Maestros perform for a cause

Percussionist Taufiq Qureshi to team up with many musicians trained by his father, late Alla Rakha Khan, at a charity concert tonight.

With the season of classical music festivals running in full swing, here’s another concert that offers you not just the best of indigenous talent on stage but also a chance to contribute towards a cause.

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The event, titled Disha, will feature a performance by percussionist Taufiq Qureshi, tabla players Ustad Fazal Qureshi and Aditya Kalyanpur besides sarangi players Sabir Khan and Dilshad Khan. The proceeds from the concert, organised by NGO Shyamal Music Foundation, will go to a charity that supports cancer patients.

The performance will feature a unique duet with Taufiq playing the African percussion instrument, djembe. He will be joined by Kalyanpur on the tabla. “The artiste line-up for the concert is more like a family. Aditya, Yogesh, my brother Fazal and I have received training from my father (Ustad Alla Rakha Khan). Dilshad and Sabir belong to Ustad Sultan Khan saab’s family; he was a father figure to me. None of us are charging anything as we don’t charge family,” says Taufiq, adding, “Aditya and I will have a percussion duet, where we’ll explore the repertoire of the compositions that we’ve learnt from my father.”

Kalyanpur, who also runs the foundation, says, “Taufiq bhai has given a new dimension to the djembe. I’m sure that its blend with the tabla will be very interesting.”

The concert will be inaugurated by Ustad Zakir Hussain. The concert will also feature Siddhesh Bicholkar on the harmonium, flautist Pravin Godkhindi and tabla player Yogesh Samsi.