Chembai Music Festival

Place: Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
Time : September

As part of the Ekadasi day, a 11-day Chembai music festival is held annually in Thiruvanathapuram (Trivandrum), capital of Kerala state in September in memory of Chembai Vaidyanath Bhagawathar. Organised by Sri Chembai Memorial trust this week long festival attracts more than 2000 Carnatic musicians.

A group concert mark the end of the festival on the night of Ekadasi. This includes five of Chembai's most favourite songs 'Vadapiganapatim' (Hamsadhwani), 'Rakshmamsaranagatam'(Natta)',Paavanaguru pavanapuradeeswara'(Hamsanandi)', Mamava sadaajanani' (Kanada) and' Karuna Cheivan entu thamasam Krishna' (Yadukula kamboji). The highlight of the festival is group singing of saint Thyagaraja’s 'Pancharatna Krithis' on Dasami day by several leading artists.

How to get there

Air : The Nearest airport is at Thiruvananthapuram.

Rail :The Nearest Railway station is at Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum).

Road : Thiruvananthapuram is well connected by Road with all major cities in India.

Dover Lane Music Festival

Place : Kolkata, West Bengal
Time :December - January

Dover Lane Music Conference, one of the largest Indian Classical musical events is being held in Kolkata for the past five decades. The music conference which started as a humble get together of some music lovers in the by lanes of South Kolkata has now turned into one of the culturally most important event of the year. This festival provides a wonderful platform for the younger generation to come and perform with the best in the art. Every year number of youngsters come and display their skills in front of a huge crowd.

The festival is conducted at Nazrul Mancha in South Avenue in Kolkata every year between January 22 and 26. The auditorium with a seating capacity of 3,500 is filled with music enthusiasts and lovers from around the country.The music maestros from all over the country get together and create magic in front of an enormous crowd which is a real treat for music lovers. For the six days during which this event is held the city of Kolkata enjoys the presence of a number of music maestros. The people of Kolkata consider this festival as a heritage event.

Contacts :

Nazrul Mancha
Southern Avenue, Kolkata
West Bengal.Ph:+91-33-24666720

How to get there

Air: Nearest Airport is Kolkata (Calcutta).

Rail: Kolkata is served by two railway stations, Haora (Howrah) and Sealdah and is connected to major cities all over the country.

Road: Kolkata is connected by an extensive network of national highways with major cities and towns of tourist interest nearby.

Gunidas Sangit Sammelan

Place : Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi
Time: November end December beginning

An internationally known music festival Gunidas Sangit Sammelan was first presented under the aegis of Maharashtra Lalit Kala Nidhi way back in 1977 by the legendary Hindustani classical vocalist Pandit C. R. Vyas in memory of the famed classical music doyen of the Agra gharana, Pandit Jagganathbuwa Purohit.

Top classical musicians of India, both vocalists and instrumentalists perform in this festival. One of the most patronized and popular sangeeta sammelans, it started in Mumbai and now is held in Mumbai, Kolkata ( in December) and Delhi ( in February) every year.

How to get there

ITC SangeetSammelan

ITC Sangeet Sammelan started in 1971 has been showcasing the best in Indian Classical music annually since more than 3 decades. A substantial cash award is given to one of the oldest living musicians of stature during this Sammelan. This award is recognized as a great honour in the world of Indian classical music. The festival has a participation of eminent musicians and is appreciated by music lovers across the country. The Sammelan conducted by the ITC Sangeeth research Academy is held in different places in India.

Contacts:

ITC Sangeet Research Academy
1, Netaji Subash Chandra Bose Road
Tollygunge
Kolkata- 700 040
Tel No: (091)-(033)-24713395/24810559
Fascimile No:(091)-(033)-24714371
E-Mail : itcsra@giascl01.vsnl.net.in

Official site : http://www.itcsra.org/sra_sammelan/sammelan_index.html

How to get there

Air: Nearest Airport is Delhi. All major international air carriers operate direct services to Delhi from various centres in the world.

Rail: Nearest railhead is Delhi with express trains to all part of the country.

Road: Delhi is linked by bus services, air-conditioned, deluxe and ordinary, to all major destinations in north India.

