Uday Bhawalkar, Hathor Consort, Romina Lischka
Biography Uday Bhawalkar, Hathor Consort, Romina Lischka
Uday Bhawalkar
is among the foremost Dhrupad vocalists and has been a strong force in its growing recognition, popularity and resurgence, worldwide. Uday believes that when immersed in the note and raga, the self disappears and music takes on its own existence; the principle of ‘darshan’ in Indian philosophy.
Dhrupad is one of the oldest forms of North Indian classical music and Uday maintains its majesty and subtle nuance. Dhrupad is a living and evolving classical music tradition in which Uday has developed a unique style deeply embedded in raga, ras and bhaav.
Uday spent over 12 years studying and living in the traditional guru-shishya parampara with Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar (Vocal) and Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar (Rudra-Veena), the towering pillars of the Dhrupad tradition. During this period there was a simple and complete concentration on the music itself. This intimate relationship, in which the Ustads willingly gave their inner secrets along with Uday’s devotion, brought him to a deep sense of completeness and wholeness. An inspiring, significant moment in this period was when Ustad Nasir Aminuddin Dagar, the eldest of the Dagar family, upon first hearing Uday’s performance in 1987, blessed him with a gold medal.
Uday has an engaging style and is able to reach out and communicate with audiences of all backgrounds. Since his first performance at Bhopal in 1985, Uday has performed in a number of prestigious festivals and events in India and abroad. Uday has widely performed in Europe, USA, Canada, Mexico, and Singapore and also collaborated with artists from other disciplines and cultures.
Uday has worked with the contemporary dancer Astad Deboo, the Ensemble Modern Orchestra, Germany, and with many other artists internationally. He has been accompanied on the Pakhawaj by none other than Ustad Zakir Hussain at the Prithvi Festival in Mumbai. He also been accompanied on numerous occasions by Taalyogi Pt. Suresh Talwakar and Ustad Sukhwinder Singh Naamdhari.
Uday has contributed to the soundtracks of International Art films including Mani Kaul’s “Cloud Door”, Aparna Sen’s “Mr & Mrs Iyer”, Amol Palekar’s “Anahat”, Renuka Shahane’s “RITA” and others.
Besides being a performing artist par excellence, Uday is a very sensitive teacher and has a devoted following of students committed to pursuing the path of Dhrupad. He has taught internationally at institutions such as the Rotterdam Music Conservatory, the University of Washington,Seattle, and the Asian Music Circuit, London, to name a few.
In 2012, Uday became a Guru at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy in Kolkata. He is also a Guru at the Bengal Foundation’s ”Parampara Sangeetalay”, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
In recognition for his artistry he has received many prestigious awards including the Kumar Gandharva Samman given by the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh (2001) and the Raza Foundation Award (2007) given personally by the eminent painter, S.H. Raza.
The Hathor Consort
which takes its name from the Egyptian mother goddess Hathor, was formed by Romina Lischka in 2012. Under her artistic direction, this string ensemble is dedicated to performing music from the Renaissance and Baroque centered around the viola da gamba. Simultaneously, the group is also interested in exploring new expressive possibilities of the refined, European chamber music repertoire in multi-disciplinary and intercultural concert forms where early music from other cultures combine with modern music, world music and dance.
Their first CD Lachrimae, featuring music of John Dowland, was released by the Belgian label Fuga Libera in 2014 and was enthusiastically received by the press. Their program of the same name combines Dowland's music with six interludes by the Belgian composer Annelies van Parys and choreography by the Belgian dancer Femke Gyselinck. Dhrupad Fantasia, the consort's newest project, combines the oldest form of North Indian classical music (the dhrupad) with music from 16th century England. Music from the court of the Mogul Akbar the Great and the court of Queen Elizabeth I merge together to form a new musical language, where compositional and improvisatory elements from both musical traditions are combined.
Because an understanding of the voice is necessary to comprehend the instrumental polyphony of the gamba consort, the Hathor Consort works together regularly with soloists and vocal ensembles such as Marnix De Cat's Pluto Ensemble and Collegium Vocale Gent, directed by Philippe Herreweghe.
With its multi-facetted programming, the Hathor Consort has been invited to numerous festivals and concert halls throughout Europe, including the Vienna Konzerthaus, Warschau Filharmonie, Bozar Brussel, London's Wigmore Hall, Cologne Philharmonie, Philharmonie Essen, Utrecht Early Music Festival, MA Festival Brugge, Musikfestspiele Potsdam, Opéra de Rouen, Muziekcentrum De Bijloke Gent and the York Early Music Festival.
