Indian

Internationally renowned tabla guru Pandit Subhen Chatterjee shares how Indian music traditions are learned, felt, and shared. Pandit Chatterjee was brought to Berklee for a masterclass hosted by the Institute Berklee India Exchange for their BIX Explore Series. Berklee India Exchange Facebook /berkleeindia Twitter: /berkleeindiax Instagram: /berkleeindiax Website: Berklee Indian Ensemble: Berklee Subscribe: Facebook: / berkleecollege Twitter: / berkleecollege Instagram: / berkleecollege Website: Berklee Subscribe: Facebook: /berkleecollege Twitter: /berkleecollege Instagram: /berkleecollege Site: Produced by: Jeannie Greeley Cameras: Steffan Hacker, Jeannie Greeley B-roll: Peter Xiong Editor: Isak Kotecki Recording engineer: Andres Gonzalez-Cardona Mixing engineer: Isak Kotecki Talent Liaison: Upasak Mukherjee Call or email Berklee’s Office of Admissions today for more information: 800-BERKLEE (U.S.) +1 617-747-2222 (international callers) admissions@berklee.edu About Berklee College

The Berklee Indian Ensemble is delighted to present "Aakash" an original by Sharon Renold, a recent Berklee graduate, composer, vocalist and bassist from Switzerland. “Aakash” meaning “sky” is a song of hope and resilience. Life occurs in cycles. Everything on our planet goes through experiences of destruction and rebirth, continuously. Just as nature adapts to cycles and phases, even calamities that befall it, we too learn from every disaster that wreaks havoc on our lives, allowing us to weather through the next storm more calmly than before. “Aakash” reminds us: We will rise looking toward the sky! Just as dusk welcomes the dawn; and winter its spring, we will rise and rebuild. “Aakash" (original composition) written and arranged by Sharon Renold. Additional vocal arr: Annette Philip Producer & Artistic Director, Berklee India Exchange: Annette Philip Assistant Manager, Berklee India Exchange: Rohith Jayaraman Assistant, Berklee India Exchange: Lydia Renold Berklee Indian Ensemble V

The Berklee Indian Ensemble has become one of the most storied musical collectives at Berklee having attracted visiting artists like A.R. Rahman, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Shreya Ghoshal, Indian Ocean, Clinton Cerejo, and many others. As he contemplated leaving Berklee, Roger Brown, who has served as Berklee’s President for 17 years, reached out to Annette Philip, founder of the Indian Ensemble to propose a song-writing collaboration based on the poem “Earth” by Rabrindranath Tagore. Tagore (1861-1941) was a multi-faceted creator — a poet, playwright, essayist, novelist and musician, ultimately winning a Nobel Prize for Literature. He had a powerful impact on the development of the art and literature of modern India and beyond. Aside from Tagore's global impact, Roger and his wife Linda had a personal connection as well — they had selected excerpts of this poem to be read at their wedding 34 years ago. Annette and Roger invited some of their favorite musicians to bring this composition to l

The Berklee Indian Ensemble is delighted to present “Tandanu” featuring virtuoso Indian composer and vocalist, Shankar Mahadevan, recorded live in December 2016 during his artist residency with Berklee India Exchange (BIX). Written by iconic Indian rock fusion band, Indian Ocean, Tandanu draws inspiration from the folk traditions of the Indian state Karnataka. Bassist-vocalist Rahul Ram was just three years old when he learned the original folk song from his aunt, who would sing it with her sisters during India’s freedom struggle in the early 1900s. Drawn to its melody and tongue-twisting lyrics, Indian Ocean was inspired to reinterpret the song with Shankar Mahadevan, first for a live performance in 2013, and then for their commemorative 25th anniversary album titled Tandanu. During Shankar Mahadevan’s residency with BIX, the Berklee Indian Ensemble performed this joyful song to a sold out and incredibly energized Berklee Performance Center. Listen to Rahul Ram’s aunt and her two sist

In 2017, the Berklee Indian Ensemble presented a landmark collaborative concert with its fifth Artist in Residence, Indian playback singer, Shreya Ghoshal. We are delighted to bring you a rearrangement of the A.R. Rahman Tamil classic, Mannipaaya from that Icon Series concert. Mannipaaya was especially meaningful for all of us as Shreya Ghoshal had not only agreed to perform the piece as a duet with one of our students, Shrivant Singh, (who was in his first semester at the time), she took time to personally work with him on the song. These kind of life-changing moments with direct mentorship with legends of Ms. Ghoshal’s stature are a vital part of what our Berklee Indian Ensemble Icon Series is all about. About the Berklee Indian Ensemble: The Berklee Indian Ensemble is one of the hippest new acts to have emerged from Boston’s Berklee College of Music. Founded by faculty member, Annette Philip, in a small classroom in 2011; today, the Ensemble is a global viral sensation with over 200

