Audience Review – Toronto

It was a phenomenal show….Arnob er voice niye notun kore bolar kichhu nai…but I couldn’t take my eyes off of Andrew and not only cuz he’s a nice piece of work…he was amazing with the sax! and there were moments when I forgot to clap after a song was done cuz i was so mesmerized by the whole performance… was a little disappointed cuz he didn’t play too many of the songs that are really close to my heart like “bhalobasha tar por” but no complaints really… the crowd was amazing…it was a full-house..a sold-out show (500+ ppl) and I think the band loved the crowd response… er modhhe abar AG-related ekta chhoto vdo o shoot kora hoilo with the crowd, the organizers and the performers themselves… stay tuned for that, it should be up soon, right Fay?
lastly, Nazia was probably the biggest surprise of the night…her “Piya ki Nazaria” left me speechless…fabulous definitely a night that I won’t be forgetting anytime soon

New York, Toronto will be rocked this weekend..

By now, you all have been inundated perhaps with invites to go to this concert which has created tremendous buzz in the probashi community. 
 
The DC and Austin concert has concluded amid stupendous review.
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Now the final leg of the tour starts with concert in New York and Toronto this Saturday and Sunday and the final concert in London on Thursday.  Tickets are flying off the shelf.  But about 200 tickets will be available at the door.  So please go there early.
 
Tell your friends and get your own ticket as soon as possible.
 
New York ticket: http://www.symphonyspace.org/event/2744
 
Toronto Ticket: http://www.etickets.to/buy/?e=1665
 
London ticket: http://www.drishtipat.org/concert2008/london.html
 
We had a press conference last night in New York which was attended by fifteen journalists from print and electronic media.  So expect some good coverage.  Volunteers are working round the clock to make it a memorable event.  Come one and come all.
 
Asif
from New York

Arnob conquers DC!

I am looking for words here yet I can’t find the right ones. I don’t know how to describe what happened last night at the Arnob Concert in DC. Because it was something only someone who was there in person could feel and understand for themselves. This is my 11th year in Washington DC and this is the first time I have seen a group of musicians who made the audience soak in musicals bliss. There were 350 of us who went through a spiritual experience while Arnob, Andrew, Nazia, Dhrubo, Nazrul and Jibon played from their hearts, sang from their souls. Nazia’s voice brought tears to the some eyes, people left wanting more. Arnob sang “Tui Lal paharer deshe ja” to “Se je boshe ache” ending with one of the most upbeat polli giti that had the whole hall dancing, even the uncles and the aunties. I have already gotten requests to bring them back again, questions like “when is the next show?” “can’t they do another one in DC?”

Arnob and Friends world tour has just started. I know they will rock Austin, New York, Toronto and London. They are excited, their energy is at the highest and you will see it for yourself when they come to your town. Don’t miss this, it’s a piece of Desh, a piece of heaven, a piece of you that you had forgotten about… come share the bliss!

T Dot eagerly awaits…

“Bhai please please…I need the VIP tickets!!”

Frantic calls like these have been pretty regular since last week for us here in Toronto. There are 7 days left and between all the planning, fundraising and ticket selling, its actually been a great experience seeing people getting excited for this long awaited event.

If you still dont have  ticket, you have a couple of options

1. http://www.etickets.to/buy/?e=1665

2.  Call 647 895 3920 and book your ticket

We have our opening line up confirmed with Sasha Ghoshal and Armeen Musa from London.

While being a student of law, music remains Sasha’s greatest passion. He is a rising star in the Bengali music scene.

Born and raised in Toronto, Canada, Sasha Ghoshal studied piano at the Royal Conservatory of Music while training in Indian Classical music under Sangeet Praveen Shanti Chakravorty. Sri Ashok Das of the Gitabitan School of Music then introduced him to Rabindrasangeet. While in India, he receives Classical training from Pt. Arun Bhaduri of the Sangeet Research Academy (Hindustani Classical), Pt Falguni Mitra of the SRA (Dhrupad) and Rabindrasangeet training from Smt Pramita Mallick.
Sasha is a three-time recipient of the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute Arts Fellowship, an “A-Grade” artist of ETV, and is invited to perform on national Indian television and across India and North America.  His various performances have been highly lauded by critics and fans alike.
A SaReGaMa (HMV) India Ltd. Artist, he has released two solo albums, “Magno” (2005) and “Piyashi” (2006) as well as a DVD version of “Valmiki Pratibha” (2007).

