Sawani Shende

Sawani Shende-Sathaye is among the defining voices of contemporary Hindustani classical music. Raised in a family with a rich musical heritage, she combines in her singing the melodic clarity of the Kirana gharana, renowned for its subtle exploration of tone and melody, with the expressive power of the Gwalior gharana, whose style is characterised by rhythmic precision and formal clarity. Having performed for the President of India as a teenager, she is now heard on renowned stages around the world.

She is joined by four outstanding musicians: Dr. Mukul Acharya on harmonium and Zurich-based tabla virtuoso Shrirang Mirajkar. Judith Kramer and Kevin Groner use the broad brushstrokes of the tanpura to paint the backdrop against which this North Indian classical music unfolds in all its precision and depth.

The programme includes classical ragas and khayals as well as semi-classical forms such as thumri and selected bhajans. In this constellation, the concert offers a rare insight into a living tradition that has been passed down through generations and remains one of the most sophisticated forms of musical expression in Indian classical music today.