Time: Friday, December 9, 2011, 19:00 (Doors open at 18:30)

Venue: Auditorium Hall, 1F Center of Academic Activities, Academia Sinica

Performer: Raga Beats

Admission: Free

Raga Beats is a Hindustani (Indian) music group comprised of seven members residing in the US.  These members include Deepak Ram (bansuri), Abhiman Kaushal (tabla), Shweta Saraswat (kathak), Miles Shrewbery (tabla), Alex Genco (tabla), Vivek Banerjee (tabla), and Nicole Collister (harmonium).

Deepak Ram is a bansuri performer of Indian descent and a senior disciple of the renowned bansuri maestro Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia.  Born in South Africa and currently living in the US, his cross-cultural background and extensive musical training has allowed him to become well-versed in Indian and Western musical genres, fusing these into an intricate whole.  He has released 8 musical albums up to date.

Abhiman Kaushal was born in Hyderabad, India, and is one of the best tabla musicians of his generation, representing Farakkabad, Lucknow, and Ajrara Gharanas.   Shams and Delbar, two albums where he plays with the sitar maestro Ustad Shujaat Khan and the Iranian vocalist Katayoun Goudarzi, were shortlisted respectively in the 2008 and 2009 Grammy Awards for Best World Music.

Shweta Saraswat studied under the tutelage of Kathak Guru Rachana Upadhyay for the past thirteen years at the Kathak Kala Academy in California.  Mrs. Upadhyay received her Nipun, or Master’s degree, in Kathak from the renowned Bhatkhande Music College in Lucknow, India.

The other four musicians were trained under Abhiman Kaushal, and have rich performance experiences playing at world music festivals in Los Angeles and other places in the US.

Raga Beats excels in expounding the essence of Hindustani classical music through improvisation, demonstrating the full potential of every instrument.  In this special Taiwanese performance, several tabla sets will be joined to interlace dizzying bols and rhythms, creating virtuoso sound patterns of thundering storms and echoing valleys.  Together with the mesmerizing flowing currents of the bansuri, and the intricate footwork and rapid spins of the Kathak dancer, this evening promises an enchanting and colorful journey into a magical music world.