A celebration of classical Indian music at St Mary’s

He is flying in from the USA and will be joined at St Mary in the Castle for a celebration of classical indian composition by bansuri flute and tabla player Manjeet Singh Rasiya, and accompanied by Terry Pack (double bass), Andy Williams (acoustic guitar), and Nana Tsiboe (percussion).

Deepak is an incredibly versatile artist who is well known for his evocative performances in traditional North Indian classical music, his collaborations with musicians of other genres, his innovative compositions and for his excellence as a teacher.

Deepak began his formal training in bansuri and tabla under Sri Jeram Bhana in South Africa in 1975. Two years later he was off to Mumbai, India to study flute under the late Sri Suryakant Limaye (India’s master flute maker); he simultaneously spent a short time under flautist, Pandit Vijay Raghav Rao.

It was in 1981 that his dream was realized when he became the disciple of the celebrated flautist, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia. During this period he also studied tabla under Sri Yashwant Padhye and music theory and voice under Pandit Rajaram Shukla.

Deepak’s versatility is apparent in his numerous collaborations with musicians of various genres including jazz pianists Darius Brubeck, Melvin Peters and Bheki Mseleku, Tunisian oud player and vocalist Dhafer Yousseff and the popular South African band Tananas. Most recently, Deepak performed on Robben Island at South Africa’s millennium concert hosted by presidents Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki.

Deepak has six solo albums to his credit and as a session musician can be heard on more than 25 albums. His bansuri can also be heard on movie soundtracks, such as The Fast And The Furious, and Matrix Revolutions.

In 2000 he was awarded Best Instrumental Album at the South African Music Awards for his album Searching for Satyam.

His previous album Flute for Thought also saw him being nominated for Best Male Artist and Best Instrumental Album in the 1999 South African Music Awards.

Tickets for the concert are £10 and available from B&T Music, Claremont, St Mary in the Castle, Pelham Crescent, and Respond Academy, SilchesterMews, St Leonards. Call 01424 718235 for information. Doors open at 7pm, concert starts 7.30pm.