Duet singing in Indian Classical Music is a difficult art as it requires not only individual competence but self control to improvise and harmonise at the same time. Ritesh Mishra and Rajnish Mishra have achieved excellence in this form of singing under the guidance of the Legends of the Banaras Gharana, Padma Bhushan Late Pt. Rajan Misra (Father) and Pt. Sajan Misra (Uncle). Hailing from the sixth generation of the family of great musicians, the duo are gifted with pleasing voices and have a rich knowledge of Indian Ragas. They have performed at prestigious events and venues all over the world such as BBC Proms at Albert Hall, London; Lincoln Centre, NY, USA and the closing ceremony of 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, UK. Their track "Mahadeva" was nominated for a Grammy Award. They are Top Grade vocalists of All India Radio and Television, and have been awarded the YUVA Ratna Award in 1999, the Bhavishya Jyoti Award in 2007, the Sangeet Natak Academy’s Ustad Bismillah Khan Award in 2008 and the Sangeet Samriddhi Award. They have also performed a soundtrack for the movie "The Tashkent Files".
Tanmay Bichu was initiated into Tabla by his maternal uncle Shree Vinayak Maik. He began his formal training at the age of 6 under Shree Manohar Pimpalaskar. He has been taking advanced training under Pt. Ramdas Palsule for more than 12 years and is now learning under Pt. Swapan Chaudhuri at the Ali Akbar College of Music. He has also received guidance from eminent tabla maestros like Pt. Arup Chattopadhyay and Ustaad Zakir Hussain. He is an active performer in various Indian Classical and World Music concerts in India and the US. He has performed several Tabla solos in India and the US and is a sought after accompanist for all formats of Indian Classical Music - vocal, instrumental and dance. Tanmay holds a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering from Georgia Tech and works as a research engineer at Apple in the Bay area.
Vijay Ghaskadvi took initial lessons on Harmonium from his father, Shri. Sadanand Ghaskadvi, starting at an early age. Later, he developed his own style of playing the instrument, combining quick taans that are a characteristic of harmonium with a smooth development of raagas with soft transitions emphasized by instruments such as the flute. His area of focus has been solo performances and has received foundational guidance from Dr. Arawind Thatte. For the last several years, he has been learning with Sitar Maestro Pt. Partha Chatterjee, focusing on the art of instrumental performance. Vijay regularly accompanies local and visiting artists in the Bay Area - Shri Gokulotsavji Maharaj, Pdt Laxmi Ganesh Tiwari, and Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan to name a few. He has given solo performances at several venues in the US and in India, including at the prestgious World Harmonium Summit in Bengaluru. Vijay is also inclined towards the rhythmic aspect of Indian Classical Music and has received tabla training for several years from Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri. He teaches Indian Classical Music at all levels covering aesthetics and appreciation to creation and performance. Vijay is an alumnus of IIT Bombay and works as a technolgy leader in Silicon Valley.
