Pandit Sharda Sahai was born in Benares, India in 1935, a direct descendent of Pandit Ram Sahai, the founder of the Benares style of tabla playing. As one of India�s preeminent tabla artists, Sharda Sahai has appeared at all of the important music conferences and festivals and has performed with every major artist of North Indian Classical music, including Ali Akbar Khan, Amjad Ali Khan, and Ravi Shankar. He is the director of the Pandit Ram Sahai Sangit Vidhyalaya school of music in Benares and in London. He has held appointments on the music faculties of Wesleyan University, Brown University, Berklee School of Music, and Dartington College of Arts. He is currently teaching at Oxford University and at Leeds University in England.

Assisting Pandit Sharda Sahai will be Tim Richards, an experienced disciple of Pandit Sahai. Mr. Richards has performed professionally on tabla in India, North America and in Europe over the last 20 years. He has also taught tabla at the University of Miami.

CLASSES
Courses will be taught at beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels in small classes, emphasizing individual attention. Private lessons will be available on a limited basis for advanced students who wish to increase their courseloads and for students unable to accommodate a regular class schedule.

Beginning students will perfect the basic hand positions, learn all of the basic strokes, and practice the most important training exercises - theme and variation forms known as kaidas. In addition, students will learn pieces in all of the compositional forms, as well as the essential rudiments of Indian rhythmic theory and a notation system developed for the special requirements of tabla music. The course is quite concentrated; the material covered in two weeks in the North American summer program is equivalent to a year of studies in India. Students should be prepared for independent practice of at least several hours per day.

Beginning, intermediate, and advanced classes will meet for approximately 1.5-2 hours each, on a daily basis (exact times to be determined at the commencement of the course).

FEES
Fee for the full two-week session is $375.00, or $350 if registration is received by May 1st. Private lessons are $50.00 per lesson, generally lasting one hour. Students must provide their own instruments. Contact Jeff Deen at (305) 233-3291 for information on purchasing tablas. A deposit of $150.00 will be required to reserve a space in the class. Checks are made payable to Indian Music Foundation and sent to: 920 Placetas Avenue, Coral Gables, Fl 33146.

REGISTRATION: DEADLINE FOR REGISTRATION IS JUNE 1st, 2002.
For registration by telephone, please contact Padma Sahai-Deen at (305) 233-3291 in the evenings. Registration is limited to 20 students on a first come, first serve basis. Questions can also be sent to [email protected]