The Sacred Music Sessions – Raga Concert 1
Note: This concert is in edit. The first half is posted here. The second half will be added shortly.

Musicians left to right:

Mark “Gangadar” Gerhard (Tabla), Christopher Ris (Sarod), Rhonda Gerhard (Tanpura),  &  Peter Van Gelder (Sitar)

Music Selections:
Raga 1: Rag Alamolaya; Alap and gat in slow tintal.
Musicians: Christopher Ris solo  with Mark “Gangadar” Gerhard tabla and Rhonda Gerhard tanpura.

Raga 2: Alap in Rag Desh Malhar, gat in rag Tilak Kamod in slow and fast tintal.
Musicians: Peter Van Gelder solo with Mark “Gangadar” Gerhard tabla and Rhonda Gerhard tanpura:

Raga 3:  Rag Madhuvanti, alap and gats in slow and fast tintal.
Musicians: Peter Van Gelder and Christopher Ris, sitar/sarod duet with Mark “Gangadar” Gerhard tabla and Rhonda Gerhard tanpura:

Raga 4: Rag Khammaj; alap, gat in sitar khani (16 beats) and fast tintal.
Musicians: Peter Van Gelder and Christopher Ris, sitar/sarod duet with Mark “Gangadar” Gerhard tabla and Rhonda Gerhard tanpura

Musicain Bios:
Peter van Gelder
is one of the first disciples of the legendary late Maestro Ali Akbar Khan. His sitar performances have won praise from audiences worldwide for their depth and adherence to the Seni family tradition. He is an instructor at Ali Akbar College of Music in San Rafael, California.

Christopher Ris began his studies under Ali Akbar Khan in 1971.  He has performed extensively in the United States, Europe and India both as a soloist, principal accompanist to Kathak dancer Chitresh Das and with the New Maihar Band.  He has composed and recorded music for three documentary films and an episode of the Young Indiana Jones television series.

Mark Gangadhar Gerhard first learned Tabla under Pandit Shankar Ghosh in 1970 and then with Pandit Jnan Prakash Ghosh . He has performed with G.S. Sachdev, has toured and recorded with Allen Ginsburg, Jai Uttal and numerous others over the past 45 years. He also learned Bengali Baul music from the family of Purna Das Baul in Shantineketin, Bengal.

Rhonda Gerhard has been playing the tanpura for the past 10 years at numerous concert performances, spiritual gatherings and Indian weddings. She has accompanied various musicians including Peter Van Gelder, Christopher Ris, Teed Rockwell and Mark Gerhard.  She combines meditation practices with tanpura playing to create an uplifting experience for all.

About the concert Series:
A small select group of musicians are invited to perform in front of a live audience in an intimate setting and be videoed and audio recorded. The finished concerts are streamed free of charge. The artists get a copy of the audio tracks and can use the video for their promotion. All door proceeds are given to the artists.