Sitarist brings classical Indian music to MSU

A performer who has presented classical Indian concerts at locations ranging from New York's Lincoln Center to the Vancouver Jazz Festival brings a program of sitar music to Mississippi State Sept. 24.

Kartik Seshadri, who has studied and performed extensively with renowned sitarist Ravi Shankar, is associated with the University of California, San Diego, where he serves as a representative of Indian classical music.

His 7:30 p.m. performance in Bettersworth Auditorium of Giles Hall is free to the public.

The sitar, a popular stringed instrument in India, is made from a seasoned gourd and teakwood. The instrument dates back more than 700 years.

Seshadri will perform a traditional raga, or melody around which he improvises. Accompanying him on the four-stringed tambura will be Mark Applebaum, assistant professor of music education at Mississippi State.

In Indian classical music, as much as 90 percent of the performance may be improvised. The musical tradition is taught directly to the student by his guru rather than by traditional notation known in the west.

Seshadri has been a formal disciple of Ravi Shankar since 1974. During this time, he has performed in concerts throughout India and in major concert halls and music festivals including those at the World Music Institute, Chicago Art Institute, Festival of India, and Ravi Shankar's 75th Birthday Celebration.

His concert is co-sponsored by the Holmes Cultural Diversity Center, University Honors Program, Music Makers Productions, International Services Office, Department of Music Education, and Indian Student Association.

For more information, contact the music education office at 325-3070.