Chhayanaut's Shuddha Sangeet Utshab begins today

Chhayanaut's two-day Shuddha Sangeet Utshab, featuring vocal and instrumental music, begins today at its main auditorium in Dhanmondi, Dhaka. Starting at this evening, the annual festival comprising three sessions will end on December 20.

The eighth edition of the festival will be formally inaugurated by noted music exponent and guru Azad Rahman as chief guest.   

In this connection, a press conference was held yesterday at Chhayanaut Shangskriti Bhaban. The programme will begin at 6pm on December 18 with the lighting of candles as a symbol of diffusing knowledge, followed by a welcome address by organisers along with speeches by the chief guest and a choral performance by the artistes of Chhayanaut. The festival aims to fulfill the desire of music lovers for events dedicated to classical music and to inspire the practice of the genre in Bangladesh.

Besides group performances by Chhayanaut artistes, noted vocalists including, Ardhendu Banerjee, Khairul Anam Shakil, Sumon Chowdhury, Asit Kumar Dey, Rezwan Ali Lablu, Priyanka Gope and Sudhir Haribhau Pote (India) will perform classical kheyal while Murtaza Kabir Murad (flute), Ebadul Huq Shaikat (sitar), Amlan Haldar [of Kolkata, India] (violin) and Bishwajit Roy Chowdhury (sarod) will present instrumental recitals in the three sessions.