Raga Bhairav presented by Prof. Ojesh Pratap Singh

Biodata

It is a voice that holds the audience spellbound with its enigmatic finesse. A gifted vocalist, Ojesh has a melodious and supple voice that can delve into the depths of melody and explore a wide range of notes with its sheer strength of volume. He is a seasoned vocalist whose performances are marked by his acute sense of aesthetical embellishment and improvisation, conscious approach towards the purity of raga, form and the literary content. Not only the audience, but eminent music critics also have also acclaimed the innovative beauty of his impeccable renderings.
His singing bears the stamp of years of training and dedicated practice, which began at the impressionable age of five. His first teacher was none other than his music loving father, who weaned and inspired him into music, never to look back.
The first step turned into a stride for excellence and knowledge about the nuances of Hindustani music. This set the course of training for Ojesh from learned masters of music, beginning with Ustad Ghulam Siraj Khan of Rampur-Sahaswan Gharana (tradition), followed by Pandit Mahadev Govind Deshpande, an outstanding disciple of Pt. Vinayak Rao Patwardhan of Gwalior Gharana. An artist, who believes that music is fathomless in content, Ojesh is one of the senior disciples of Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar (‘Padma Shri’), who is one of the finest vocalists of the country and the renowned exponent of Gwalior, Jaipur & Agra Gharanas.
His quest to learn about the rich traditions of Hindustani music took him to the portals of higher education. Ojesh completed his post-graduation with distinction in Hindustani vocal music and topped in M.Phil. from the University of Delhi. He then completed his Ph.D. with Research Fellowship, on the subject -“Role and importance of literary content in the compositions in Hindustani vocal music”. He has authored a book on this subject, titled “Hindustani Sangeet Mein Sahitya”. Ojesh was also awarded the prestigious ‘National Scholarship’, from the Government of India during 1990-92, for pursuing his study of music. He has been teaching Hindustani music for more than two and a half decades at the University level and is a Professor in Hindustani vocal music in the Faculty of Music & Fine Arts, University of Delhi, Delhi. During his long academic career, he has delivered lectures and conducted workshops also at various places within the country and abroad.
Ojesh is an ‘A’ grade artist of All India Radio and empanelled with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations for their foreign cultural exchange programs. He has performed in numerous concerts in India, as well as China, England, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Mauritius. Some of the prestigious awards, that Ojesh has received from different renowned organisations, are ‘Sur Mani’, ‘Naad shri’, ‘Gaan Ratna’, ‘Sangit Bhaskar’, ‘Sur Srijan Shikhar Samman’. Many audio-video clippings of his performances are available for viewing on his Youtube channel - ‘Naadanand’.