EXQUISITE CORP 3

Exquisite Corp 3: Raga! On the roof at Grimm! Gretta J is proud to present an evening of Indian Classical Music to usher in spring.

Exquisite Corp is an intimate, monthly event held upstairs at Grimm on Monday nights. Featuring concerts, comics, readings, performance, and more, the series is curated by Grimm’s artist-in-chief, Gretta J.

**bar snacks available, outside food is welcome!

**6:30 - doors | 7:00 - start show

ARTIST BIOS:

Jake Charkey | @jakecharkey | Jake Charkey is an acclaimed cellist with musical roots in both Western classical music and Hindustani music. He is also an eclectic improviser, drawing from his extensive training in both Eastern and Western musical traditions. He is a sought-after studio recording artist in the film, television, and music industry in both India and the USA. He is a disciple of the renowned violinist Padmabhushan Dr. N. Rajam in the rare Gayaki Ang style and is one of the few cellists in the world performing Indian music on the cello.

Murali Balachandran | Murali is a versatile New York-based percussionist, skilled in traditional Indian instruments including the mridangam, kanjira, tabla, ghatam, and morsing. He has showcased his talents on international stages, with performances in New Zealand, Canada, and Indonesia, as well as on Broadway. Murali has also performed at major venues like Lincoln Center, the American Museum of Natural History, the Smithsonian, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Visveshwar “Vish” Nagarajann | @visveshwarn | Visveshwar Nagarajan (Vish) is an acclaimed flautist, distinguished by an A-grade rating from AIR radio—one of its youngest recipients. A Cornell University alumnus now based in New Jersey, Vish has captivated global audiences with his versatile performances. Starting his musical journey at age nine, he has since performed over 1,200 concerts worldwide over 17 years. His extensive repertoire includes traditional Indian classical music, Bollywood tunes for weddings, supportive scores for dance productions, and Jazz music at international festivals with his band.

Arachik Banerjee | Aarchik Banerjee is a rising young Tabla player set to make an independent place for himself in the Hindustani classical music fraternity. Aarchik is born to a family flowing with music, son of Tabla maestro Pandit Subhankar Banerjee and vocalist Smt. Nibedita Banerjee. At the age of eight, Aarchik made his first public performance in Switzerland. His musical prowess has also got him the golden opportunity to accompany legends like Padma Vibhushan Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Acharya Jayanta Bose, Pt. Naren Dhar, Pt. Basant Kabra, Ustad Shahid Parvez, Pt. Debojyoti Bose, Pt. Tejendra Narayan Majumdar, Pandit Kushal Das, Vidushi Mita Nag, Pt. Debashish Bhattacharya, Ustad Amaan Ali Khan, Purbayan Chatterjee and many others. He has also been lauded by Pt. Shankar Ghosh, Pt. Swapan Chowdhury, Padma. Hariprasad Chaurasia, Pt. Anindo Chatterjee, Pt. Ajoy Chakraborty, Pt. Swapan Siva and many others for his spontaneous and steady performance. He has also been fortunate to perform a Tabla solo in the Ali Akbar College of Music, San Francisco and Stanford University, California amongst five other US cities. He has performed in reputed conferences in Kolkata, Delhi and Mumbai, noteworthy among which are the Dover Lane Music Conference, Uttarpara Sangeet Chakra, Swara Samrat Festival, Behala Classical Festival, the Ramakrishna Mission Annual Concert on the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. Aarchik also has a couple of solo albums released, one of which is from “SAREGAMA” HMV where he played a duet with his father.

Aarchik has bagged prestigious awards like the Telegraph School Awards for ‘Outstanding Talent in Music’ and the Times of India Award for the same. He was also recognized as one of the 11 Kidopreneurs in ‘The Kidopreneur Summit, 2018’. Aarchik is a promising young artist and wishes to whole-heartedly contribute to the immensely rich field of Indian classical music.

Indrajit Roy-Chowdhury | A sitarist and composer, Indrajit Roy-Chowdhury is an artist with an international following. As a concert artist, Indrajit has performed in the prestigious music festivals of India, like the Dover Lane Music Conference and Uttarpara Music Conference as well on stages across the globe. A disciple of Pandit Subroto Roy Chowdhury, Indrajit carries on his Guru’s legacy in spreading music with Vedic roots. His latest release ‘Raga Veda’ from TIPS is the first Indian Classical album on the label and is an exploration of ragas that heal.  As a collaborative artist, Indrajit has performed alongside the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis and with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. Indrajit has been a visiting professor at the University of Pennsylvania and continues to give lecture demonstrations at universities around the world.

Host or Publisher Grimm Ales