Wednesday, May 21, 2025

May 23 Gayaki Ang

Most people will have some familiarity with Classical Indian Music. Full pieces and concerts take a little work to find. They are widely available on YouTube and streaming. Many musicians are from multigenerational musical dynasties; they began with ear training as infants, really the formation of the auditory cortex, then studying as small children. Like European classical music, or America's classical music, jazz, it has a vast encyclopedia of melody, rhythm, scales, and improvisation.

Kalakendra brings noted artists from India to Portland.

Tonight Ragini Shankar https://raginishankar.com/, violin, plays with Mukundrao Deo https://agakhanmuseum.org/bio/mukundraj-deo/, tabla. The program is Gayaki Ang style; the violin emulates Indian vocal music.

Ragini Shankar is grandaughter of violinist N. Rajam and daughter of Dr. Sangeeta Shankar whose two daughters continue that style as seen in this mother-daughters concert https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AuyhKeMTQA. She has a degree in mechanical engineering.

Ragini Shankar https://kalakendra.org/etn/hindustani-violin-by-ragini-shankar/ performs at the First Baptist Church, 909 SW 11th. 7PM $35 door, $30 advance, $20 students, $15 children 3-12 years