Toronto Tabla Ensemble
| Toronto Tabla Ensemble | |
|---|---|
|
The Toronto Tabla Ensemble in concert | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Genres | North Indian Classical, World |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Associated acts |
Pandit Chitresh Das Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri Evan Ritchie, Donald Quan, Jeff Martin, The Tea Party |
| Website |
www |
| Members |
Ritesh Das Razak Pirani Shamir Panchal Aaron Fernandez |
| Past members | Santosh Naidu, Debanjan Mukherjee, Subha Dasgupta, Devin Persaud, Ed Hanley, Prasanna Ketheeswaran, Gurtej Hunjan, Morgan Doctor, Amar Seepersad, Rakesh Tewari, Anita Katakkar, Joanna de Souza, Keith Sutcliffe, Dexter Raghunanan, Neel Punna, Satpal Singh, Heather Thorkelson, Anand Kapur, Robin Kalnin, Bindhu Sadasivan, Jono Gooch, Vitra Gosine, Sara Jaffri |
The Toronto Tabla Ensemble is a school and performance group founded in 1991 by artistic director, Ritesh Das. It is the foremost institution that has produced professional tabla players in Canada. Students who have trained extensively under Das are given the opportunity to join the Ensemble. The performing ensemble has toured Canada coast-to-coast six times, toured Australia in 2006, and India in 2011. Their album, Firedance, received a nomination for the Juno Award for Best Global Album.[1] Their original music has been used in numerous films and commercials, and in 2003 the Ensemble was commissioned to create the current theme music for CBC Radio’s daily morning show, Metro Morning.[2][3]
School of Tabla
Tabla classes at the Toronto Tabla Ensemble are taught by Ritesh Das and his senior students. All classes are taught in the traditional style allowing students to develop an understanding of tabla technique, theory, and historical background. Through Ritesh Das' lineage and vision, this North Indian rhythmic system is passed on to all students, many of whom go on to become professional musicians themselves.[4] The Toronto Tabla Ensemble has three teaching locations in downtown Toronto, Scarborough, and Mississauga.[5]
Indian Diaspora Festival
In 2014 the Toronto Tabla Ensemble launched an innovative festival called the Indian Diaspora Festival. It is the first festival of its kind to embrace artists of Indian traditions who have been educated entirely in the West, as opposed to India where most prominent performers have been trained.[6] The sold out festival launch featured performances in Indian music and dance forms, tabla and kathak, performed by local and international artists; the tabla player was a student of Ritesh Das trained in Toronto while the kathak dancer was a student of Das' brother Pandit Chitresh Das based in California. [7]
Discography
| Album |
|---|
Toronto Tabla Ensemble
|
Second Palla
|
Firedance
|
Weaving
|
Compilations
|
Alankar
|
References
- ↑ "Juno Awards of 2000". Wikipedia. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
- ↑ "CBC Metro Morning". CBC. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
- ↑ "Acclaimed Independent Band Exploring World Music". Washington Bangla Radio. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
- ↑ Jain, Priyanka. "The Toronto Tabla Ensemble Brings Music, Culture, and Diversity to our Community". Retrieved 15 April 2012.
- ↑ Spencer, Jain. "New school offers traditional Indian dance and drumming". Retrieved 2 September 2014.
- ↑ "What's On: Opens Streets Toronto, Cultural Fests and Axe Throwing". CBC. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
- ↑ CanIndia. "Toronto Tabla Ensemble launches innovative new festival". Retrieved 2 September 2014.