Event Details

Takahiro Arai (Santoor)
Kumar Mardur (Khayal)

An NCPA Presentation

Supported by Citi

NCPA’s Urja has been created with the intent to present deserving talent in the category of Hindustani vocal and instrumental music.

Takahiro Arai, who hails from Japan, made Mumbai his home in 2007 to be under the tutelage of his guru, the late santoor maestro Shivkumar Sharma.

Arai started his journey with the drums when he was 16 and has formally studied jazz and music theory. After meeting Setsuo Miyashita, a santoor player and senior disciple of Sharma at a recital in Japan, Arai, who was 26 at the time, was immediately drawn to the instrument. He started taking lessons from Miyashita and eventually moved to India.

Arai spent 14 years accompanying Sharma in concerts in India and abroad, winning accolades. He has also given santoor recitals at prestigious venues and festivals in cities across India.

Kumar Mardur was initiated into music by his father, Somanath Mardur, a renowned Hindustani classical vocalist of Kirana gharana and a senior disciple of the late Dr. Puttaraj Gawai, Dr. Basavaraj Rajguru and Dr. Mallikarjun Mansur. Kumar also learnt the tabla for several years under Dr. R. S Hiremath of Dharwad and later under the guidance of his father, he blended the styles of Kirana, Gwalior and Jaipur gharanas to create vocal styles of his own.

Along with khayal gayaki, Kumar also sings thumri, dadra, bhajans, Kannada vachanas and He earned his Master’s in music from Karnataka University, Dharwad and has received several scholarships and accolades.

Entry free on a first-come-first-served basis.
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