Ramneek Singh & Pankaj Mishra

Date: June 11, 2022, 7:30 pm
Price: $40 orchestra, $30 balcony, 10% Friends discount
Includes same-day Museum admission
*A limited number of $10 tickets for full-time students with valid ID are available through Raag-Mala Toronto. Please email [email protected]

The Aga Khan Museum is proud to partner with the Raag-Mala Music Society of Toronto to bring the finest musicians performing Raag Sangeet (North Indian Classical music) to Toronto audiences.

Throughout their 2022 concert season, Raag-Mala will present five carefully selected vocalists and instrumentalists who are masters of their craft. Paying homage to tradition while carrying on this ancient art form, Raag-Mala Toronto presents a masterclass in musical complexity through a series of raags — improvisations based on musical scales that serve as the lifeblood of Indian classical music and have no traditional western equivalent.

Vidushi Ramneek Singh

Ramneek Singh is an internationally acclaimed Hindustani classical vocalist who now makes her home in Toronto. Coming from the rich lineage of Ustad Amir Khan’s Indore Gharana, Ramneek is proficient in musical genres like Khayal, Thumri, Bhajan, Shabad, Sufiana and Folk.

Ramneek received Sangeet Visharad in vocal music from Bhatkhande Sangeet Vidyapeeth in 1988, and has studied under Ms. Amarjeet Kaur, a senior disciple of the legendary vocalist Ustad Amir Khan. She has performed all over Canada, USA, UK, Australia and India, she has created her own niche in the music world through her unique style.  She runs a music academy “Sur-rang Music Academy” through which she is training many students all over the world in the art of vocal classical music in the Indore Gharana style.

Ramneek will be accompanied by Pankaj Mishra on Sarangi and Gurinder Singh on Tabla.

Pankaj Mishra

Pankaj Mishra, who has recently made Toronto his permanent home, comes from a long line of musicians.  He is the great-grandson of Sarangi virtuoso late Pandit Saraju Prasad Mishra, grandson of late Pandit Mahadeo Prasad Mishra, and son of Shri Satya Narayan Mishra. He began learning music at an early age, taking his taalim from Pandit Mahesh Prasad Mishra.

Pankaj’s sensitive style of playing and interpretation is admired and sought after by a wide range of musicians.  He has performed solos, accompanied senior vocalists like Late Vidushi Girija Devi and tabla maestros like Pandit Kumar Bose.

Pankaj ji will play a short solo performance, following which he will accompany Vidushi Ramneek Singh, along with Gurinder Singh.

About Raag Sangeet

Raag Sangeet is a centuries-old tradition in which knowledge is transmitted from a guru (teacher) to their disciple. An artist will typically present bandishes (compositions) learned from their guru, with improvisations dependent on the artist's creativity. An artist generally decides on bandishes, and the Raags (melodies) they are based on, just prior to their performance. The decision is often based on their mood, and the audience's energy receptivity to their performance. Connoisseurs often recognize the Raags on which these bandishes are based, whereas most listeners treat the performance as if meeting a friend - with curiosity and openness.