 |
“…the
controlled virtuosity of Swapan’s (Tabla)
playing always implied that if he cared, nothing could stop him. What
a display he put on…!"
San
Francisco Chronicle, USA
Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri is a phenomenon in the arena of Indian Classical
Music. Musicians honor him as one of the most highly respected
Tabla players, worthy of highest regard all over the world. He is
a recipient of the prestigious Sangeet Natak Academy Award from the
Government of India, and the American Academy of Artists Award, both
of which are reserved only for those artists who have attained the
highest level of artistry. He has received the Excellence in
Performing Arts Award from the Global Indian Congress in San Francisco,
and has been nominated to the esteemed International Percussive Arts
Society's Hall of Fame. It was Swapan’s beloved parents, through
their own passion for music, who initiated his formal musical training
and inspired him in the field of Tabla, paving the path that would
eventually lead him to virtuosity.
Swapan started learning Tabla at the age of five. He bases his style
on the intensive training he received from his Guru, the late Pandit
Santosh Krishna Biswas of Calcutta, the eminent exponent of the Lucknow
Gharana. He holds a Master’s degree in music and has been conferred
honors for his distinguished contributions in the field of Tabla
by various academic and musical institutions. He also holds a Degree
in Economics from Jadhavpur University, Calcutta.
Swapan’s music is the spontaneous expression of his powerful
emotions and his deep knowledge of Tabla. His ingenuity has ushered
in a purely new style of Tabla playing. It is undoubtedly through
his clarity and elegance of performance, both as an accompanist and
as a soloist, that he has achieved such notoriety throughout the
world as a true master of Tabla.
As a soloist and accompanist Swapan has traveled throughout Europe,
North and South America, and Asia accompanying Maestros such as Ustad
Ali Akbar Khan, Pandit Ravi Shankar, Ustad Vilayat Khan, the late
Pandit Nikhil Banerjee, Ustad Amir Khan, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Pandit
Bhimsen Joshi, Pandit Jasraj, Dr. Balmurli Krishna, Pandit Birju
Maharaj, Dr. L. Subramanium, and Pandit V.G. Jog as well as other
eminent artists. In addition, he has produced numerous recordings,
including his own Tabla solos and videotapes, and has appeared extensively
on television and radio. Two records, Legacy (1997) and Passing
on the Tradition (1998), were nominated for Grammy awards, on
which Swapan collaborated with Asha Bhosle and Ali Akbar Khan.
Swapan’s music reaches beyond the scope of Classical music
to include performances and recordings with musicians such as Stevie
Wonder, L. Shankar, Mark O’Connor, John Handy, Larry Coryell,
John Santos, the reputed Persian musicians Alizade and Kayhan Kalhor,
the African drum master, Malenga, and the renowned guitarists, Vlatko
Stefanovski and Miroslav Tadic. He has participated in many
International Music Festivals such as Bath, Perth, Sydney, Tokyo,
Toronto, San Francisco, Kuala Lampur, Stuttgart and Berlin. He has
composed for several percussion ensembles that have received tremendous
appreciation from Western as well as Indian audiences. He is associated
with various American and European Universities as a visiting professor.
Swapan Chaudhuri has held the position as Director of Percussion
at the Ali Akbar College of Music in San Rafael, California and in
Basil, Switzerland, where students from all over the world receive
intensive training in Tabla. He is also the Department Chairperson
for the World Music Department at California Institute of the Arts
in Los Angeles, California. In addition, Swapan maintains
a rigorous touring and recording schedule throughout the year. |