In 2019, Berklee College of Music had the privilege of presenting Ustad Zakir Hussain with an Honorary Doctorate. The tribute concert “Zakir Hussain Meets Berklee” led by the Berklee Indian Ensemble, incorporated myriad musical elements from Zakir Ji’s life’s journey, varying in styles, instrumentation and presentation. For the Honorary Doctorate ceremony, besides a special montage of videos from Zakir Ji’s well wishers and admirers from the music industry, we were delighted to welcome his Shakti colleague and friend of 50 years, master guitarist, composer, and Berklee Honorary Doctorate recipient himself, John McLaughlin, as a surprise guest. Special thanks to Berklee President, Roger H. Brown, Berklee Provost, Larry Simpson and the Office of the President. Gratitude to Dean Nitin Nohria and the staff of Harvard Business School who granted Berklee the use of the Klarman Hall for this momentous occasion. Producer: Artistic Director, BIX, Annette Philip Artist Relations: Senior Director

In 2019, Berklee College of Music had the privilege of presenting Ustad Zakir Hussain with an Honorary Doctorate. The tribute concert “Zakir Hussain Meets Berklee” incorporated myriad musical elements from Zakir Ji’s life’s journey, varying in styles, instrumentation and presentation. We wanted to have Zakir Ji do a spoken word piece in tribute to his father, Ustad Allarakha Qureshi, considering that 2019 was the centenary year of his father’s birth. This piece was only partially prepared, with a portion of the piano motifs, vocal and string lines pre-composed; the rest being improvised in the moment, flowing as Zakir Ji recited stories about his dear father. We are grateful to Zakir Ji’s family for helping us source beautiful photos and memories of this special father-son relationship. “Abbaji and Me” Spoken word written by Ustad Zakir Hussain Composer: Yotam Ishay with Annette Philip String Arr: Yotam Ishay Visiting Artist Spoken word and Tabla: Ustad Zakir Hussain Keyboard: Yotam Is

The Berklee Indian Ensemble is delighted to present "Maajhi Re" an original by Agney Mulay. ‘Maajhi Re’ is the phrase used when you call out to the ‘maajhi’ or ‘boatman’. In rural India, villages are usually situated near rivers and water bodies. Often, the only way to cross the river is to hire a boatman to take you to the other side. Sometimes you have to wait for a long time for the boatman to arrive to help you cross. This song was originally written to promote awareness about organ donation with the crossing of the river and the boatman as metaphors for people who are desperately awaiting help to give them a new lease at life, as well as those who come forward to help them. Agney and his friend, Naveen Kumar, wrote this piece a while before Agney joined Berklee. When he brought it to the Berklee Indian Ensemble, the community welcomed it and with every year and multiple renditions, the song has evolved to adopt a universal message of community and interdependence. It reinforces th

During her 2017 Artist Residency with Berklee India Exchange (BIX), celebrated Indian vocalist Shreya Ghoshal presented a one-of-a-kind master class at the Berklee Performance Center. Moderated by BIX Artistic Director Annette Philip, this multifaceted master class is part interview, part demonstration, and part live student workshop. In this five episode series, each segment features one student workshop with input, stories, and demonstrations by Ms. Ghoshal. Shreya Ghoshal: Facebook: /shreyaghoshal Instagram: /shreyaghoshal Twitter: /shreyaghoshal Website: Berklee Indian Ensemble & Berklee India Exchange (BIX): Facebook: /berkleeindianensemble Facebook: /berkleeindia Instagram: /berkleeindiaexchange Apple Music: /berklee-indian-ensemble Website: Berklee: Subscribe: Facebook: /berkleecollege Twitter: /berkleecollege Instagram: /berkleecollege Website: Shreya Ghoshal Master Class Series produced by Berklee India Exchange Featured Student: Avanti Nagral Artistic Director, BIX: Annette P

During her 2017 Artist Residency with Berklee India Exchange (BIX), celebrated Indian vocalist Shreya Ghoshal presented a one-of-a-kind master class at the Berklee Performance Center. Moderated by BIX Artistic Director Annette Philip, this multifaceted master class is part interview, part demonstration, and part live student workshop. In this five episode series, each segment features one student workshop with input, stories, and demonstrations by Ms. Ghoshal. Shreya Ghoshal: Facebook: /shreyaghoshal Instagram: /shreyaghoshal Twitter: /shreyaghoshal Website: Berklee Indian Ensemble & Berklee India Exchange (BIX): Facebook: /berkleeindianensemble Facebook: /berkleeindia Instagram: /berkleeindiaexchange Apple Music: /berklee-indian-ensemble Website: Berklee: Subscribe: Facebook: /berkleecollege Twitter: /berkleecollege Instagram: /berkleecollege Website: Shreya Ghoshal Master Class Series produced by Berklee India Exchange Featured Student: Swara Swaminathan Artistic Director, BIX: Annet