Saraswathi Ranganathan (Veena) | Utsav Lal (Raga Pianist) – A Curated Double Bill Concert !

RAGA. RHYTHM. REIMAGINED.

A Double-Bill Curated Concert Experience

As part of ICMCA’s new Contemporary Maestros Series, we are delighted to present a unique double-bill concert experience celebrating the brilliance, vitality, and evolving voice of Indian classical music. This special afternoon brings together two exceptional concerts, offering audiences a rare opportunity to experience two of India’s great classical traditions within a single immersive event.

An intermission between the two concerts allows audiences to relax, connect, and enjoy complimentary light refreshments and chai before returning for a second spellbinding performance.

Concert I: [4:00 – 5:15 PM]

Sara Ranganathan (Veena) with Ganapthi Ranganathan (Mridangam)

The first concert of the afternoon features award-winning veena artist SARASWATHI RANGANATHAN, accompanied by the highly accomplished mridangam artist Ganapathi Ranganathan, in a performance that celebrates the rich melodic and rhythmic traditions of Carnatic classical music.

Saraswathi Ranganathan is an acclaimed performer, educator, composer, and cultural ambassador whose career has been marked by a series of groundbreaking achievements. She was the first veena artist to perform as an orchestra member in Disney’s The Jungle Book theatrical production, and her collaboration on the World Music Institute’s Folktales Set to Music from Around the Globe earned a Gold Signal Award—the first for a veena artist. Founder of the nonprofit Ensemble of Ragas and co-curator of the Chicago International Veena Fest, Saraswathi is deeply committed to making Indian classical music accessible to diverse audiences through performances, education, and community outreach. Her work has been recognized with the Chicago Music Award Special Award of Honor, selection as a face of the Chicago Year of Music, and a 2024–25 USA Artists International Grant, supporting her international peace tours and mission of connecting cultures through the timeless voice of the veena.

Accompanying her is Ganapathi Ranganathan, a highly accomplished and versatile mridangam artist whose dynamic performances are distinguished by exceptional rhythmic precision, creativity, and musical sensitivity. Trained under Sri Vasudeva Rao, Sri T.N. Shashikumar, and later Sri Patri Satish Kumar, Ganapathi combines a deep grounding in classical tradition with remarkable versatility, enabling him to collaborate seamlessly across a wide range of musical settings while delivering performances that captivate audiences around the world.

Concert II: [5:45 – 7:00 PM]

Utsav Lal (Raga Pianist) with Pt. Gourisankar (Tabla)

Indian pianist/composer UTSAV LAL, often known as the ‘Raga Pianist’ is recognised as the rarest of pianists. Stunning the world with his innovative handling of Indian Classical Music on a Western instrument, The Irish Times describes Utsav Lal as “a fleet-fingered performer whose best moments can be both highly evocative and dazzling.” Lal’s ground-breaking work has garnered an impressive career spanning two decades, with solo performances at world famous venues like Carnegie Hall (NYC(, Southbank Centre (London), Kennedy Center (DC), Steinway Hall (NY), Asia Society (HK), Arts Center (Melbourne).

Deeply influenced by Dhrupad, his work gains inspiration from a vast array of sources such as The Necks, Thelonious Monk, Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou and Cecil Taylor. Lal has challenged commonly understood ways of improvisation to develop his own unique voice for the piano, taking stage at leading festivals including Novara Jazz (Italy), San Francisco Silent Film (USA) AsiaTopa Festival (Australia), Masters of Tradition (Ireland).

Endorsed as Young Steinway Artist (2010), TiE Aspire Young Indian Achiever (2012), Yamaha Jazz Scholar (2014), Lal has been recognized for his extensive collaborative work with Irish, Scottish, Jazz and Experimental artists including leading names like L.Shankar, Martin Hayes, Dennis Cahill, Winifred Horan, Australian Contemporary Circus Theatre CIRCA, Talvin Singh, George Brooks, Rajna Swaminathan. Lal has 9 solo record releases which include a historic world’s first album on the microtonal “Fluid Piano” (2016). Lal holds a Masters in Contemporary Improvisation (New England Conservatory of Music), bachelor’s in jazz (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) and is a disciple of Dhrupad vocalist Ustad F. Wasifuddin Dagar.

Providing the rhythmic heartbeat of this evening’s concert is the renowned tabla maestro of the present generation, Pandit Gourisankar. He began his training under the able guidance of his father, Pandit Shib Shankar Karmakar, a devoted disciple of the late Ustad Keramatullah Khan. Since 1979, he has continued his advanced training under the distinguished tabla maestro Pandit Sankha Chatterjee. Gourisankar is a Top-grade artist of All India Radio and Television. His talent and creativity are evident in classical performances, experimental East-West collaborations, and North-South musical interactions. He has performed with many of India’s most eminent artists, including Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, Pandit Jasraj, Pandit Birju Maharaj, and Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan, to name a few. In the world music arena, he has collaborated with renowned artists such as drummer Steve Smith, Grammy Award winner and Kora player Mamadou Diabate, and celebrated steel pan virtuoso Liam Teague, among others. In 2008, he founded the School of Indian Percussion and Music in Austin, where he continues to mentor the next generation of musicians.