Lakshya Mohan is considered one of the finest Sitar Maestros of India. Treatment of “Raga” (melodic structures in Indian music) with purity and finesse is a hallmark of his performances. “The Hindu” newspaper wrote about one of his performances in 2012: “impressed with his serious musical attitude and no-nonsense approach.
His treatment of the raga showed maturity”. Being hailed as the “harbinger of Indian classical music” by India Today, he has featured in most of the major festivals in India.
He made his UK debut at Royal Festival Hall on 5 March 2022 for the centenary celebrations of Ravi Shankar. He performed with Anoushka Shankar, John McLaughlin and other prominent musicians in this concert. He received training from the lineage of Maihar “Gharana” (school) of music, which goes back to the famous musician “Tansen”, who was the most prominent figure of Indian classical music in Mughal courts of India during the 16th century.
Lakshay Mohan has also performed at prestigious venues worldwide, including Symphony Space New York, Berklee College Boston, Central Conservatory of Music China, Abbey Theatre Dublin, to name a few.
Lakshay Mohan recently appeared on the popular show ‘Good Day New York’ on the Fox5 TV channel, USA. He was nominated for the Global Indian Music Academy awards in 2016 for Best Classical Instrumentalist.
The first Indian to perform at Grammy Museum Los Angeles, Aayush Mohan is today considered one of the finest Sarod players on the global scenario of Indian Classical Music. The Times of India describes him as having “supreme talent” and “tremendous craftsmanship”. His Sarod playing is enriched with traditional repertoire of ragas and the old-world classical essence and yet is a favourite among listeners of all genres.
AAYUSH MOHAN
Ayush has won the hearts of audiences at prestigious classical music festivals and venues across the world, some of which are: Symphony Space New York, Berklee College of Music Boston, Central Conservatory of Music China, The Bhavan London, Thyaghraja Festival Cleveland, Abbey Theatre Dublin, Learn Quest Music Conference Boston.
In India, his prominent performances include Sawai Gandharva Festival, Pune; Gunidas Sangeet Sammelan, Mumbai; Saptak Festival, Ahmedabad and Serendipity Arts Festival, Goa.
He is a grand-disciple of Bharat Ratna Pt. Ravi Shankar and has studied from eminent Gurus of the Maihar Gharana – Pt. Balwant Rai Verma, Padmabhushan Smt. Sharan Rani and Pt. Tejendra Majumdar and Gundecha Brothers. He is also a noted speaker and has given several talks on Indian classical music on platforms like TEDx to make the younger generation more aware about classical music. He recently appeared on the popular show ‘Good Day New York’ on FOX5 TV channel, USA.
He was nominated for the Global Indian Music Academy Awards in 2016 for the Best Classical Instrumentalist. He has many albums to his credit which are released by Times Music like Echoes from the Yellow Land, The Majestic Court, and others.
SANJU SAHAI Tabla
“He presents a cohesive and comprehensive picture of his Gharana, understanding the complexity of laya and bols as well as
a mastery of execution.”
– The Times of India
Sanju Sahai (also known as Vishnu Sahai), is currently one of the finest and most sought after Tabla players of his generation. Belonging to the Benares Gharana (lineage) and being the 6th generation of Tabla players in the lineage, he began playing at an early age. Being a child prodigy, and the son of the legendary Pandit Sharda Sahai Ji, he gave his first Tabla solo performance at a major festival in Benares at the tender age of 9. He gained his Bachelor of Music at the age of 13 and Master of Music at 18 years of age.
A phenomenal and outstanding Tabla player, he is well known for mesmerising and captivating his audience with his power, virtuosity and complete spontaneity.
His meteoric rise in popularity in the field of traditional Indian Classical music has led Sanju to regularly collaborate with different genres such as Jazz, Egyptian, Flamenco, Opera, Western Classical, hip hop, folk, blues music and the world of contemporary music and dance. This makes him an imaginative and sensitive musician, having an elegant and poignant style of his own. He has and continues to collaborate with various international artists from around the globe such as: Manuela Carrasco (Flamenco dance), Michael Nyman (British composer), Patricia Rozario (opera), BBC Philharmonic, Naresh Sohal (composer), Pete Lockett (multi percussionist), Yair Dalal (oud), Jason Carter (guitarist), Matthew Barley and Anup Biswas (cellists), Don Li (clarinet), Harp Quartet, Dominique Vellard (Gregorian chant), Gilles Petit (composer and instrumentalist) and the acclaimed dancer Akram Khan.
Sanju is an international artist and performs all over the UK, India, Europe, Middle East, USA, Australasia and the far East. He has accompanied many of India’s legendary musicians and dancers such as: Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia (bansuri), Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma and Pandit Bhajan Sapori (santoor), Ustad Vilayat Khan Saheb, Ustaad Imrat Khan Saheb, Ustaad Shahid Parvez, Pandit Kartik Kumar and Pandit Manilal Nag (sitar), Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt (mohan veena), Pandit Birju Maharaj, Natraj Gopi Krishna and Smt Sitara Devi (Kathak), Ustaad Aasheesh Khan and Ustaad Amjad Ali Khan (sarod), Pandit Jasraj, Smt Girija Devi, Pandits Rajan and Sajan Misra, Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty and Smt Veena Sahasrabuddhe (vocal) Ustaad Sultan Khan and Pandit Ramesh Misra (sarangi), Kala Ramnath (violin) and maestro Umyalpuram Shivraman (mridangam) to name but a few.
His performance concert venues include: Carnegie Hall (New York), Sydney Opera House (Australia), Sherover Theatre (Jerusalem), The Siri Fort (Delhi), Novell Hall (Taipei), Muhsin ErtuÄŸrul Stage (Istanbul), Theatre De La Ville (Paris), Villa Adriana (Rome), The Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall, House of Commons and Westminster Abbey, City Hall (London), Bridgewater Hall, The Lowry (Manchester), Philharmonic Hall (Liverpool), The Sage (Gateshead), Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City (USA), Glastonbury and Womad festival (UK) and Sfinks festival (Belgium). Sanju’s recent projects and collaborations include: BBC Proms, Sangeet Yatra, Rhythm Xchange, The Raga Taal, Bach to Benares, Ancient Future, Sangam, The Raga Jazz, Encounter, Romali, Pan Jazz, Sacred Beats of Benares, Aakrisht, Gnosis, Medici Edinburgh and Dante String Quartets. He has also been privileged to be invited to perform for Her Majesty the Queen on 4 separate occasions and has also performed at a private function held by HRH Prince Charles at Highgrove.
Sanju has played for numerous live recordings including BBC TV, Channel East, Asian Network TV, Zee TV, Sony TV, Sky, BBC World Service, All India Radio (“A” grade artist), Doordarshan and also on CDs with ARC Music, On Air, Sense World, NA Classical India, Warner Brothers and Universal Records.
In addition to his performance and touring work he regularly conducts lecture demonstrations, workshops and residencies in schools, colleges and universities. He has been a tutor at SOAS London University leading a course in Tabla for over 15 years. Sanju was also Percussion Conductor of a unique South Asian music youth orchestra (SAMYO) and regularly leads workshops with the National Youth Orchestra involving some of the brightest young musicians based in the UK
