Pooja Goswami Pavan, Ph.D., is a Hindustani (North Indian classical) vocalist, composer, teacher and scholar, whose silky, yet strong voice has the ability to move effortlessly in three octaves. Her deep and extensive training in the traditional Hindustani idiom by several masters has allowed her to broaden her ability to sing and teach a wide variety of genres with ease. The versatility in Pooja’s repertoire is evident in her ability to sing Thumri, Dadra, Ghazal, Bhajan, Sufiana Kalam and folk genres such as the Hori, Chaiti & Kajri besides the Khayal and Tarana. A highly expressive artist, who strives to illuminate the melodic, poetic and emotional beauty in her renditions, she is also a much sought after educator, well known for making this complex system of music highly accessible to learners from all backgrounds at all levels.
She has performed to wide acclaim across India and the USA at several prominent venues such as The Ordway Center, The Guthrie, The India Habitat Center and The India International Center and at conferences such as The Learnquest Music Conference (Boston), International Music Festival (Vietnam) and The Indian Classical Music Festival (The Bahamas), among others. She has been honored with multiple awards for excellence in her work, including the prestigious McKnight Fellowship for Musicians, scholarships from the Sahitya Kala Parishad (Government of Delhi, India) and the Ministry of Culture (Government of India) and multiple grants supporting her solo and collaborative compositional and performance projects.
More About the Artist
Pooja believe it is often music that brings people together to reflect upon their basic desire to find common ground. She endeavors to not only celebrate the Indian experience, but also bring diverse people together through interactive, hands on learning of the melodies and rhythms of Hindustani (North Indian classical) music.
Pooja has been a performer, composer, and educator of Hindustani (North Indian classical) music for over 20 years. The musical genres she sings, namely, Khayal (classical), Thumri/Ghazal (semi-classical), Kajri/Chaiti (folk), Sufi and Bhajan (devotional) are largely improvised. Pooja presents both, traditional and new works and is an active composer, presenting solo and collaborative works regularly throughout the USA and India. She has also been a teacher of Hindustani music in Minnesota, both in academic and private settings, since 2006. Using well designed, interactive and engaging material, she makes it possible for people of all cultures and musical backgrounds to have easy access to and gain appreciation of the beauty and sophistication of the Hindustani music tradition. Pooja is frequently invited by colleges and universities in Minnesota and all across the USA as a subject matter expert on Hindustani music to give lecture-demonstrations and hold performances, workshops and residencies. She especially looks forward to engaging with middle and high-school students, and adults and seniors, and open up the wonderful world of Hindustani melodies and rhythms to them all. Pooja feels privileged to be able to fulfill the clear desire in the local community for Indian music. Her concerts, workshops, lecture-demonstrations bring together hundreds of community members regularly in a celebration of Indian music, arts and culture. Her teaching and performance offerings will not only entertain and educate, but also potentially grow new audiences and students for Hindustani music in the long run.
Program Offerings
Lecture
Introduction to Hindustani Music: The Classical Music of North India
Get a bird’s-eye view of Hindustani classical music, through the Khayal, the principal vocal form, accompanied by a Tabla (North Indian drum) artist. Get introduced to the foundational concepts of Hindustani music – the Raga (melodic structure) and Tala (rhythmic structure), learn how this music is performed and improvised, how the Tanpura, Tabla and Harmonium (instruments) are constructed and used, how students train to sing, what types of lyrics are sung, how artists interact on stage and what types of vocal forms are performed. Through simple interactive exchanges, learn about the Indian solfa system, the poetic language of the Tabla, the types of ornamentation and improvisations in Hindustani music. Enhance your appreciation of Hindustani music to be able to enjoy a full concert of Hindustani music or pursue further learning in the future.
Workshop
Introduction to Hindustani Music – The Classical Music of North India
In addition to everything covered in the Lecture-Demonstration listed above, learn a simple solfa song in a principal Raga set to a principal Tala. Solfa songs are songs without any words so language would be no prerequisite nor a barrier. Learn to recite various rhythmic cycles and a simple rhythmic Tabla composition in its poetic language. Enhance your appreciation of Hindustani music to be able to enjoy a full concert of Hindustani music or pursue further learning in the future. The workshop will conclude with a group performance of the material learned.
Residency
Hindustani Music: The Classical Music of North India
In addition to everything covered in the Workshop listed above, continue to learn new Ragas and Talas over multiple sessions or days. Depending on the number of sessions included, learn 2 to 4 different Ragas and 2 to 4 Talas through solfa songs, Bandishes (compositions with words) and rhythmic Tabla compositions. The material covered will involve greater depth and breadth compared to the Workshop, concluding with a final individual and group performance.
Performance
Hindustani Classical Vocal Music
Listen to Dr. Pooja Goswami Pavan perform Hindustani vocal music, with the accompaniment of Tabla (North Indian drums) and optionally, a Harmonium. She will sing from a selection of different vocal forms such as Khayal, Tarana, Thumri, Kajri, Chaiti, Bhajan, Ghazal and Sufiana, with a brief explanation of each form’s salient features and a translation of the lyrics. Depending on the length of the performance the audience will get to hear 3 to 5 different pieces and also learn a little about the historical and cultural context in which this music flourished and developed.
