Mar 05 2026 to Mar 05 2026 7 p.m.

Where

Bangalore International Centre

7 4th Main Rd, Stage 2, Domlur 560071

Event Description

The harmonium has spent centuries being useful.

It has held the shruti, supported the vocalist, filled the space between phrases with something steady and unobtrusive. It has been, in the best possible sense, reliable. What it has rarely been given is the stage to itself.

This recital does exactly that. The programme traverses khayal, thumri, tappa, dhun, theatre music, and devotional compositions, moving between gayaki ang and tantrakari ang, the vocal and instrumental traditions. One segment demonstrates how a shift in genre changes the technique, the phrasing, the entire interpretive logic of the instrument. The kind of detail that makes you realise you have never quite listened to it before.

The harmonium, it turns out, has been waiting. And this is its debut.

Supported by:

Performers

Ravindra Katoti
Hindustani Classical Harmonium
Ravindra Katoti began learning the harmonium at eight, under the legendary Pandit Rambhau Bijapure. He has since accompanied Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, Dr. Gangubai Hangal, Pt. Jasraj, and Begum Parveen Sultana, and was the first Hindustani harmonium soloist to receive an ‘A’ grade from All India Radio and has accompanied legendary vocalists such as Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, Dr. Gangubai Hangal, Pt. Jasraj, and Begum Parveen Sultana. A recipient of the Sur Ratna and the Sangeet Alankar, his ensemble works include Rashmi, Monsoon Moods, and Journey in Harmony. An M.Com and Ph.D. by qualification, he is currently teaching at Government First Grade College, Bengaluru.

Tejas Katoti
Harmonium
Tejas Katoti was initiated into music by Pandit Rambhau Bijapure and continued his training under his father, Dr. Ravindra Katoti. A recipient of the C.C.R.T. Scholarship from the Ministry of Human and Cultural Resources from 2019 to 2021, he is recognised as an ‘A’ grade artist by the Musical Audition Board, All India Radio.

Sumith Sudhakar Naik
Tabla
Sumith Naik is a tabla artist from Kerala, trained under Pandit Naveen Pai in Kochi and Dr. Udayraj Karpur in Bangalore, where he is now based. He has accompanied a wide range of Hindustani and Carnatic musicians across the country, including Padmashri Pt. Venkatesh Kumar, Pt. Arun Kashalkar, Vidushi Shruti Sadolikar, Pt. Nityanand Haldipur, Ustad Faiyaz Khan, Pt. Jayateerth Mevundi, Pt. Sudhakar Deole, Vid. Lalit J Rao, Dr. Ravindra Katoti, Pt. Parameshwar Hegde, Vid M. Chandrashekaran, Vid. Patri Satish Kumar, Pt. Somnath Mardur, Pt. Upendra Bhat, Dr. Jyothi Kale, Vidwan O.S.Arun, Vid. Shankaran Namboodiri, Vidushi. Sangeeta Katti Kulkarni, and Vid. Shriram Parasuram, among others across the country.