center, Ustad
Kadar Khan, is a traditional Indian musician based
in New York City, who regularly performs and conducts
master classes at leading American universities, museums
and other cultural institutions. He has accompanied
the Grammy- award-winning guitarist Pandit Vishwa
Mohan Bhatt; master flautist Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia;
sarangi player Ustad Sultan Khan; and many other highly
gifted musicians. In 1982, Kadar Khan founded the
Naad-Niket Center for Propagation of Indian Music
in Ahmedabad, India.
QUALITY AND COMMITMENT
The Kalavant Center for Music and Dance officially
opened on September 12, 1998, with an inaugural concert
given by the late legendary sitar maestro Ustad Vilayat
Khan, legendary sarangi maestro Ustad Sultan Khan,
and tabla maestro Ustad Kadar Khan. The quality of
musicians who committed their time and skill to this
event shows the level of musicianship The Kalavant
Center is committed to presenting to U.S. audiences.
Furthermore, since that inaugural event, the Kalavant
Center has presented in concert Pandit Jasraj, Ustad
Rais Khan, Pandit Brij Bhushan Kabra, Ustad Shahid
Parvez, Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar and Shri Anup Jalota.
Kalavant Center for Music and Dance
In New York:
326 E. 11th St., Suite #2
New York, NY 10003 USA
Tel/Fax: 212-475-2348
email address: tim@kalavant.org
In Eastern Pennsylvania:
2567 Nazareth Road
Easton, PA 18045, USA
Tel: 610-438-2938
email address: tim@kalavant.or
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