THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY College of Music presents
Indian Music Ensemble
Anchal Khansili, Director and
African Music Ensemble
Oluwaseun Oluwabusyi, Director
Friday, November 21, 2025
7:30 p.m. | Opperman Music Hall
To Ensure An Enjoyable Concert Experience For All…
Please refrain from talking, entering, or exiting during performances. Food and drink are prohibited in all concert halls. Recording or broadcasting of the concert by any means, including the use of digital cameras, cell phones, or other devices is expressly forbidden. Please deactivate all portable electronic devices including watches, cell phones, pagers, hand-held gaming devices or other electronic equipment that may distract the audience or performers.
Recording Notice: This performance may be recorded. Please note that members of the audience may at times be included in this process. By attending this performance you consent to have your image or likeness appear in any live or recorded video or other transmission or reproduction made in conjunction to the performance.
Florida State University provides accommodations for persons with disabilities. Please notify the College of Music at (850) 644-3424 at least five working days prior to a musical event to request accommodation for disability or alternative program format.
Hari Om (Kirtan)
Convergence (Carnatic Traditional)
Witihin You Without You (Indo-Western)
Raga Hansdhwani (Traditional)
Albela Sajan
Indian Music Ensemble
Anchal Khansili, Director
Jahnavi Harrison arr. Anchal Khansili
Rudresh Mahanthappa arr. Anchal Khansili
The Beatles arr. Anchal Khansili
arr. Anchal Khansili and Anuvind Gramathil
Bollywood | Ustad Sultan Khan arr. Anchal Khansili
Indian Music Ensemble Personnel
Ana Uribe Law, Daniel Cobbey, Anuvind Kalpetta Gramathil, Addy Burwell
Andres Sanchez, Raúl Parra, Panagiotis Christeas, Kuan-Yu Yang, Nicholas Montoya, Reo Morris
INTERMISSION
African Music Ensemble
Oluwaseun Oluwabusyi, Director
How are you my friend
Mokolo nakokufa
Solo: Kuan-Yu Yang
Solo: Marie Yonts
Johnny Drille
Tabu Ley Rochereau
Eye Adaba Asa
Solo: Oluwatimileyin Oluwabusuyi (Guest Singer)
Pawa Mbosso
Solo: Callie DeChant
Iyawo Ori Aja
Solo: Oluwaseun Oluwabusuyi
African Music Ensemble Personnel
Oluwaseun Oluwabusuyi, saxophone, clarinet, aerophone
Adedeji Adetayo
Taylin Hamilton, clarinet; Julian Bassett, lead guitar; Tia Stajkowski, bass guitar/cello
Panagiotis Christeas, conga; Akintunde Sam Obembe, percussion; Caleb Oluwatemilorun, drums
Hari Om, May All Be Blessed
In Indian culture, musical gatherings often begin with an invocation to seek blessings and set an auspicious tone. Hari Om (kirtan) serves this purpose for our program. A Kirtan is form of devotional singing, which originated in Vedic India and is practiced in Hinduism, Sikhism, and some Buddhist traditions. The word comes from the Sanskrit root meaning “to praise.” This piece was composed by Jahnavi Harrison, a Krishna devotee, and its text is drawn from the prayers of Prahlad Maharaj in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 5.18.9.
Convergence
Originally conceived as a fusion of Carnatic music and Western saxophone, this piece features the collaboration between Rudresh Mahanthappa and Kadri Gopalnath on the album Kinsmen. Mahanthappa, an acclaimed American saxophonist of Indian descent known for blending jazz with South Asian musical traditions, created this project as a tribute to his Indian roots and as a celebration of cross-cultural improvisation. Mahanthappa’s theme is reshaped for the ensemble’s unique combination of instruments. While inspired by the original collaboration, this version highlights a musical conversation, using improvisation to allow each performer to contribute their individual expression.
Within You Without You
Released in 1967 by The Beatles, this song reflects the early emergence of the sitar in Western popular music through George Harrison’s engagement with Indian classical music and his studies with Ravi Shankar. The Indian Ensemble presents a small-scale reinterpretation of the song, replacing the original orchestral textures with a blend of Indian and western instruments while preserving its cross-cultural spirit and exploratory character.
Raag Hansadhwani
A popular pentatonic (audava) raga in both Hindustani and Carnatic traditions, known for its bright, serene, and auspicious character. It is often performed in the early evening and is associated with themes of devotion. In this performance, Anchal, a North Indian classical vocalist, and Anuvind, a Carnatic vocalist, present the raga in their respective styles in teentaal, accompanied by flute and clarinet, adding a fresh sonic dimension to the raga presentation. The performance begins with a slow alap and gradually builds toward rapid, cascading taan passages that showcase the raga’s expressive depth.
Albela Sajan
Based on Raag Ahir Bhairav, this classical Hindi composition was popularized by Ustad Sultan Khan of the Indore gharana in the early 1970s. It was later adapted into the Bollywood film Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, sung by Ustad Sultan Khan himself. This performance blends two stylistic interpretations of the piece: one rooted in the Ahir Bhairav tradition and the other drawing from a Raag Bhupali -based adaptation.