Usha Kallianpurkar

Usha Kallianpurkar

Born with both, musical aptitude and a melodious voice, Usha began learning music at an early age first from Shri Kamalakar Bhagwat and later from Shri Durgesh Chandavarkar, both of whom are well known as able teachers in the Light Classical genres. At a critical juncture in her musical training, her uncle, Shri Mohan Nadkarni, the well-known music critic and musicologist, encouraged and guided her transition to the pure classical form - particularly the style of the Kirana Gharana.

She began training under Shrimati Sudha Divekar, an exponent of the Kirana Gharana and Pandit Firoz Dastur’s disciple. Before long, Pandit Firoz Dastur, the doyen of the Kirana Gharana took her under his wing and began what was a soul stirring period of learning in the true tradition of the Guru Shishya Parampara. Soon Usha began performing at established music circles in Mumbai like the IMG at Xaviers College, Dadar Matunga Cultural Circle, Karnataka Sangh and Swar Mahuli, to name a few. After moving to the United States, she continued to learn from Pandit Dastur during his visits to the US and her visits to India. In the US she also sought guidance from Shri Madhav Bhatki, a learned exponent of the Gwalior Gharana and a gifted composer. Usha has performed at prestigious venues in the US, including the LearnQuest Classical Music Conference at Boston, Indian Academy for the Performing Arts in New Jersey, Ravenia Music Festival in Chicago,

The Lincoln Center, The United Nations, Kaye Playhouse, Museum of Art in Philadelphia, Moravian College of Music and William Patterson University to name a few. She was the featured artiste at the North American Konkani Convention in 2006 at Toronto. Usha was invited to perform at the Rietberg Museum in Zurich and in Sydney, AU. Accomplished jazz singers like Katchie Cartwright and Rosanne Vitro have sought and learnt vocal techniques from her. On occasion, she has collaborated and performed with them at notable venues that include the Birdland Jazz Club in New York City. A true Khayali at heart, Usha teaches music to dedicated youngsters in the true Guru-Shishya tradition. Music has been and continues to be the core of her spirituality.

SEPTEMBER 7

8.00PM