Saptak Music Festival

Place : Ahmedabad, Gujarat
Time : January

A festival of Indian classical music usually conducted on the First week of January in Ahmedabad every year. This festival was inaugurated by Pt. Ravi Shankar in 1980. The musical event is organised by a public charitable trust which runs the Saptak School of Music. This festival which spans the first 11 days of January, showcases the best talents and presents as many as a hundred plus musicians with sincere commitment to standards.

All leading vocalists as well as instrumentalists participate on this platform regularly. Some of the innovative features of this festival have been instrument and dance ensembles, Tala Vadya Kacheri, Rajasthani and Punjabi folk music. Saptak also tries to keep alive the fading traditions of vocal music like Thumri and Dhrupad, and instruments like Sarangi and Pakhawaj by inviting the older generation of artists specializing in these fields. The students of Saptak also perform in the presence of renowned musicians, musicologists and a large appreciative audience.

How to get there :

Air : Sardar Vallabhai Patel International Airport is 10km north of the Ahmedabad city and has both national and international flights. I.A connect Ahmedabad with Bombay, Delhi, Bangalore, Madras, Jaipur, Indore and Calcutta. Air India had direct flights to UK and USA from Ahmedabad. East West Airlines also connects Ahmedabad with Bombay.

Rail : Ahmedabad is directly connected to Bombay, Delhi, Calcutta, Madras, Trivandrum, Varanasi etc.

Road : Ahmedabad has a good road network. Ahmedabad to : Baroda (Vadodara) 113 km, Mt. Abu 228 km, Udaipur 252 km, Jaipur 657 km, Bombay 545 km, Delhi 1076 km, Gandhinagar 25 km, Modhera 110 km, Nal Sarovar 71 km and Lothal 80 km.

Sawai Gandharva Sangeet Mahotsav

Place : Pune, Maharashtra
Time :December

Savai Gandharva Sangeet Mahotsav is celebrated with great fervor in Pune usually in December. It is held in commemoration of Pandit Rambhan Kundgolkar, the eminent Khyal singer. Pandit Bhimsen Joshi his student conducts the festival for the past three decades to observe his Gurus death anniversary. The festival nearing its 50th year of origin is an institution by itself with participation of eminent classical music artists from all over the Country. Pandit Joshi also performs at the concluding session of the festival.

Official site: http://www.sawaigandharvamusicfestival.com/linkpage.html

How to get there

Air : Airport is situated in the Lohagaon area, about 12-km from Pune.

Rail : Pune has excellent railway services connecting all major cities.

Road: Pune is well connected by road with the all major cities within the state as well as outside the state.

Tansen Music Festival

Place : Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh
Time :December

The Tansen Sangeeth Sammelan or Music festival is held in Gwalior in memory of the great musician Tansen. Tansen one of the nine gems in the court of Emperor Akbar is believed to be the father of Hindustani Music especially the 'Drupad style'.

One of the most well known and the oldest& Gharana of Hindustani classical music is the Gwalior Gharana. Gwalior has retained its strong musical tradition. The festival is held, near the tomb of Tansen at Behat, Gwalior in the month of November/ December every year. The tomb build in the early Mughal architectural style is a part of Gwalior's cultural heritage. Renowned classical singers from the country gather and perform for five night-long sessions. The venue resounds with the various ragas.

How to get there

Air : Nearest Airport is Gwalior. Indian Airlines has flights to Delhi and Bombay via Bhopal and Indore.

Rail: Nearest Railhead is Gwalior.

Road: Regular buses run to Agra, Delhi, Jaipur and other towns in MP, UP and Rajasthan

Thyagaraja Music Festival

Place: Thiruvaiyaru, Tamil Nadu
Time : January

Thiruvaiyaru is the place where the great saint and music composer Thyagaraja lived and attained samadhi. Here an eight day music festival, Thyagaraja Aradhana is held every year towards the end of January. The venue is near his samadhi on the banks of river Cauvery. This Carnatic Music festival attracts music lovers from all corners of the country. Thiruvaiyaru is situated 13kms from Thanjavur (Tanjore) in the state of Tamil Nadu.

How to get there

Air: The nearest Airport Tiruchirapalli (Trichy) is located 71 kms away. Indian Airlines also connects Trichy with Madurai and Chennai directly. Indian Airlines and Air Lanka connects Trichy with Srilanka.

Rail: Nearest railhead is Thanjavur which is connected by rail with Trichy, Madurai, Nagore and Chennai directly.

Road: There are direct buses from Thanjavur, 13kms from Thiruvaiyaru.