Department of Music

The McIntire Department of Music presents a colloquium by Nirmal Bajekal a Hindustani Classical vocalist with guest tabla player, Mayuresh Abhyankar, as part of the Impulse Festival on Friday, January 26th at 3:30pm in room 107 Old Cabell Hall.

Nirmal Bajekal directs The University of Virginia's Indian vocal ensemble Swaraprabha.  Ms. Bajekal and the group will be featured performers for the opening concert of the Impulse Festival, a Celebration of Improvised Music through Time, which takes place in Old Cabell Hall on January 26-27, 2018.

Ms. Bajekal and Mr. Abhyankar will perform and discuss examples of improvisation in Hindustani Classical Music. Hindustani Classical music performances can be divided into two parts, the first part aka Alaap is largely melodic where the performer has the ability to express greater creativity. In the second part the rhythmic accompaniment of drums/Tabla shows how skillfully the performer improvises & innovates within the structure of specific beat cycles.  The seven notes of the music scale are combined in a myriad of different ways while maintaining the rigors of Raga and Tala, one may compare to looking at the various permutations and combinations of designs using seven colors when seen through a kaleidoscope.

Ms. Bajekal is a Hindustani (North Indian classical) vocalist and disciple of the renowned singer Padma Bushan Dr Prabha Atre. Ms. Bajekal is the founder of the Indian Music School in Richmond, and established the first overseas center affiliated with Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva University (Mumbai, India). She has also taught at colleges and universities in the US over the past twenty-nine years, including Reed College (Oregon), Lewis & Clark College (Oregon), and the University of Richmond. Since September 2015, she has led Swaraprabha, at UVA.

Ms. Bajekal, Mr. Abhyankar, and Swaraprabha will perform in the ORIGINS concert on Friday, January 26 in Old Cabell Hall, along with The UVA Baroque Ensemble and the Small Jazz Group, with guest vocalist Stephanie Nakasian.  This concert highlights three culturally distinctive traditional musical forms that employ improvisation as a major component of performance.

Old Cabell Hall is located on the south end of UVA's historic lawn, directly opposite the Rotunda.  (map) Parking is available in the central grounds parking garage on Emmet Street, in the C1 parking lot off McCormick Rd, and in the parking lots at the UVA Corner.  Handicap parking is available in the small parking lot adjacent to Bryan Hall.

The Impulse Festival is sponsored by the following UVA entities: Arts Administration program, Arts Council, College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences’ Collective Response: Moving Forward committee, McIntire Department of Art, McIntire Department of Music, Office of the Provost & the Vice Provost for the Arts, Office of the Vice President and Chief Officer for Diversity and Equity, President’s Commission on Slavery and the University, University Programs Council, and WTJU Radio.  Generous support was given by The Acquavella Family, Charlottesville Jazz Society, Gassmann Fund for Innovation in Music, Hampton Inn and Suites, Jefferson School African American Heritage Center.

For a listing of all Impulse Festival events visit http://music.virginia.edu/impulse-festival
All programs are subject to change.

For more information please call the McIntire Department of Music at 434.924.3052