Sumeet Anand Pandey :Dhrupad Vocalist, Darbhanga Tradition

Sumeet sees himself as a progressive traditionalist and that is true of his musical expressions aswell. His childhood training under his grandfather Shri Birendra Mohan Pandey{Son and disciple of(Bihar Ratna) Pandit Ram Prasad Pandey} and occasional guidance from his maternal grandfather PanditSiyaram Tiwari gave him a solid foundation.

Born in an illustrious lineage of Dhrupad vocalists from Darbhanga tradition, he was privilegedto grow up in a musically rich atmosphere.

After completing university education in Science and Management, he came under the tutelage ofPandit Abhay Narayan Mallick, grandnephew and master disciple of Pandit Ram Chatur Mallick, whomoulded Sumeet in to a professional Dhrupadiya. Today as one of the most promising talents inDhrupad, he strives to present Dhrupad of Darbhanga tradition in its traditional form, which laysequal emphasis on melodic expanse (alap) and composition (pada).

He revels in the upaj based rhythmic improvisations, also known as layakari, which is synonymouswith Darbhanga tradition. Sumeet broadcasts from All India Radio (A.I.R) New Delhi and regularlypresents dhrupad recitals in music festivals across India.

He is an empanelled artist of Indian Council of Cultural Relations (I.C.C.R) and he has presentedDhrupad recitals in Berlin, Hague, London, Prague, Budapest and Paris. Besides being a Dhrupadvocalist, Sumeet collaborates with a range of musicians and genres from all over the world. He alsoputs his research and management experience to the service of music as a festival curator,organiser, thinker, speaker, writer and trainer.