Scandinavia’s foremost festival for South Asian classical music and dance is back for its 19th edition with this year’s main concert at Teater Maxim! Every year the festival presents a program carefully curated to bring our dear audience the best artists from near and far.
Experience the rare instrument sarangi at the highest level performed by master Sabir Khan, son of the legendary Sultan Khan, accompanied by one his regular tabla players Heiko Dijker from Netherlands . We will also be treated to North Indian classical singing by the rising star Vilina Patra from Pune, accompanied by up and coming tabla player Suvrat Apte from Pune and Ashwini Talwalkar on the harmonium. The whole event will start with a dazzling Bharatanatyam performance by Sweatha Balasundaram with group. This is the one event for South Asian classical music in the year not to miss!
Food can be pre-ordered for the break or for after the concert after choosing your seat by following the ticket link.
Participating:
Sabir Khan – Sarangi
Heiko Dijker – Tabla
Vilina Patra – Vocal
Suvrat Apte – Tabla
Ashwini Talwalkar – Harmonium
Sweatha Balasundaram & Saraswathy Kalakendra Institution of Fine Arts – Bharatanatyam
Doors open 14:30
Concert starts 15:30
The venue is accessible by wheelchair
Stockholm Sangeet Festival 2025 is organized by Stockholm Sangeet Förening in collaboration with Maximteatern, Kulturföreningen Källaren, Villa Ed, Kulturskolan Stockholm, Stallet Världens Musik, Saraswathy Kalakendra Institution of Fine Arts, Studieförbundet Bilda and Dhaibat with support from Swedish Arts Council, Stockholms Stad, Region Stockholm, and the Indian Embassy
Sabir Sultan Khan is a gifted Sarangi player. He belongs to Sikar gharana (school) of music which has given several stalwarts to Indian classical music. Born in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. He trained under his father, Legendary sarangi player & vocalist padmabhushan ustad Sultan Khan saheb & his uncle Ustad Nasir Khan. He is the ninth generation to take up Sarangi. His great grandfather Ustad Azim Khan sahab was a court musician at Sikar Rajasthan. Sabir Sultan Khan was exposed to music when he was six years old through his grandfather Ustad Gulab khan. He started playing live shows & recordings at the age of seven years. He shared the stage with his father and from there on took to solo concerts.
Sabir Sultan Khan is well known worldwide today for his mastery of sarangi. His technique of playing is rare combination of sur and laya (note and rhythm). He has performed with renowned artists such as Ustad Zakir Hussain, pt. Kumar Bose, pt. Anindo Chatterjee, Ghazal maestro Ustad Gulam Ali, A R Rehman, Salim Sulaiman, Talat Aziz, Asha Bhosle and The Hazards and recently played in the album of great Lata Mangeshkar. He featured in Coke Studio and also played in Bollywood movies like Chameli, Rog, Dor, Anwar, Sanwariya, Chodon na yaar, Jodha Akbar, Badlapur , yaariyaa , Bajirao Masthani , Mirziaa and many more… He has been honored by Ustad Bismillah Khan yuwa puraskar & Sangeet Natak Academy yuwa Puraskar.
Heiko Dijker is an Amsterdam based tablaplayer whose playing is marked by enthousiasm and energy, depth of knowledge and rhythmic poetry. He left Holland at a young age to find true soulfulness in music and life. Hitch-hiking around the world on his own, Heiko was drawn into classical Indian music and the beauty of India. After years of traditional training with grandmaster Faiyaz Khan in the Guru-Shisya system. For 10 years, he was totally absorbed in his Sadhana, practicing and listening only classical Indian acoustic music. Currently Heiko has joined his traditional skills with composing, and has produced several albums. Heiko has recorded with artists like Shankar Mahadevan, Ustad Sabir Khan, Rembrandt Frerichs and Ravichandra Kulur for his albums. Recently in India, Heiko was given the title ‘Global Ambassador of classical Indian music’ by one of India’s leading newspapers.Holding a Masters-degree in classical Tabla of the Rotterdam Conservatory, Heiko has been working with great Indian classical and innovative musicians and dancers. Just to name a few: Shankar Mahadevan, Ravichandra Kullur, Meeta Pandit, Pandit Birju Maharaj, Ustad Fariddudin Dagar, Bahauddin Dagar, Purbayan Chatterjee, Lavinia Meijer, Amine and Hamza M’raihi(Tunesian classical music), Melissa Etheridge, Praful, Matangi Quartet, Scapino Ballet, The Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, composer Jacob ter Veldhuis, Lenneke van Staalen, and many more. Next to enjoying his performances, he has been an accompanist of great masters like Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia (Bansuri) and Pandit Buddhadhitya Mukherjee (Sitar) at the Rotterdam Conservatory, is a teacher at the SKVR music school in Rotterdam, and has given lecture-demonstrations/masterclasses for Conservatories and institutes all over the world.
