Two Maestros, One Evening: Indian Classical Music at the Wesley Music Centre

Some music can’t be hurried. It begins quietly, builds slowly, and rewards anyone who simply settles in and listens.

On Sunday 1 November, ArtSound FM and Radio Manpasand present exactly that: an evening of Indian classical music with two senior maestros of the Hindustani tradition, proudly supported by the High Commission of India, Canberra.

The first half belongs to the violin. Pandit Milind Raikar is a virtuoso of the gayaki ang, a style in which the instrument is played to sing like a human voice. He draws on the Gwalior and Jaipur-Atrauli gharanas (musical lineages passed from teacher to student). He is a disciple of Padmashri Pt. D. K. Datar and Gaansaraswati Kishori Amonkar. His playing blends technical brilliance with deep, soulful expression, and Jagadeesh Kurthkoti accompanies him on tabla.

After the interval, the voice takes over. Vidushi Subhra Guha, a living legend of the Agra Gharana and a senior guru at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy in Kolkata, performs khayal and thumri. Her singing joins the majestic power of the Agra tradition to the lyricism of the Purab Ang. She is accompanied by Jagadeesh Kurthkoti on tabla and Bhargav Sridhar on harmonium, with vocal support from Somdatta Chatterjee.

You don’t need to know a raga from a rhythm cycle to enjoy a night like this. You only need an open mind and a free Sunday evening. For anyone curious about the music, or anyone who already loves it, it is a rare chance to hear two such artists in one room.