They are Here! They are ROCKING!

Arnob and Gang arrived tuesday. After two days of journey we were a bit worried they wouldn’t be in the best possible shape however to our surprise we were greeted with big smiles and they were all in great spirits.  Arnob, Andrew, Jibon, Dhrubo, Nazrul and Nazia have been blowing our minds during their rehearsal sessions, I literally had chills from their voices, from the music they created. They are all looking forward to performing this Saturday October 18th at the 6th and I Synagogue in DC and eager to see you all there.

We are in Day 3 of the world tour, we have got press conferences lined up for today and some more exciting plans.  We are truly amazed with the talent this group holds. Arnob’s Shantinektoni training, Nazia’s beautiful raagas and folk pieces with Nazrul’s dhol and Andrew’s saxophone is ground breaking. Jibon and Dhrubo are the amazingly fabulous artists. Seriously proud of the new generation after listening to them.

I can assure you that you will have tears in your eyes, once you listen to Arnob’s “Tui lal paharer deshe ja, ranga mati er deshe ja, hethai tore manai sena go, ekkebare manai sena go”

Come share the joy!  Below are some pictures from the rehearsal..

10 days and counting in NY!!

I can’t believe the concert in NY is nearly upon us! I woke up this morning, excited and petrified at the thought that Arnob and the band will be in NY this time next week.

The preparations are on-going in NY. The Press Conference has been set for the 23rd, the invitations have been sent out. Brightly hued glossy posters are being plastered in each and every possible location in Manhattan and Queens. Thousands of postcards which contain the concert information are being distributed by all our members. The TV ad has gone out, so has ads in Bangladeshi newspapers, and emails to numerous student associations. The NY team has been working relentlessly, day and night to make this concert a huge success. Its really amazing to see everyone’s unflagging enthusiasm.  There are times when we all have been frustrated but overall it has been an exhiliriating experience and continues to be so!

We are excited in NY and we hope you are just as excited as we are!! So buy your ticket, come to the concert, make sure you don’t miss this incredible event!

Tickets are available at http://www.symphonyspace.org/ event/2744. Tickets are also available via telephone at 212.864.5400 (from Tues-Sun 11 am – 7 pm).

You can also pick up the tickets at:

– Manhattan: Box Office of Symphony Space at Broadway and 95th St
– Jackson Heights: Disco Recording (37-15 73rd St, ph: 718-639-8217)
– Jamaica: Somoy Boi Bichitra (87-53 167th St, ph: 917-603-8966)

and the show begins…

The stars arrive in Washington DC.

Arnob and Friends have safely arrived Washington DC! They are very excited about their first concert in DC this Saturday October 18, 2008 at the 6th and I, Synagogue followed by New York, Toronto and London! They are eager to meet you all so please buy your tickets if you haven’t yet at http://www.drishitpat.org/concert2008

DC show tickets on sale here

Let’s get the show started!

Go Drishtipat!

Iffat

London Calling

The tickets in London are flying fast. Not only people are excited about Arnob’s second tour in London but people are really excited also about the stunning line up of supporting cast in the cast.

Just take a look at the line up.

Austin Date added: Oct 21st

Great news for fans of Arnob in Texas. Due to massive request, Arnob has agreed to fly down to Austin to do a mid week concert on October 21st. Hope all you Texan fans can come and join in.

Status of Chicago Concert

FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION

Oct 6th

Dear Friends,

We are sorry to inform you that the Drishtipat Unheard Voices Concert scheduled for October 11th in Chicago has had to be cancelled.

The USCIS delayed approval of the P3 petition required to for Arnob and his band to perform in the US. While the P3 has subsequently been approved and Arnob has secured  the US visa and is set to come to the US on October 14th. The delays had put the first scheduled US concert in Chicago in jeopardy. After careful consideration of available options, we’ve decided to cancel the October 11th show in Chicago. The concerts scheduled for Washington D.C, New York, Toronto and London will, however, go ahead as planned (see http://www.drishtipat.org/concert2008/ ).

For those of you who have already purchased tickets, we have made arrangements for the North Shore Center for Performing Arts to issue a full refund including any service fees you may have paid. The Box Office number is (847) 673-6300.

Despite the disappointment some of you have asked how you may continue to support Drishtipat’s good causes. So far we have raised $8500 towards our two causes for 2009: