O Gaanewali - Celebrating the women of Thumri, Dadra and Ghazal

Avanti Patel is a hindustani classical vocalist, playback singer, composer and songwriter from Mumbai. Her musical journey started at the age of 5 with formal music lessons from her Guru, Smt Varsha Bhave. She completed her Sangeet Visharad and holds a Masters Degree in Hindustani Classical Vocal Music. She is currently the disciple of Vidushi Ashwini Bhide Deshpande of the Jaipur Atrauli Gharana. 
 Her areas of passion include Thumri and Semiclassical Music. Her show O Gaanewali and soon to release EP called "O Gaanewali Session 1" showcases the musical contribution of the Tawaifs from North Indian Art Music Traditions. The influence of this style is evident in her original music as well. She has composed and sung a Parvin Shakir Ghazal, Gaye Mausam, while Saiyaan Bina (feat. Anshuman Sharma) is an original Thumri. Recently seen in Indian Idol Season 10, Avanti reached the top 9 and has performed worldwide in 1000+ shows. Avanti holds a BA in Sociology and Anthropology from St Xavier’s College, Mumbai. She always wanted to create a confluence between her music and her academic disciplines. She interviewed 25+ women artists from the Indian Music industry in an Instagram Live series called ‘Equal Voices’, featuring multi genre vocalists, composers, lyricists, instrumentalists, sound engineers, producers and so on to talk about the lack of opportunities in the industry for women and non cis individuals.  

Rutuja Lad is a classical Indian vocalist and a visiting faculty member at S.N.D.T. University. She was initiated into music at a young age by her parents and later studied under Gaanyogini Dhondutai Kulkarni. She has also studied harmonium with Shri Sudhir Nayak, Learning the semi classical form from Smt Shubha Joshi ji  and is currently  under the tutelage of Padmashree Dr. Ashwini Bhide Deshpande.

Apoorv Petkar - Harmonium Son and disciple of Pandit Mukund Petkar, Apoorv has performed as an accompanying artist with several noteworthy musicians. He’s a multi-instrumentalist having proficiency in the Santoor, Vocals and Tabla. He has performed as a composer and soloist in several venues nationally as well as internationally.

Akshay Jadhav discovered his love for the tabla at a young age and has been performing ever since. Trained under the guidance of his father Shri Ashok jadhav and Taal yogi Pt. Suresh talwalkar, an MBA in E-commerce and a Master of Arts in Tabla, he chose to follow his passion. He has showcased his talent in films like Kalank, Laal Singh Chaddha, 83,  Chandu Champion to name a few. A globetrotting artist, Akshay has collaborated with musicians across genres, leaving a lasting impression on the world of music.

Sandeep Mishra hails from the renowned Sarangi Gharana (school) of Benaras, India. Since his childhood he had a flair for singing and acquired a high level proficiency in vocal singing under the guidance of his guru and grand father the great maestro late. Pandit Narayan Das Mishra. He had a strong inclination and talent in music, and received subsequent training and guidance under his grand father Pandit Bhagwan Das mishra - the world renowned Sarangi maestro and his father Pandit Santosh Kumar Mishra. SANDEEP has added a new innovation and style to his Sarangi by blending a contemporary approach to this traditional instrument without forsaking its purity. He can play at ease the nuances of the very pure classical Indian form of music and also the contemporary/modern music on Sarangi. He is a versatile performer collaborating with musicians from different genres and styles all over the world and creating new musical language. His performance is well reflected in his achievements in the field of Shastriya Sangeet. In this short span of his life sangeet has made an endeavor to revive the ancient style of this soul-touching instrument, the Sarangi. He has acquired the ‘tantakri’ and ‘gayaki’ style of playing Sarangi from his father and practiced it since his childhood. His unparallel talent allowed his seniors and gurus to call him a child prodigy.