SITAR
WIZARD Shri Harvinder Singh <
SITAR
WIZARD Shri Harvinder Singh
"When I have some great soul-stirring experience, my immediate thought is to share
with others. But in such moments of exultations, the best chosen
words seem to fail me. It is then that I turn to my beloved Sitar
and approach musical notes with utmost tenderness, love and
humility and through such means I am more able to reveal these
elusive aspects of my profound experience."
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Shri Harvinder Singh ranks among the top Sitar players of India. He is a sensitive player. He reveals this from his fine feeling for the nuances of tone and evocative tunefulness.
Pliancy and grace of expression is the key note of his art. His musical speech is always geared to a grave tone.
His technical mastery of the instrument is incomparable and his daring to reveal the hidden secrets of the raga is always a dance between the purity of silence and the lyrical grace of sounds.
For further information please contact:
Phone. 46 +21 358017 (Res.)..... Mobile: 46 + (0)730 364791.....
e-mail: harsitar@hotmail.com
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Shri Harvinder Singh was born in the North Indian State of Punjab. His father, the late Shri Arjan Singh, a regular broadcaster of All India Radio, was the first to initiate him into the technique of playing the Sitar, in the tradition of Ustad Bande Ali Khan Gharana of Indore. The style of this Gharana is characterised by a union of two stringed Instruments, Sitar and Veena as well as a mixture of different styles of singing. Later on, Shri Harvinder Singh earned the privilege of studentship with a maestro of the eminence of Late Shri Suchindra Kumar Dutta of Saniya Beenkar Gharana, for advance training in this pursuit.
Although an exponent of the Saniya Beenkar Gharana, Shri Harvinder Singh has developed an individual inimitable style of his own. He reveals great gifts of imagination in his performance by beautifully blending the sound effects of other Indian stringed instruments which includes Santoor, Veena, Sarod and Sarangi respectively. His music is filled with majesty and brilliance, melodic command and rhythmic vitality. His improvisations are magical with electrifying passages. His treatment of raga reveals a well judged elaboration of Alap, Jod and Jhalla in their minute details and his skilful handling of both Masitkhani and Rajakhani gats makes his recital bright and enjoyable.
Shri Harvinder Singh has given numerous performances around the world and captivated audiences at dozens of International Music Festivals. In 1974 he was the Sitarist chosen to perform in the 6. International Music Festival in Burgenland and the following year he was the only Indian instrumentalist to give a full concert at the International Guitar Festival in Munich. Since then, he has toured extensively in Europe and other parts of the world, appearing at the Bern Radio Music Festival Intim, the Contemporary Folk Music Festival Uppsala 700 years, the Gent Music Festival, the Grosser Star-Abend Music Festival Fischamend, the Music Festival in Neumarkt-Sankt Veit, the Folk Music Festival Wels, the Offenes Haus Music Festival in Dornbirn, the Folk Music Festival Solothurn and the Afro-Asiatische Music Festival in Graz among others.
Besides being a top-notcher among Sitar-players, Shri Harvinder Singh holds a degree in western classical tradition of music with a diploma in teaching. In addition to his constant touring, he has also been associated with several cultural institutions and universities, which includes Afro-Asiatische institute, Vienna, University of Stockholm and Uppsala. Shri Harvinder Singh has recorded for many Broadcasting organisations and appeared on TV in several countries. He has also combined his talents with many top musicians of the west.
