February 16, 2006
For immediate release

Contact:
Shivanthi Sathanandan (651-698-0774 / shivanthi@...)
A. Pavan (612-508-3716 / pavan@...)

Indian Music Society of Minnesota (IMSOM)
KIDS AID USA (KAUSA)
Minnesota Orchestra and
Pangea World Theater

are proud to announce

World renowned Tabla wizard Ustad Zakir Hussain presents "Masters of
Percussion"

(A special feature of this ensemble in 2006 will be the presence of
the acrobatic dancer drummers of Manipuri Jagoi Marup from Manipur,
India)

A portion of the proceeds from this concert will benefit the victims
of the 2005 Tsunami disaster in India and Sri Lanka.

Zakir Hussain presents "Masters of Percussion"
Monday, May 15, 2006, 7:30PM, at the Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis.
Tickets: $17, $22, $32, $52. Group discounts available.

Tickets are available for purchase NOW.

For purchasing tickets call 612-371-5656 or go to:
www.minnesotaorchestra.org

The inimitable Indian Classical/World Music Tabla virtuoso Zakir
Hussain presents the "Masters of Percussion" in Minneapolis on
Monday, May 15, 2006 at the Orchestra Hall. Under the direction of
percussion legend Ustad Zakir Hussain, the concert offers the
listener an opportunity to experience both, the melodic (Raga) and
the rhythmic (Tala) development, as well as witness the dazzling and
athletic dancing drummers of Manipur. The ensemble includes the great
Sarangi maestro Ustad Sultan Khan and the young Sitar virtuoso
Niladri Kumar.

A Tabla exponent of the highest order, Zakir Hussain straddles both
the fields of Indian classical and world music with equal ease. A
favorite accompanist for many of India's greatest musicians and
dancers, from Ali Akbar Khan and Ravi Shankar to Birju Maharaj and
Shivkumar Sharma, he has not let his genius rest there. His playing
is marked by uncanny intuition and masterful improvisational
dexterity founded in formidable knowledge and study. In the Masters
of Percussion concert, Hussain will be joined by an exciting team of
master percussionists, musicians and dancers comprising, the
following:

Fazal Qureshi (Tabla, Djembe, Percussion), Bhavani Shankar (Pakhawaj
(barrel shaped drum of North India)), Taufiq Qureshi (drums,
percussion), Manipuri Jagoi Marup (dancing drummers from Manipur,
India) with special guests Sultan Khan (Sarangi (bowed lute of North
India)) and Niladri Kumar (Sitar (stringed lute of North India)).

The concert will feature the traditional repertoire of North Indian
drumming on Tabla in solo and duet. This will be followed by a
confluence of Indian drumming styles and dance in a rousing
performance by the artistes, with excursions exploring the frontier
between folk and classical, between traditional and contemporary.
This is a one of a kind concert and a delectable treat is in store
indeed for all music lovers in the Twin Cities.

A portion of the proceeds from this concert will benefit the victims
of the Tsunami in India and Sri Lanka.

This concert is made possible by an award from the National Endowment
for the Arts' (NEA) Access to Artistic Excellence (in Folk and
Traditional Arts) Grant and an award from the Xcel Energy
Foundation's Arts and Culture Grant.

Co-presented by Indian Music Society of Minnesota (IMSOM), KIDS AID
USA (KAUSA), Minnesota Orchestra and Pangea World Theater.