Jay Gandhi

Dibyarka Chatterjee

Ulysses Quartet

EAST MEETS WEST

In collaboration with the Consulate General of India New York, on June 10, 2021 the Salon de Virtuosi was delighted to present our Season Finale, East Meets West, featuring inspiring performances by the exciting Ulysses Quartet, representing the West, and Jay Gandhi, bansuri (Indian bamboo flute) and Salon de Virtuosi 2017 Career Grant Winner Dibyarka Chatterjee, tabla, representing the East, who will perform from the Consulate General of India in New York in a special virtual program that culminated in a thrilling improvised collaboration combining the music of the two cultures.

The Ulysses Quartet has been praised for their “textural versatility,” “grave beauty” and “the kind of chemistry many quartets long for, but rarely achieve” (The Strad), as well as their “avid enthusiasm ... [with] chops to back up their passion” (San Diego Story), “delivered with a blend of exuberance and polished artistry” (The Buffalo News). Founded in the summer of 2015, the group won the grand prize and gold medal in the senior string division of the 2016 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and first prize in the 2018 Schoenfeld International String Competition. In 2017, the quartet finished first in the American Prize and won second prize at the Osaka International Chamber Music Competition. They were winners of the Vietnam International Music Competition in 2019. From 2017 to 2019, Ulysses was in residence at the Louis Moreau Institute in New Orleans, working with composer Morris Rosenzweig. In fall 2019, the Ulysses Quartet were named as Lisa Arnhold Fellows of the Juilliard School, an appointment that has been extended through May 2022. Read more about them HERE.  

Jay Gandhi is a multifaceted artist. His music is at once reflective of his devotion to his Guru, the inimitable legend of the bansuri, Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia, as well as a diverse range of other musical influences. Jay’s initial training in Hindustani music was under Smt. Kum Kum Sanyal (vocal) and later in bansuri under Pt. Ronu Majumdar and Pt. Raghunath Seth. Inspired to gain a deeper knowledge of both the gayaki ang (vocal style) as well as the tantrakari ang (stringed instrument style), Jay has also taken valuable guidance from Pt Vidyadhar Vyas (vocals) and Pt. Nayan Ghosh (sitar, tabla). In 2006, he was blessed to have been accepted as a disciple of Padma Vibhushan Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, and has since had the honor of accompanying his Guru on stage for multiple concert tours. Read more about Jay HERE.  

2017 Salon de Virtuosi Career Grant Winner Dibyarka Chatterjee is the son and disciple of the esteemed Pandit Samir Chatterjee, and represents the Farrukhabad Gharana of tabla playing. He spent his childhood in India and at the age of 7 was already performing in concerts as well as on Akaashvani Kolkata (National Radio - Kolkata Station). Since moving to New York City with his family, he has continued to perform regularly in both Indian and Western music. Dibyarka has had the honor of performing and touring with maestros of Indian classical music such as Pandit Jasraj, Pdt. Budhhadev DasGupta, Pta. Lakshmi Shankar, and Utd. Shujaat Khan to name only a few. He has collaborated in world music projects with groups like the Dance Theater of Harlem, the Battery Dance Co., and with fusion musicians/composers like Salman Ahmad (Junoon), Douglas Cuomo, Gary Lucas & Najma Akhtar amongst others. Read more about Dibyarka HERE.

Our annual concert at the Consulate General of India is a longstanding and beloved tradition of the Salon, spanning many years, which is dedicated to promoting cross-cultural dialogue through music. We are delighted that we are able to continue this long tradition by presenting this concert to you virtually.

We are immensely grateful to the artists for sharing with us their music and inspiration and to the Consulate General of India for co-sponsoring this musical event.

Our deepest thanks to His Excellency Ambassador Randhir Jaiswal, Consul General of India in New York, for his generous support of this event. We look forward to continuing our tradition of collaboration with the Indian Consulate for many years to come.

Enjoy the Full Concert Here

PROGRAM

Ulysses Quartet

Christina Bouey, Violin, Rhiannon Banerdt, Violin, Colin Brookes, Viola, Grace Ho, Cello

Komitas (1869-1935): Armenian Folk Songs for String Quartet

Vagharshabadi Dance

It’s Cloudy

The Little Partridge

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827): String Quartet in C minor, Op. 18, No. 4

I: Allegro ma non tanto

II: Andante scherzoso quasi allegretto

III: Menuetto: Allegretto

IV: Allegro – Prestо

Jay Gandhi, Bansuri and Dibyarka Chatterjee, Tabla

Raag Brindavani Sarang

Jay Gandhi, Bansuri, Dibyarka Chatterjee, Tabla, Christina Bouey, Violin, Colin Brookes, Viola and Grace Ho, Cello

Grand Finale - East Meets West Collaboration

Hear what the musicians have to say about their work, lives and the experience of collaborating

between East and West!