Suromurchhana to hold its annual Festival of Indian Classical Music in June in Kolkata

Dedicated to the cause of Indian classical music, Suromurchhana was founded in 2007 by vocalist Sanjoy Banerjee to carry on the musical legacy of his mentors (late) Sangeet Vidushi Malavika Kanan and (late) Pandit A Kanan.

An annual event, the Festival of Indian Classical Music will be held on June 17.

The six-hour long musical programme, starting at 3pm, will be held at Uttam Mancha.

The organisation has also published its line-up of artists – Padma Vibhushan Dr Prabha Atre (vocals), Pandit Samar Saha (tabla), and Pandit Jyoti Goho (harmonium); Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee Pandit Tejendranarayan Majumdar (sarod), Pandit Tanmoy Bose (tabla); Pandit Sanjay Mukherjee (tabla, solo), Hirnamay Mitra (harmonium);  Namami Karmakar (vocals), Bivas Sanghai (tabla) and Anirban Chakrabarty (harmonium).

The programme will also be telecast across the United States and other countries.

Prior to the June event, on May 19 this year, Suromurchhana will be hosting a music competition (at Indumati Sabhagriha, Kolkata); the topper – winner of the 'Pt A Kanan & Bidushi Malabika Kanan Memorial Award' – will get a chance to perform at the festival.

At the festival, the organisation will be felicitating Dr Atre, a legendary exponent of the ‘Kirana Gharana’, who also wears many hats, including that of teacher, academician, and author.

Suromurchhana, a non-profit organisation, incorporated both in New York (United States) and Kolkata (India), is mainly engaged in teaching music, organising concerts, and holding seminars and workshops on vocal and instrumental music.

According to Banerjee, the organisation focuses on the multicultural aspect of music by bringing together the practitioners from diverse art forms to create social harmony through arts and culture.

Incidentally, the organisation had successfully organised a global online music concert for six weeks in 2021 to celebrate the birth anniversary of Pandit A Kanan.

The organisation has taken an active role in popularising Indian classical music in the United States and some of its key programmes include concerts in collaboration with the Indian Consulate in New York, music festival funded by the New Jersey Council of Arts, annual music festivals and workshops in New York, and concerts in collaboration with the Rubin Museum.