“Music from India” is the theme of the concert, which will begin at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19 in the School of Music Recital Hall. Arup Chattopadhyay will accompany Seshadri on the tabla, a percussion instrument from northern India. The concert is free and open to the public.

Seshadri also will give a public talk and demonstration from 1:25 to 2:25 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18, in the Recital Hall.

“Southern Exposure concerts highlight a range of contemporary classical music that listeners may find challenging yet emotionally compelling,” said John Fitz Rogers, USC School of Music assistant professor of composition and organizer of the series. “Though most concerts feature music by western composers, we also want to present a broad spectrum of classical music from different aesthetic and cultural perspectives. We’re honored and excited to bring such an engaging and profound artist as Kartik Seshadri to USC’s School of Music.”

Seshadri and Chattopadhyay have studied and performed with Ravi Shankar, the world's best-known sitar musician. In recent years, both Seshadri and Chattopadhyay have performed in venues all over Europe and at the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, and Carnegie Hall in America.

A composer and educator, as well as a performer, Seshadri was hailed as a child prodigy in India by critics and prominent musicians when he began performing full-length solo recitals at the age of 6. Seshadri had already embarked on a performing career when, in 1965, he met Shankar, who became a profound musical influence in his life. In 1974, Seshadri became a disciple of the maestro sitarist.

Recently, Seshadri collaborated on the Orion project with composer Philip Glass and the Brazilian group UAKTI with worldwide performances ranging from the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York to the Cervantino Festival in Mexico and Australia’s Melbourne International Arts Festival.

Seshadri also is a distinguished composer and educator of Indian music. His composition Quartet for a Raga received its world premiere in Washington, D.C., under the auspices of the Contemporary Music Forum. He also teaches at the University of California-San Diego, where he heads one of the largest programs of Indian Classical music in the country. Seshadri’s latest recording Raga: Rasa- That which Colors the Mind was named to the world music’s top 10 list from Songlines magazine in London.

Chattopadhyay, who has distinguished himself as a soloist and an accompanist, is one of the most sought after tabla artists in India. He began his training in tabla at age 6 from his father. In 1998, Shankar chose Chattopadhyay to accompany him. Since then, Chattopadhyayh as performed with Shankar at concerts around the world.

Since 1999, Chattopadhyay has resided in the United State and has been a visiting guest lecturer of tabla at the University of California-San Diego. His first CD was The Art of Tabla Solo, released in 2000. A second CD followed in 2002.

The history of Indian classical music goes back nearly 2,000 years. Unlike western classical music, much of the music is improvised and depends on the creativity and skill of the performer.

For more information on Seshadri, go to www.soundingsrecords.com/kartik/. For information on Chattopadhyay, visit www.calcuttayellowpages.com/adver/102959.html.

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