Guwahati, November 21, 2012: The countdown to the region’s biggest musical extravaganza- the 2nd Guwahati International Music Festival has now begun. The organizers of the three day music festival, which is to be held at Shilpagram in Guwahati on 23rd, 24th and 25th November, 2012 are hoping to make this year’s festival bigger and more successful than its first edition held in December last year.
The event, organized by Eastern Beats Music Society supported by Assam Tourism and in collaboration with NEZCC, Ministry of Culture, Government of India, will feature over 200 musical artistes from across eight different nations. With just three days left into the music festival, the preparations at the venue have begun on full swing. Artistes from across the world have already grabbed their visas and are on their way to Guwahati for this huge musical gala.
Mr. Anurag Singh, Managing Director, ATDC said, “In our modern world, festival are no longer limited to an audience of a certain region. It is quite usual that people even travel long distances only to attend such music festivals. It thus helps promote a new form of tourism- Music Tourism.”
He further added, “Music has tremendous power- not only as a personal spiritual experience, but also as a catalyst for change, enhancing mutual understanding between differing cultures. There are more and more such festivals emerging all over the country each year. These music festivals should aim in promoting local and wider communities and give chance to new artists to perform.”
Well known musicians of international repute like Bickram Ghosh, Greg Ellis (USA), Harris Khan (Afghanistan), Mac Haque (Bangladesh), Snehasish Mozumder and SOM (New York), Padmabhushan Pt Buddhadev Das Gupta (India), Ralf Kamphuis (Germany), Rishii Chowdhury (USA) etc are all headlining the three-day rock event, which is already attracting interest from across the country. A number of Sangeet Research Academy scholars like Subhankar Hazarika, Pt Gopal Mishra, Mallar Rakshit, Pt Gopal Mishra, Saket Sahu, Prosun Banerjee, Nishant Sharma will also infuse their magic among the classical music lovers of thee region. Besides a number of music bands from different parts of India like De Nitish Pires Band, Earth Link, Scavenger Project, Melodrama, Jeffery Williams Band, UDX, Jupiter Island, Swadhyay, The Mangalz etc will also be a part of this celebration of the religion of music.
Talking about this year’s festival, EBMS secretary and creative director Aiyushman Dutta said, “There is something for everyone at the festival- from Indian Classical Music to Jazz, from Bihu to Rock, from Ghazal to Baul- you just name it and it is there! Besides, we are also organizing Rock Rules, a National Rock Competition in association with AIMT which will give lesser known musicians to share the stage with some of the greatest stalwarts of the music industry. ”
Besides the performances of the celebrated artists, there will be a number of other interesting activities buzzing in the venues of the festival. A major attraction of the inaugural ceremony will be a Symphony of 100 sitars, to be presented under the direction of veteran Sitarist and respected Assamese musician Hem Hazarika. Besides, there will be a lecture-demonstration on alternative forms of music and traditional music instruments, workshops organized by a number of leading musicians from across the world, a seminar on progressive Bangladeshi Music organized by Mac Haque and performances by a number of musical prodigies in the evening.
Besides a lot of folk musicians from different parts of the Northeast, a number of rock acts have also been lined up. The festival will provide a platform for all the rock bands of the region during the day time. “A number of rock and metal bands of from different parts of India have come and register with us for the competition. We have arranged the prelims and semi-finals on the first two days for the bands to perform and interact with the visiting musicians. The finals of the competition on the final day of the event,” says Dutta.
Theme – Healing wounds through Music
Given the present socio-political turmoil in the State of Assam, the GIMF comes at the right time as the theme for this year’s edition is peace. The event will look to provide positive vibes for the region which has been getting a bad press in the recent past due to conflicts and bandhs. As Eastern Beats Music Society’s motto goes, ‘Healing through music’ will be the aim of the event. Besides showcasing international artists, the event will give a grand platform for the local bands to perform at a mega-event. It will aim to wean away the youth from the negative influence of violence, insurgency, and apathy and to promote a culture of peace and positivism in the region through the power of music.
Dutta says, “Eastern Beats Music Society has been striving to harness the healing power of the arts right since its inception. In our festival last year, Mayukh Hazarika and Laili Hazarika had offered their special tributes to late Bhupen Hazarika during the festival. This year we felt that at this stage of time, Assam needs peace among people of all the different communities here. We sincerely believe that music can once again help in bringing back peace and stability in Assam.”
Saluting Excellence
Like last year, the society will hand over the Eastern Beats Excellence in Music Award to three pioneering musicians of the Northeast for their lifetime contribution in the field of music and preservation of culture. Tangkhul folk musicologist Guru Rewben Mashangva was the first recipient of the award last year.
The origin of GIMF
The first edition of GIMF was held last year. Basically conceptualised to fill the need for a premier music festival in the region, the mega confluence of musicians and artists from around the world last year had been able to showcase the best of regional, national and international talents to the people of the region. Besides serving as a platform for regional musicians to share stage with top artists, GIMF also helps in initiating cross-cultural dialogue among people and artistes of the region with those from others parts of the country and the world. A total of 35 artists spanning different genres – folk, classical, rock and western – had participated in the festival last year, which was supported by North Eastern Council (NEC) and ICCR, Ministry of External Affairs.
