Sarod Concert Held at Portland's Newar Buddhist Temple

By Dr Rabin Man Shakya

Portland, (Nepal Oregon News): A Sarod concert by Daniel Birch was organized by the Nritya Mandala Mahavihara on Friday, June 25, 2021 for limited number of people in person as well as in the zoom.

At the beginning of the concert,  Prajwal Vajracharya --  senior priest at the Mahavihara -- gave a short introduction of musician duo Danny and Alan. 

The enthralling musical performance of Daniel Birch was accompanied in Tabla by Alan Crammatte. The quintessence of Birch's Sarod playing accompanied in Tabla by Crammatte at the Nritya Mandala Mahavihara in Portland, USA was a  perfect epitome of East Meets West.

The Nritya Mandala Mahavihara is not just a rendezvous for Charya nritya and Charya giti lovers, it also has been working to promote different kinds of music. The latest Sarod vadan concert is a testimony to this. 

And there is no doubt that Daniel and Alan are musicians with a penchant for eastern classical music. 

Danny Birch lived, studied and worked in Nepal between 1972 and 2001. He was Assistant Professor at the Department of Music  of the Kathmandu University from 1995 to 2001.

Danny learned Sarod playing and Raga from the late Nepal Royal court musician Mohan Sundar Shrestha. The concert at the Portland's Buddhist Baha was Danny's first one since Mohan Sundar's demise a few months ago.

Danny also studied with two other court musicians Shambhu Prasad Mishra and Ganesh Bhandari. He earned the degrees Vadya Nipun and Vadya Visharad from the Bhatkhande Sangit Vidyapeeth in Lucknow, India where he studied with the late Ustad Ilyas Khan of the Lucknow - Shahjahanpur Gharana.

Similarly, Danny further studied in Calcutta with the late Ustad Bahadur Khan of the Maihar Gharana. He was director of local music for the movie "The Little Buddha".

Danny also composed, directed and performed music for a number of dramas in Nepal with the Studio 7 Troupe at the Hotel Vajra. He performed regularly at the Hotel Vajra's Pagoda Room for over 20 years.

Likewise, Alan Crammatte learned Tabla from the late Hom Nath Upadhyaya in Nepal and the late Pundit Choti Lal Mishra in Banaras, India.

The western musician duo have delighted the zoom participants as well as the  live audience  at the Portland's Nepalese Buddhist Temple with their mastery on Sarod and Tabla respectively.

( Nepal Oregon News writer Rabin Man Shakya is a Nepali journalist in USA)