Description
Swarnendu Mandal
Swarnendu, (born in 2000) is a sarod player and composer from Kolkata, widely regarded as a torchbearer of the Senia-Shahajahanpur gharana, known for its purist and melodious style. A disciple of the late Padmabhushan Pandit Buddhadev Dasgupta, he has carved a niche in Indian classical music with his artistry, depth, and lyrical approach. Since 2013, he has been associated with the ITC Sangeet Research Academy (ITC-SRA), where he is currently a Senior Scholar under Ustad Abir Hussain, and is a recipient of the CCRT National Scholarship from the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. Swarnendu has performed extensively across India, Europe, and the United States, earning acclaim for his recitals, lecture demonstrations, and collaborations. A graded artist with All India Radio and Doordarshan, he has shared the stage with maestros such as Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Shubha Mudgal, and Hariharan. His recent highlights include U.S. and European tours, with concerts in New York, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Munich, Berlin, Frankfurt, Vienna, and Linz. In India, he has been featured at the Mallar Festival (2024), Swar-Bilas Festival (2024), Valley of Words Literature Festival (2023),
and ITC Sangeet Sammelan (2022). Winner of First Position (Gold) at the National Youth Festival 2023, he has also performed for the Railway Ministry of
India, the Italian Consulate General, the Asia Music Summit (2020), and the Ministry of Sports & Culture, Taiwan (2019), and has had the rare honor of
performing for two Presidents of India. Rooted in the rigor of classical training, he continues to embrace diverse musical dialogues, collaborating with jazz, folk, Rabindrasangeet, Middle Eastern, and Indian traditions, with a vision to bring the sarod to wider audiences worldwide.
Ehren Hanson
Ehren Hanson is a tabla player, composer, and collaborator known for his deep roots in the Indian classical tradition and his instinct for improvisation and experimentation. A student of tabla master Pandit Anindo Chatterjee since 1999, Ehren carries forward the Farrukhabad gharana with depth, discipline, and love. But his music doesn’t live only in tradition. His practice extends outward—to poets, dancers, ritualists, and experimental musicians. Whether on stage or in ceremony, Ehren uses rhythm as a tool for presence. His performances are dynamic and alive, shaped by who is present and what the moment asks for.
Ehren is the founder of Viewcy, a platform and decentralized label for cultural work beyond the mainstream. Through Viewcy, he has produced and curated hundreds of concerts in 31 countries, supporting underrepresented artists and communities.
He is the co-creator of The Fool’s Journey, a ritual-performance guided by tarot, and a founding member of Brooklyn Raga Massive, a nonprofit arts collective in New York City. He also serves as president and co-founder of FABA (For Artists By Artists), a nonprofit dedicated to supporting musicians globally through funding and infrastructure.
Ehren’s work moves between worlds—tradition and experimentation, performance and ceremony, discipline and play.