Vilina Patra started learning Classical music at a very young agefrom Shri.Shyama Prasad Niyogi (Vishnupur Gharana) and laterfrom Dr.Ramshankar Singh (Ramrang Parampara ). She ispresently learning under guidance of Renowned Maestro in thefield of Indian Classical Music Pt. Sanjeev Abhyankar Ji (Mewati Gharana).
-Doctorate (Ph.D). In Classical Music on subject ” An AnalyticalStudy Of Riyaaz Techniques Of Khayal Gayaki” from Departmentof Music, S.N.D.T Women’s University, Pune under Dr. PournimaDhumale
-Currently a Graded Artist in All India Radio, Pune in ClassicalVocal Music.
-A Gold Medalist in both Master’s and Bachelor’s in Music from the prestigious Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi
-Recorded Hindi and Marathi devotional songs for composers.
-Gold Medalist from Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi in Masters in Music and Bachelor in Music with highest marks inboth theory and practical.
-Performed in Various cities of India like Mumbai, Delhi, Punjab,,Hyderabad, Pune, Varanasi, Jaipur, Miraj, Ahmednagar ,Aurangabad, Goa, Ranchi , Bokaro , Jamshedpur.
-Performed live for a Digital music series organized by Cheerupfoundation , California U.S.A
-Given vocal support to Respected Guru Pt. Sanjeev Abhyankar Jiall over India including many prestigious platforms like SawaiGandharva Bhimsen Mahotsava , Pt. Motiram Pt. Maniram MusicFestival in Hyderabad , Gangubai Hangal Mahotsava in Hubli etc.
Suvrat started playing tabla at the age of 6. He has learnt under Sanjay Karandikar and later under Pandit Ramdas Palsule. He also received training from the legendary Ustad Zakir Hussain. He regular performs in concerts in Sweden and across Europe. While primarily being an Indian classical musician, he collaborates with a variety of genres. Jazz and Swedish folk music being a few of them. He is also a music teacher. He has many students learning tabla and sitar from him. He has also conducted workshops and masterclasses on tabla and Indian classical music. He works as a senior software engineer in Stockholm.
Ashwini Talwalkar was fortunate to have music in her maternal family. She started learning music from her Grandpa first Guru Shri. Murlidhar Shidhaye and her maternal uncle’s and Guru Shri Sharad Shidhaye and Shri Vidyadhar Shidhaye. She started formal music education from Guru Ms Devyani Moghe and Shri Sharad Joshi. Later, she completed music Visharad in harmonium under the guidance of Respected Guru Shri Kamlakar Joshi. With blessings of her Gurus, She got opportunities to accompany Classical, semi classical, Kirtan, and light music. She is blessed to get guidance from musician Anil Mohile ji, especially for light music accompaniment
Sweatha Balasundaram har been trained since childhood by her mother, the celebrated dancer and choreographer Usha Balasundaram who in 2002 founded Saraswathy Kalakendra Institution of Fine Arts, Stockholm’s oldest Indian classical dance school.
Trained at Kalakshetra, the world’s most prestigious institute for Bharatanatyam, Usha has performed internationally with the legendary Chandralekha dance troupe and has been recognized as a Cultural Ambassador in Sweden for her tireless work in spreading Indian dance and heritage. For over 20 years, her school has grown into a cultural powerhouse with more than 500 students across Sweden, inspiring generations to connect with the beauty of Indian classical arts. Alongside leading Saraswathy Kalakendra, Usha also teaches Bharatanatyam at Stockholm, Botkyrka, and Huddinge Kulturskolan, bringing classical dance into Sweden’s cultural education system.
To inaugurate today’s celebration, Saraswathy Kalakendra presents Ganesha Kowthwam, a devotional Bharatanatyam piece dedicated to Lord Ganesha, remover of obstacles and bringer of wisdom. With its intricate rhythm and grace, this dance invokes blessings for an auspicious start.