Join us for an evening of Indian Classical Music at Race Brook Lodge as part of our Fall Gratitude Festival featuring musicians Eric Fraser (bansari flute), Abhik Mukherjee (sitar), Mir Naquibal Islam (tabla), and Vinay Desai (santoor).
This concert is part of our Fall Gratitude Festival series. Guests who purchase tickets for Fall Festival events, November 20-24, will receive a code for discounted tickets to the other events, as well as overnight accommodations. Come be a part of this nostalgic and celebratory gathering.
Gratitude FeSTIVAL SERIES EVENTS
Onsite dining at Trailhead Berkshires
Sunday, November 23rd
5pm: Trailhead restaurant open
7pm: Doors Open
8pm: Concert begins
In the Barnspace at Race Brook Lodge
864 S Undermountain road Sheffield, MA
(directions)Early-bird Tickets: $20 (first 25 tickets)
Standard Advance Tickets: $25
Day of the Show: $35
ARTIST BIOS
Eric Fraser
Eric Fraser's (composer, bansuri flute) training in Indian classical music on the bansuri flute occurred in the Guru-Sishya Parampara tradition, meaning that he received training while living with his Guru Pandit Gopal Roy, in Kolkata, India. Eric has received extensive taleem (oral teachings), and his flute playing conveys the purity of tone, authenticity, and tradition of his gharana or “lineage”. Eric Fraser’s lineage has a unique place in the landscape of Indian music, telling the story of an old-world Kolkata through a gayaki ang or "singing style" of bansuri flute. Within his lineage are stalwarts such as Pannalal Ghosh, Gour Goswami, and renowned vocalist Ustad Amir Khan. Eric’s dynamic musicality allows for seamless playing across classical, innovative, and fusion projects.
Eric Fraser is also a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and recording artist. Eric's original music expresses the contours of a true cross-cultural blending of Indian classical music, long-form instrumental music, and indie songwriting. He is a Board Certified Music Therapist (MT-BC) and a Licensed Creative Arts Therapist (LCAT). Eric is a co-founder of the Brooklyn Raga Massive and a Fulbright Senior Research Scholar for Indian classical music. Eric is the founder and director of Sound and Nature, a licensed mental health practice in Germantown, NY.
Abhik Mukherjee
Abhik Mukherjee (sitar) is an acclaimed sitar virtuoso of the Etawah-Imdadkhani gharana. Born in Kolkata, he began learning sitar at age six under his father, Tarit Mukherjee, and Sri Bimal Chatterjee, later studying with Pandit Kashinath Mukherjee and Pandit Arvind Parikh - disciples of Ustad Vilayat Khan. A gold medalist in musicology from Rabindra Bharati University, he won a scholarship from India's Ministry of Culture. Mukherjee has performed across ten countries, including landmark appearances at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial inauguration and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Based in New York City, he co-founded Brooklyn Raga Massive and serves as academic director at Chhandayan.
Mir Naqibul Islam
Mir Naqibul Islam (tabla) is a Bangladeshi tabla player and educator based in New York City, rooted in the Farukhabad gharana. He trained in the traditional guru-shishya style with Pt. Ashoke and Pt. Anindo Chatterjee. Mir presents tabla solo recitals and regularly accompanies vocalists, instrumentalists, and dancers from Indian classical traditions. A versatile artist, he brings tabla into innovative improvisations across jazz, chamber music, maqam, and other genres, blending deep tradition with bold, genre-crossing collaborations.
Vinay Desai
In 2011, with blessings and direct guidance of Padma Vibhushan Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, Vinay Desai (santoor) began his studies under Takahiro Arai. He later moved back to USA to learn from Kunal Gunjal. To expand his knowledge in music, Vinay has learnt from many different Maestros. A dynamic and masterful performer, Vinay Desai has performed across the world. He has performed throughout India, Argentina, Canada, The Bahamas and the USA including Hawaii . He is known for his meditative and dynamic musical phrases. His devotion to the purity and the depth of Shivkumar Sharma's style comes forth in performance.
Race Brook Lodge is a hidden gem in The Berkshires, at the foot of Mt. Race and a short hike from the Appalachian trail. The yoga & event barn at Race Brook is simultaneously rustic and sublime, steeped in hundreds of years of New England history. The Stagecoach Tavern is unpretentious fine dining, exquisite farm-to-table cuisine in a relaxed atmosphere. Much of the food is sourced from Race Farm, right on the property!
