Monday, December 19, 2011

Voice Of America Bangladesh TV - Performance and Interview



Shehzeen Choudhury takes you to Alif Laila's sitar performance in Washington D.C.
She plays to the tunes of Rabindranath Tagore. Monir Hossain is on tabla. And Gauri Koneswaran reads his poetry. Together they celebrate Tagore and his legacy.

A Production of Hello America, Voice of America

Article In 'The Independent' - Dhaka Publication

Monday, December 12, 2011

Concert Announcement: IIC - New Delhi




IIC (India International Center)
10th of Dec'11 at 6:30pm. 
40 Max Mueller Marg, New Delhi

Raag Desh - Performance and Interview on London TV

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Concerts in Kolkata and Dhaka

Upcoming Concert at the Sangeet Research Academy, Kolkata, India - 30th November 2011, 6:30pm.


Tabla accompaniment by Pandit Samar Shaha.


Below is a review from the Dhaka, Bangladesh performance:

Read the review here:

Monday, November 21, 2011

Upcoming Concert In Dhaka, Bangladesh!


Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Tour Update

November 5th - Concert at the Bangladesh Center, London
 
November 7th - Interview Program on Desh Television, London 

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Art of Peace DVD


Art Of Peace
Water colors by Alif Laila, Raag Manj Khamanj from "The Inner Voice" (2004) 
Sitar by Alif Laila, Tabla by Pandit Anindo Chatterjee
Video & Photography (2011) by Ryan Smith

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Alif On International Music Tour!


Alif will be going on the road in the coming months - this will include concerts, TV interviews,
and collaborative performances

More details to come!

November 2nd to December 13th 2011

London, England
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Kolkata, India
Kochi (Kerala), India
Dehli, India

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Radio Broadcast on Wolverhampton Fm Radio


Alif's music will be broadcast, along with other great artists, on Wolverhampton FM Radio 
courtesy of  www.surtarang.co.uk - Oct 5th at 7pm UK time/2pm US (EST)

To listen to the internet radio station, follow the below link:
Then click the link "CLICK HERE TO OPEN"
(This will open a streaming audio player in a separate window)

The program will be presented by Sistachar & Maitreyee Sarcar, 
the hosts who have created this wonderful program of Indian Classical music 
for listeners worldwide. 

The show will be re-broadcast on Sunday, Oct 9th at 10pm UK time/5pm US (EST).

Friday, September 16, 2011

Art of Peace Concert October 2nd!

Art of Peace
A performance featuring sitar and poetry hosted by Dakshina,
Celebrating Gandhiji's birthday and contributions to peace.



Alif Laila  ~ Sitar
Shripad Jail ~  Tabla
Gowri Koneswaran ~ Poetry


The concert will open with a short audio-visual presentation of water color paintings and classical sitar music by Alif Laila.

October 2nd, 2011
3:30 p.m.
Westminster Presbyterian Church
400 I Street SW, Washington, D.C.

The  event is free 

Saturday, August 20, 2011

New Album - "I Am A River" out now!

A musical story of the 'river of life' in Indian classical and Jazz music.

The theme/music - The river aptly symbolizes human existence. Like life, it continues to flow, depicting different moods & rhythm through its course.
Spontaneous and unwritten, the deep musical connection of the artists gave birth to a seamless tapestry of emotions.

 

The CD is availablable at http://cdbaby.com/aliflaila2
Artists' links: www.aliflailasitar.com www.tanmoybose.com www.myspace.com/bernhardullrich 

Friday, July 22, 2011

Fall Concert Announcements!



Oct. 2nd : Concert in Washington D.C.
 
November: India /Bangladesh Tour
 
More details soon.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Upcoming Concert in June!


Amnesty International Fund Raising Event

Alif Laila - Sitar

Debu Nayak - Tabla

Plain Path Farm in Western Loudon County
14386 Purcellville Road
Purcellville VA 20132 
Date: 25th June '11
Event Time : 3:00pm to 8:00pm
Ticket: $20


The event includes variety of music, food & beverages and much more.
For tickets and more info email  Eric at plainpath@rstarmail.com



Saturday, May 14, 2011

"I Am A River" (Part 2) - New Clips From The Upcoming Album!


"I Am A River" - Preview Clips Part 2: "Conflict", "Compromise", and "Freedom".

Alif Laila - Sitar
Bernhard Ullrich - Saxophone
Tanmoy Bose - Tabla

Thursday, May 5, 2011

An Afternoon of Music and Poetry!

"My feeling about raag-based Tagore Songs:
The flow of artistry in the raag-based Tagore songs seem as flawless as the beauty in nature.The theme and lyrics of the songs portray the essence and the emotion of the raags with completeness in the rhythm and in melody. The bonding of the structure of the raag and the verses are seamless. The naturalness and the spontaneity of the compositions are such that every time I listen, sing and play them, I cherish it with all my heart."
- Alif Laila

Please join for an afternoon of Music and Poetry hosted by Dakshina!