Life’s Purple Communications has been actively promoting the festival through various print, electronic and social media handles for a massive success. The Facebook page of Guwahati International Music Festival has already attracted over 600 music lovers and has hit the right tones before the mega-event keeps pace. The comments and sharing of information on the GIMF page displays the level of buzz and excitement that has been built and circulated around it.
The event, organized by Eastern Beats Music Society supported by Assam Tourism and in collaboration with NEZCC, Ministry of Culture, Government of India, will feature over 200 musical artistes from across eight different nations. With just three days left into the music festival, the preparations at the venue have begun on full swing. Artistes from across the world have already grabbed their visas and are on their way to Guwahati for this huge musical gala.
Mr. Anurag Singh, Managing Director, ATDC said, “In our modern world, festival are no longer limited to an audience of a certain region. It is quite usual that people even travel long distances only to attend such music festivals. It thus helps promote a new form of tourism- Music Tourism.”
He further added, “Music has tremendous power- not only as a personal spiritual experience, but also as a catalyst for change, enhancing mutual understanding between differing cultures. There are more and more such festivals emerging all over the country each year. These music festivals should aim in promoting local and wider communities and give chance to new artists to perform.”
Well known musicians of international repute like Bickram Ghosh, Greg Ellis (USA), Harris Khan (Afghanistan), Mac Haque (Bangladesh), Snehasish Mozumder and SOM (New York), Padmabhushan Pt Buddhadev Das Gupta (India), Ralf Kamphuis (Germany), Rishii Chowdhury (USA) etc are all headlining the three-day rock event, which is already attracting interest from across the country. A number of Sangeet Research Academy scholars like Subhankar Hazarika, Pt Gopal Mishra, Mallar Rakshit, Pt Gopal Mishra, Saket Sahu, Prosun Banerjee, Nishant Sharma will also infuse their magic among the classical music lovers of thee region. Besides a number of music bands from different parts of India like De Nitish Pires Band, Earth Link, Scavenger Project, Melodrama, Jeffery Williams Band, UDX, Jupiter Island, Swadhyay, The Mangalz etc will also be a part of this celebration of the religion of music.
Talking about this year’s festival, EBMS secretary and creative director Aiyushman Dutta said, “There is something for everyone at the festival- from Indian Classical Music to Jazz, from Bihu to Rock, from Ghazal to Baul- you just name it and it is there! Besides, we are also organizing Rock Rules, a National Rock Competition in association with AIMT which will give lesser known musicians to share the stage with some of the greatest stalwarts of the music industry. ”
Besides the performances of the celebrated artists, there will be a number of other interesting activities buzzing in the venues of the festival. A major attraction of the inaugural ceremony will be a Symphony of 100 sitars, to be presented under the direction of veteran Sitarist and respected Assamese musician Hem Hazarika. Besides, there will be a lecture-demonstration on alternative forms of music and traditional music instruments, workshops organized by a number of leading musicians from across the world, a seminar on progressive Bangladeshi Music organized by Mac Haque and performances by a number of musical prodigies in the evening.
Besides a lot of folk musicians from different parts of the Northeast, a number of rock acts have also been lined up. The festival will provide a platform for all the rock bands of the region during the day time. “A number of rock and metal bands of from different parts of India have come and register with us for the competition. We have arranged the prelims and semi-finals on the first two days for the bands to perform and interact with the visiting musicians. The finals of the competition on the final day of the event,” says Dutta.
Theme – Healing wounds through Music
Given the present socio-political turmoil in the State of Assam, the GIMF comes at the right time as the theme for this year’s edition is peace. The event will look to provide positive vibes for the region which has been getting a bad press in the recent past due to conflicts and bandhs. As Eastern Beats Music Society’s motto goes, ‘Healing through music’ will be the aim of the event. Besides showcasing international artists, the event will give a grand platform for the local bands to perform at a mega-event. It will aim to wean away the youth from the negative influence of violence, insurgency, and apathy and to promote a culture of peace and positivism in the region through the power of music.
Dutta says, “Eastern Beats Music Society has been striving to harness the healing power of the arts right since its inception. In our festival last year, Mayukh Hazarika and Laili Hazarika had offered their special tributes to late Bhupen Hazarika during the festival. This year we felt that at this stage of time, Assam needs peace among people of all the different communities here. We sincerely believe that music can once again help in bringing back peace and stability in Assam.”
Saluting Excellence
Like last year, the society will hand over the Eastern Beats Excellence in Music Award to three pioneering musicians of the Northeast for their lifetime contribution in the field of music and preservation of culture. Tangkhul folk musicologist Guru Rewben Mashangva was the first recipient of the award last year.
The origin of GIMF
The first edition of GIMF was held last year. Basically conceptualised to fill the need for a premier music festival in the region, the mega confluence of musicians and artists from around the world last year had been able to showcase the best of regional, national and international talents to the people of the region. Besides serving as a platform for regional musicians to share stage with top artists, GIMF also helps in initiating cross-cultural dialogue among people and artistes of the region with those from others parts of the country and the world. A total of 35 artists spanning different genres – folk, classical, rock and western – had participated in the festival last year, which was supported by North Eastern Council (NEC) and ICCR, Ministry of External Affairs.
Life’s Purple Communications has been actively promoting the festival through various print, electronic and social media handles for a massive success. The Facebook page of Guwahati International Music Festival has already attracted over 600 music lovers and has hit the right tones before the mega-event keeps pace. The comments and sharing of information on the GIMF page displays the level of buzz and excitement that has been built and circulated around it.
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