Join us for our Livestream Series featuring Guiliano Modarelli and Gurdain Rayatt.
We are grateful to The Kennedy Center for Performing Arts for their support to make these programs available for free but donations are welcome to support the artists directly.
Presented in collaboration with the #KenCenCultureCaucus
Watch live on FB @kennedycenter or @districtofraga
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Or on YouTube
Originally from Italy, Giuliano Modarelli is a London-based guitarist, composer, and producer with a unique voice. Having studied Jazz at University, he went on to develop through the Indian classical tradition studying under UK renowned sitarist Dharambir Singh, Indian classical maestro Buddhadev Dasgupta and his senior disciple Prattyush Bannerjee.
His unique and exceptionally innovative style has led to collaboration with internationally renowned artists such as Shankar Mahadevan, Bickram Ghosh, BC Manjunath, Shankar Tucker, Mysore Manjunath, Pete Lockett, Talvin Singh, Soumik Datta, Sarathy Korwar, Jyotsna Srikanth, and many others. Modarelli is the leader and co-founder of the award-winning music collective Kefaya. This innovative and talented collective combines traditional forms with a range of contemporary influences to reinvent the sound of folk music.
As well as an accomplished performer, Modarelli is a prolific composer and producer for dance, theater, and cinema. He regularly collaborates across disciplines with artists such as Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Gregory Maqoma, Mavin Khoo, DV8, Jose Agudo, and many more.
Born in the UK, Gurdain Rayatt is one of the leading tabla players in the country today performing regularly as an international artiste. He has been honored to perform for HRH The Prince of Wales in Royal Albert Hall and the V&A Museum as well as performances at the House of Commons in front of distinguished MPs.
A graduate with B. Hons in English/Film and Music from King’s College and the University of West London, Gurdain was trained by the tabla legend Guru Acharya Pandit Shankar Ghosh, Gurdain’s performances range from traditional classical music and dance through to cross-cultural and experimental fusion work. He studied both English with Film and Music with Composition at King’s College London and the University of West London, gaining two Bachelor Degrees.
Hailing from the traditions of three major tabla gharanas (Benares, Punjab, and Farukhabad), Gurdain has been blessed with the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest tabla players on the stage today including Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Pandit Kumar Bose, and Pandit Anindo Chatterjee. He has been fortunate to have toured, performed, and collaborated with some of the most proficient performers currently onstage including Anoushka Shankar, Niladri Kumar, Kala Ramnath, Purbayan Chatterjee, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Ustad Shahid Parvez, Pandit Birju Maharaj, Pandit Kushal Das, Pandit Debashish Bhattacharya, Bernhard Schimpelsberger, Roopa Panesar, Jesse Bannister to name a few.
He was a member of the tabla-tarang group “Chakardar” as well as Sam-Yo, the South Asian Music Youth Orchestra. He is a lead percussionist in the three bands – “Kefaya”, “Michael Messer’s Mitra” and “Attuned” which regularly tour the UK and Europe. He is featured on various CD albums including “Call of the Blues”, “Ether”, Bickram Ghosh’s “Beyond Rhythmscape”, “Groove Maker” and Kefaya’s upcoming album release.
He has performed and recorded at the famous Abbey Studios and Westminster Hall alongside the UK Philharmonic Orchestra and Philharmonia. He has performed in major Indian classical music festivals including Saptak, Harivallabh, and Darbar as well as major world music festivals including WOMAD. He has frequently performed on BBC Radio with the BBC and Sky Arts and at venues including London Southbank, The Royal Albert Hall, V&A Museum, Leeds International Music Festival, Songlines Encounters Festival, Latitude Festival, WOMAD Festival, The NEC Arena, House of Commons and Westminster Abbey, The Sage Gateshead, Brighton Dome.
Gurdain is dedicated to preserving the heritage of his musical tradition and conducts workshops, lecture demos, group, and one-to-one classes to individuals across all musical abilities and around the globe online. He is passionate about passing on his enthusiasm and knowledge of tabla, music, and drumming to his peers and students in exciting and innovative ways.