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Review of Alif's Recent Performance At Hood College

Alif Laila presented a beautiful and elegant concert of classical Indian music at Hood College this week.  The large and appreciative audience was mesmerized by her renditions of three raags, accompanied by the excellent tabla player, Amit Kavthekar.  She sprinkled her concert with commentary about the music, her instrument, and the great tradition of Indian music.  It was a wonderful evening and it was definitely one of the high points of our concert year.
 
Dr. Noel Lester, Professor and Chair, Department of Music
Hood College

Monday, April 4, 2011

Watch Clips from Alif's Upcoming Album "I Am A River"

"I Am A River" - Preview Clips Part 1: "The Beginning", "Innocence", and "Romance".

Alif Laila - Sitar
Bernhard Ullrich - Saxophone
Tanmoy Bose - Tabla
From Alif:
I am happy to announce my upcoming new album 'I Am a River' with jazz saxophone (Bernhard Ullrich) and tabla (Tanmoy Bose). Here are some thoughts behind the creation of this musical story: the river..its flowing currents weave through land and people, joining objects and lives .... the river symbolizes the life of humankind.. I am imagining myself to be the river, traveling through time and space capturing its mood (melody) and physical being (rhythm) ... different stages of life are depicted in the music.

Part 2 coming soon!

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Upcoming Concert!

Alif Laila on sitar and Amit Kavthekar on Tabla will perform at Hood College in Frederick, MD on April 5, 2011.
Brodbeck Music Hall
Hood College, Frederick MD
7:30 p.m.
Free

From the college site:

A concert of classical Indian music will be presented April 5 at 7:30 p.m. in Brodbeck Music Hall at Hood College.Alif Laila will perform on the sitar, a stringed instrument with a long hollow neck and a gourd-resonating chamber used throughout the Indian subcontinent. She will be accompanied by Amit Kavthekar on the tabla, a popular Indian percussion instrument used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional Indian music.
Laila has performed in concerts in prestigious venues throughout the United States and worldwide. She taught sitar at the University of Maryland and is a faculty member of the Washington Conservatory of Music. Laila has released six CDs and two DVDs on classical sitar, and has recorded with world-renowned tabla maestros.
Kavthekar has accompanied many renowned artists and performed numerous solo tabla performances. He has toured Japan and Australia and is a recipient of several prestigious awards and scholarships.
The concert is free and no tickets are required.
For more information, contact Noel Lester, D.M.A., professor of music and concert pianist, at (301) 696-3429 or by e-mail at nlester@hood.edu.


Directions: http://www.hood.edu/about-hood/visit-campus/index.html

For more info on the artists please go to:
http://aliflilasitarmusic.blogspot.com
www.aliflailasitar.com
www.myspace.com/tablaamit

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Upcoming Performance!


Review from Recent Concert in Washington


Warmth from the East on a Cold Winter Day
Alif Laila and Monir Hossain at the Washington Conservatory of Music, Glen Echo Park, MD.
by Jeff Byers, Thursday February 3rd, 2011
The soothing sounds of Indian ragas filled the air last Sunday when sitar player Alif Laila, joined by Monir Hossain on tabla, graced the stage at the newly opened Glen Echo Park venue of the Washington Conservatory of Music.  After days of gray skies, snow, and frigid temperatures, the bright and colorful melodies beaming from Alif’s sitar seemed to work in unison with the sun as it broke out from behind the clouds and filled the day with light and warmth.
The acoustics and aesthetics of the room, combined with the joyous energy felt by the audience, came together with Alif’s music for a very special presentation. Alif began with Raag Kafi, whose romantic spark immediately captured the audience. By the end of this first piece everyone was drawn into Alif’s world, forgetting the world going by outside. Now in this place of serenity, Alif presented Raag Desh. Building slowly but earnestly, Desh developed into an intense display of emotion – Alif and Monir seemed to be reading each other’s minds as they wove raag and taal together in a beautiful mix. After an earth-shattering climax, the audience’s applause would not let Alif leave the stage. With extra time granted, she displayed a heart-felt and devotional Raag Bhairav. I myself was too mesmerized to recall what ensued until the end of the piece.
The packed venue wanted more from Alif but that would have to wait until next time. Many stayed to talk with Alif after the performance wanting to know more about the instruments and form of Indian music – knowledge that Alif loves to share – and will so more with the Washington Conservatory of Music as she begins to teach at the Glen Echo location. This is a great opportunity for all in the Washington, D.C. area to be enlightened by Indian music through the work of Alif Laila.

For more information on sitar lessons by Alif Laila contact her directly at music@aliflailasitar.com or through the Washinton Conservatory of Music by visiting www.washingtonconservatory.org or calling 301.320.2770.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Alif Live at Salisbury University

Kirwani Jhala
Live at Salisbury University MD
September '10
Sitar - Aif Laila
Amit Kavthekar - Tabla