Kshitij Music - Core Group : Krishna Bhat

*Core Group : Krishna Bhat*
Audio Excerpts Video Excerpts		Sri Krishna Bhat is at once a copiously inventive composer of bandish-es, an eclectic student a devoted teacher and a rigorous performer of Hindustani vocal music. He is also an adept tabla soloist and accompanist though vocal music has always been his area of specialization. He has received the major part of his training from the ingenious composer and musicologist Pandit C.P. Rele ( Disciple of pandit BR Deodhar) and from Pandit Satyasheel Deshpande, (foremost disciple of Pandit Kumar Gandharva). Bhatji’s music is a rich and complex amalgam of various influences he has come under during different periods of his training and growth; It is strongly temporal and compositional in nature and shows a deep affinity with the Gwalior style of badhat and upaj. His renditions of ragas are charged with scintillating layakari and incredible taan-patterns. Gifted with a fertile imagination, Bhatji is a fine exponent of the the art of upaj, - of spontaneous improvisation within a given compositional field - and his concerts have an uncanny unpredictability about them that makes them deeply refreshing. His compositional work includes numerous taranas of unusual grace and structural vision.

Born in a musical family in Idagunji, a remote village in Karnataka, he was initiated into music by Sri S.M. Bhat, a noted tabla-guru who trained him as a tabla soloist and accompanist at an early age. He also studied tabla for many years under Pandit Sitaram Nayak of the Delhi Gharana. While studying tabla he simultaneously received training in vocal music from Pandit Gurunath Bhat of the Gosai gharana.

Bhatji has earned a BFA at Mumbai University where he received guidance from Pandit firoz Dastur, Pandit Jal Balapooriya and Pandit Ajay Pohankar. He is presently employed as assistant director (archives) at the Samvaad Foundation, a center for research in Hindustani Classical Music

He has assisted in recording and documenting numerous artists from all over the country including such stalwarts as Pandit Balasaheb poonchvale, Pandit Amarnathji, Shobha Gurtu and Pandit Sharadchandra Arolkar. He has thus received widespread exposure, at the foundation, to various styles that have influenced his own singing and composition.

Bhatji lives in Mumbai, where he teaches vocal music and tabla privately. He is a regular performer in public mehfils and on All India Radio.

*Details of Musical Education and Career :*
YEAR	MUSICAL ACTIVITIES/ MAJOR PERFORMANCES/ TRAINING
2007	Concert at Trinity Club, Girgaum, Mumbai.
2006	Concert Organised by Sruti Sadhana, Thane Ganeshotsav Samaroha Concert, Nasik. Concert at Pandit Paluskar Jayanti Samaroha, Nasik. Private concerts in Malegaun, Nasik, hosted by Abhay Shah Private concert at Satyasheelji’s residence, Pune, in memory of Nana Shahane Concert at Thane hosted by Vijaya Joshi, disciple of Vamarao Sadholikar
2005	Concert at Andheri, Mumbai, arranged by Swar Vilas
2004	Concert at Ville Parle, Mumbai. Represented Samvaad Foundation for Musical Research at ARC Seminar, Calcutta.
2003	Concert at Grant Rd., Mumbai, organized by Kshitij Concert at Deodhar School Of Music, Mumbai Represented Samvaad at ARC conference, Delhi
2002	Concert at Malegaun Kshitij Concert at studio of Sculptor, Sudarshan Shetty.
2001	Concert in Honavar, Karnataka. Concert in Bethangady, Karnataka.
2000	Became a formal Disciple of Pandit CP Rele: Under Releji’s guidance he learnt numerous traditional bandishes of the Gwalior Gharana as well as Releji’s own compositions. He received deep insight in the art of Upaj and badhat.
1999	Concert at the Durgah of Ustad Abdul Karim Khan, Miraj Concert at Sawai Gandharva Music Festival, Kundgol, Karnataka
1998	Concert in Pune, organized by Srikant Deshpande, Satish Kaushik.
1997	Private Concert At Kapadia Residence, Mumbai.
1996	Became a regular Artist on All India Radio, Mumbai Concert at Pandit Govindprasad Jaipurwale Sangeet Samaroha, Dombivili
1994	Received ‘Surmani Award’ for performing at Kal-ke-kalakar Festival, Mumbai.
1992	Became a formal disciple of Pandit Satyasheel Deshpande Joined Samvaad Foundation as Assistant Director, Archives
1989-1992	Earned a ‘Sangeet Visharad ‘ degree in music from Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, Miraj.
1987-1989	Joined Music Dept., University of Mumbai, as a Bonafide student and earned a BFA in music under the guidance of Pandit Ajay Pohankar, Pandit Jal Balpporiya and Pandit Firoz Dastur.
1986-1987	Studied music under Sri Sabhuram Joshi, Vallabh Sangeet Vidyalaya, Sion, Mumbai Graduated from Karnataka University, Dharwar, with Music as a Special Subject.
1981-1986	Learnt Tabla from Pandit S.M. Bhat and later from Pandit Sitaram Naik of the Delhi Gharana Completed Senior Grade Course in Tabla conducted by Karnataka State Education Board and secured third rank at State level Learnt Hindustani vocal music from Pandit Gurunath Bhat of the Gosai Gharana

Contact :
krishna_bhat@kshitijmusic.org

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