Bengal Classical Music Festival kicks off tonight

The fifth Bengal Classical Music Festival will start today evening in the Bangladesh Army Stadium. Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, minister of finance, Asaduzzaman Noor, minister of cultural affairs, Indian High Commissioner of Bangladesh, Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Tapan Chowdhury, managing director, Square Pharmaceuticals Limited and Selim R F Hussain, CEO, BRAC Bank Limited are expected to be present at the inauguration ceremony of the five day program.

It is considered as the world's largest classical music festival in terms of number of performers on a single stage, audience capacity and duration. The event is being organised by Bengal Foundation and presented by Square.

Here are some of the performers on the opening day

Aashish Khan

A distinguished sarod artist from India, Khan comes from a family of notable Indian classical musicians; he is the grandson of Ustad Allauddin Khan, son of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, and nephew of Annapurna Devi. Khan was initiated to North Indian classical music by his grandfather. With tabla player Ustad Zakir Hussain, Khan is the co-founder of the Indo-American musical group Shanti. In the past, he has collaborated with artists like John Barham, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, and Eric Clapton. Khan is a recipient of the Fellowship of the Illinois Arts Council, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, and a Grammy nomination.

V Girija Devi

One of the most iconic classical vocalists in the Indian subcontinent with a career spanning for six decades, Devi began her training under the guidance of vocalist and sarangi artist, Sarju Prasad Misra, in khayal and tappa before continuing under Chand Misra in a variety of disciplines.

Dr L Subramaniam

Dr L Subramaniam has garnered international acclaim for his ability to play the violin who has written music for orchestras, ballets, as well as Hollywood films. Subramaniam's contribution has earned him a host of prestigious awards like the Padma Shri; Padma Bhushan; a Grammy Nomination and D Litt Honoris Causa of ITM University, to name a few.

Bickram Ghosh

A renowned tabla artist from India, Ghosh began his training under the guidance of his parents Pandit Shankar Ghosh and Sanjukta Ghosh. Ghosh is known to practice a variety of genres, ranging from Hindustani classical to fusion to rock to new-age. However, his works are greatly influenced by thumri and khayal of the Patiala gharana.

Other notable performers of the day include the likes of Sharmila Banerjee, Pravin Godkhindi, Ratish Tagde, V Ashwini Bhide Deshpande, Sanjeev Abhyankar, Ramdas Palsule and Tanmoy Bose.