By Danielle Markel
NEW YORK, NY, Oct. 18, 2018 – On October 28, Lakshay Mohan and Aayush Mohan, known popularly as The Mohan Brothers, are bringing their unique style of Jugalbandi to The Leonard Nimoy Thalia at Peter Norton Symphony Space in New York City.
Only their second U.S. tour, the duo – who have been dubbed the harbingers of Indian classical music – are presenting Strings in Harmony, an evening of Sitar and Sarod.
The sitar and sarod duet was pioneered by Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan in early 1950s, but has long since disappeared from the canon. The Mohan Brothers are reviving this lost art.
What makes their performances particularly compelling is their music is never premeditated, but rather spontaneously improvised, with the brothers building on a Raga (melody) and carving out an intricate and harmonious rendition that is unique to each performance.
Lakshay and Aayush look forward to sharing their modern twist with audiences throughout America on this tour, which consists of the following dates and locations:
October 13, 2018 at 7:30 pm
Albany, NY
The Egg Performing Arts Center
October 14, 2018 at 4:00 pm
Boston, MA
David Friend Recital Hall at Berklee College of Music
October 26, 2018 at 7:30 pm
Philadelphia, PA
The Arts Bank at the University of the Arts
October 28, 2018 at 5:00 pm
New York, NY
Leonard Nimoy Thalia at Peter Norton Symphony Space
November 2, 2018 at 8:00 pm
Detroit, MI
Schaver Hall, Wayne State University
November 4, 2018 at 4:00 pm
McConnell Arts Center
Columbus, OH
ABOUT THE MOHAN BROTHERS
Unlike most Indian classical musicians in India, Lakshay and Aayush do not belong to a family of musicians making it unusual for them to pursue a career in music. Their parents, being adherent fans of this music, created an atmosphere conducive to music at home. This is what made them inclined towards Indian classical Music and inspired them to learn this art.
The technical intricacies of the music of Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan and Nikhil Banerjee left a deep influence on them. Thus, with their sheer dedication and devotion they reached a phenomenal level of mastery in their respective instruments which has not only left connoisseurs and critics spellbound, but musicians as well.
They launched their first US tour under sitar legend Ravi Shankar’s foundation. Since then, they have performed at prestigious venues and various Indian classical music festivals across India and the US such as: The Grammy Museum, David & Dorothea Garfield Theatre and The Delhi Classical Music Festival.
They have collaborated with Grammy-winning Indian slide guitarist Vishwa Mohan Bhatt for the “String Trinity”. Additionally, they have collaborated with American Cellist and Grammy-winning producer Barry Phillips, resulting in a 2016 tour across India. This was renowned for its effort to combine two genres in such a natural way.
Lakshay Mohan & Aayush Mohan were the first Indian musicians to be invited to perform at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles USA. Their album ‘The Hidden Harmony’ was nominated for the Best Classical Instrumental album at the prestigious Global Indian Music Academy (GIMA) Awards in 2016.
In 2014, they Became the youngest Indians to be featured on India’s leading music label TIMES MUSIC in for their album “The Majestic Court”. Additionally, they were the only North Indian instrumentalists to be invited to perform at World’s largest South Indian Music Festival in Cleveland, USA – the Thyagraja Festival in 2015.
Watch the Mohan Brothers in this video below:
