Concert for Peace with Jaipur Literature Festival

Concert for Peace with Jaipur Literature Festival Houston
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston - Lynn Wyatt Theater, The Nancy and Rich Kinder Building.
 

In collaboration with the Jaipur Literature Festival Houston and the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, the Rothko Chapel hosted a contemplative evening featuring an Indian classical duet with Pandit Shubhendra Rao on sitar and Maestro Saskia Rao on Indian cello, accompanied by Subroto Bhattacharya on tabla. The event also showcased youth poets from Faye School. Additionally, Bradley Bailey, Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Curator of Asian Art, delivered a talk on "Cultural Confluence: Indian Influences in Japanese Art."

About the presenters: Pandit Shubhendra Rao, a protégé of Sitar Maestro Ravi Shankar, was recognized as “not only a master of his instrument but also as a thinking musician, constantly endeavoring to carry his instrument beyond conventional boundaries.” He was acclaimed by critics and connoisseurs as a worthy successor to his Guru’s tradition. His relentless efforts in promoting Indian music earned him widespread respect in the fields of music and education globally.

Musician and author Saskia Rao-de Haas was celebrated as a pioneer for introducing the Indian Cello to Indian Classical music. Flute Maestro Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia described her as “someone who has been taught by God.” Critics and audiences lauded her for her artistic depth and technical virtuosity. She had also authored India’s first-ever music curriculum, Sangeet4All, which influenced over 60,000 children. Her latest book on Indian music history, Shāstra, was recently released at the Asia Societies in New York and Houston as part of JLF USA.

About the observance: This event was held in observance of International Day of Peace, which takes place annually on September 21st. Established in 1981 by a unanimous United Nations resolution, Peace Day provided a globally shared date for all humanity to commit to peace above all differences and to contribute to building a global culture of peace.