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Date/Time
Date(s) - 31/08/2018
7:00 pm - 8:45 pm

Location
ICCR

Categories


 

Date: 31st August 2018

Time: 6:30 pm

Venue: ICCR

Free and open to all 

About the Artist:

Born in Naihati, not too far from Calcutta in India, Kakoli has bathed in music since her early childhood. Encouraged by her mother, her inherent talent was nurtured from the age of five by the very renowned guru, Sri Gopal Biswasji.

Thus winding her way into the secrets of Indian classical vocal music, Kakoli remained under the guidance of this venerable master till the age of twenty.  Embedded in tradition and spirituality, her first exposure to public was at religious ceremonies and neighbourhood festivities.

Settled in Paris since 1974, Kakoli used every opportunity in Europe to unfold the intricacies of her unique talent. Her first major breakthrough as an internationally recognised exponent of the Hindustani tradition of Indian classical music came at the prestigious Bourges Spring Festival in France in 1984. Ever since, her talent has taken her to Italy, Netherlands, Germany, Estonia, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Martinique, Guadeloupe, the United States of America and not surprisingly back to her native India.

A recording artist since 1991, Kakoli has four solo albums to her credit. While innumerable intercultural collaborations have coloured her career all along, a special mention must be made of her participation in 1995 in the spectacular musical composition of Michel Garnier, presented at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This composition has also been released on CD.

Kakoli’s openness and curiosity have led her to crossroads with artists of new age pop (Premananda-Turkantam), zouk (Jacob desvarieux), ambient (Dj CAM), and even avant garde rap (IN VIVO)! She chants with ease in compilations of world beat and chill out music which constitute her most recent releases.

She has also given vent to her musical expression in the exciting world of visual arts and films in particular. In 1994-95 her voice accompanied several Indian film classics at the mute film festival in Italy and France. While she still remains an undiscovered treasure for Bollywood, in Europe her voice has appeared in the soundtracks produced for both TV and cinema.

The strong foundations laid by her Guruji and her own unique sense of melody make her one of the most authentic Indian classical singers available in Europe today. Each of her concerts is as spirit lifting as it is heart-warming. She has generously and graciously contributed to music therapy used in Parisian hospitals for healing patients and staff.

Kakoli’s professionnal skills together with her natural charm make her an appreciated teacher of classical hindustani singing. Indeed, this has been central to her life for over two decades now. Her regular students in Paris include people of various ages and backgrounds. She conducts workshops, master classes and lectures on vocal techniques and teaching methods in France and abroad.

Last but not least – after more than 38 years in France, Kakoli remains as ‘Indian’ as ever. Going ‘home’ is an annual ritual accomplished with love and devotion. In the year 2003, in a tribute to her guru Sri Gopal Biswas (in his eighties) and her departed parents, she performed in Naihati for the first time since she left.

Kakoli’s unique artistry is a natural consequence of a life-long devotion to the tradition of North Indian classical music. Her life is like a raga- simple, spiritual and profound and an improvisation at every move.