One of India’s renowned music masters, sarod virtuoso Rajeev Taranath, brings a rare performance of classical South Asian music to University of Puget Sound on Thursday, September 24 at 7:30 p.m. in Rausch Auditorium at University of Puget Sound, Tacoma.
Taranath is a master of the sarod, a four-stringed lute central to classical northern Indian music. Accompanied by percussionist Vikas Yendluri on the tabla, he will perform ragas: intricate, colorfully improvised melodies and rhythms. The duo have drawn accolades from critics and audiences on their many international tours.
“Rajeev Taranath’s sarod improvisations [are] an exuberant rhythmic celebration”, The New York Times wrote.
A distinguished disciple of the legendary Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Rajeev Taranath was the recipient of the Indian government’s highest award in the arts in 1999— for outstanding achievement in the classical music field. In performances throughout the world, he has been acclaimed for his technical virtuosity, inspired imagination, and emotional range.
Taranath’s credentials as a researcher and educator are as impressive as his track record as an artist. A noted linguist, he speaks eight languages fluently and holds a Ph.D. in English literature from the University of Mysore. As a Ford Foundation Scholar, he researched one of the most important lineages of classical Indian music, the Maihar-Allauddin Gharana. Additionally, from 1995 to 2005, Taranath served on the music faculty of the California Institute of the Arts in Los Angeles.
Tickets are $8 general admission, available in advance at the University of Puget Sound Information Center at 253.879.2611 or online at tickets.pugetsound.edu. Presented by Associated Students of the University of Puget Sound Cultural Events.