Kora and Pakhawaj | Daniel Berkman, Nishaant Singh

Nishaant Singh, disciple of Pandit Chanchal Kumar Bhattacharya, is a celebrated pakhawaj player of Lala Keval Kishan Gharana- Bengal Parampara and the instrument’s torch bearer for his generation. Nishaant Singh, son of 'ShreeMaadal Aacharya' PadmaShri Awardee Kaajee Singh, belongs to a famous traditional folk musical family in Kalimpong, Darjeeling, with a lineage of music that goes back four generations. Currently, Singh serves as a guest professor of pakhawaj in the Department of Cultural Affairs, Ramakrishna Mission VidyaMandira College, in Kolkata, India. He is also a Fulbright Associate in Pakhawaj, he has conducted research under the guidance of Padmashri/ Sangeet Natak Awardee Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri from the Ali Akbar College of Music in San Rafael. Daniel berkman is a san francisco-based composer, multi-instrumentalist, accompanist, singer-songwriter, electronic musician, looper, producer, film and dance score composer and innovator of electro-acoustic music, specializing in the Kora (a 21-stringed west african harp),on which he has produced four acclaimed musical releases; 'Heartstrings’(1996), ‘Feverdreams’(1998), ‘Calabashmoon’(2005) and 'Headlands' (2015). Daniel also plays the Gravikord (an electric stainless steel version of the kora) which is featured in much of his discography, including “Earth portal”, “Headlands” and “Miliue”.