Born in Allahabad India, Rita was accepted at the age of nine as a disciple of renowned vocalist, Pandit Rama Shankar Mishra who groomed her in the romantic Benares Gharana style. After coming to the United States Rita continued her studies under the world famous sarod maestro Ustad Ali Akbar Khan where she trained in the Seni Allaudin Gharana style known for its creativity and purity of ragas. Impressed by her talent and passion towards music, Khan Sahib has given her the title “Gayan Alankar” (Jewell of Music). Rita, an acclaimed composer and performer, tours extensively throughout the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and India. She is also in demand at recording studios at home and abroad where she graciously lends her voice to many diverse musical projects including laying down vocal trax for Grammy Award winning blue grass artist Bella Fleck and performing on Alonzo Kings Sacred Texts, a CD of international music that won the Isadora Duncan award for music excellence. She has produced several CDs of her own, one of which, Rangamalika, is currently entered to be considered as a Grammy nomination.
As a student of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan for many years, Jennifer has had the opportunity to accompany many Hindustani Classical vocalists and instrumentalists. She is also a well known recording artist in the world of western contemporary music.
Rachel is studying Hindustani classical Music at the Ali Akbar college of Music. She is learning instrumental and vocal music with Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and tabla with Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri.
Jerry Barr has been a percussionist since a small child. He formally studied and performed jazz and rock drums for 15 years, as well as African and Afro-Cuban Percussion. In 1995, he began studying tabla with Ustad Zakir Hussain, and has been learning from him ever since. Since 2000, he performs regularly in Hindustani Classical Concerts with local and visiting artists such as Rita Sahai, Gayatri Kaundinya, Veena Pani Sukhla, and Subendu Ghosh. He also performs regularly for Bhajan concerts by both Hindustani and Carnatic singers in many Bay Area Hindu Temples. In Febuary of 2007, he provided rare tabla accompanyment for an all-night Carrnatic concert with vocalist Ramesh Hariharan for the Maha Shiva Ratri. He is also a member of Tamil music group Raagalaya. He teaches tabla to beginners, and is an elementary public school teacher in Richmond.