MANJU MEHTA - FIRST LADY OF THE SITAR. Manju Mehta is one of India's
most renowned female sitarists, and will be touring Australia later this month.
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MANJU MEHTA - FIRST LADY OF THE SITAR Manju Mehta is one of India's most renowned female sitarists, and will be touring Australia later this month. A senior disciple of Pandit Ravi Shankar, she combines beauty, creativity and tradition to bring out the "Rasa" (colours) of Indian Classical music. Touring with her will be Adelaide's tabla maestro Jay Dabgar and Mehta's Australian disciple Josh Bennett. Manju Mehta hails from the well known musical Bhatt family. Her younger brother Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt has received international recognition through his collaboration with the likes of Eric Clapton, Ry Cooder and Jerry Douglas on his custom slide guitar, the Mohan Vina. Although Mehta initially attracted attention due to being a woman in a traditionally maledominated arena, it's her amazing sense of melody, rhythmic control and the sheer beauty of her improvisation that make a lasting impression. She possesses the essential artistry of Indian music in the ability to breathe life into the raga form, earning high praise from the masters of the field. "She is a creative performer of exceptional calibre," warmly notes sarod player Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. She is also dedicated teacher, heading the sitar classes at the prestigious Saptak School of Music in her home town of Ahmedabad, Gujarat. In her first visit to Australia, Manju Mehta will be performing concerts in Victoria, Queesnland, New South Wales and at the OzAsia festival in South Australia. She will also be conducting workshops at a number of universities and music schools around the country. Concert dates and venues: Aug 27 8pm
Boîte World Music Café Mark St Hall, 1 Mark St North Fiztroy VIC - bookings ph 03 9417 1983
Aug 28 6pm
Brisbane Powerhouse Visy Theatre, QLD - book online www.brisbanepowerhouse.org
Aug 31 7pm
The Patch Lounge Coolangatta Sands Hotel, Griffin St QLD - bookings ph 07 3391 4433
Sep 2 6:30pm
Gujarati Samaj 12 Good St Granville, NSW - bookings www.gujaratisamaj.com.au
Sep 4 4:30pm
Raga Shambhala Space Theatre, part of Adelaide Festival Centre's OzAsia Festival Also featuring Tenzin Choegyal on vocals and dranyen. Bookings at BASS
For more information, details of workshops, images and other media resources, contact: Josh Bennett / 0402 233 216 /
[email protected] / joshbennett.com.au
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