Instrumental Faculty

Pramantha is a sarod performer and ethnomusicologist whose work spans Hindustani classical music, Middle Eastern modal traditions, and global collaborative performance. Recognised as an empanelled artiste of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and a graded performer at All India Radio (AIR, New Delhi), his artistic practice integrates performance with sustained intercultural engagement across India, Australia, and the United States. His work encompasses institutional collaborations and creative research initiatives associated with the University of Chicago, where he is currently a Neubauer Family Foundation Distinguished Doctoral Fellow, and the International Balzan Foundation, reflecting his commitment to understanding how musical traditions travel, adapt, and create shared artistic spaces. Alongside his performance career, Pramantha is deeply involved in ensemble leadership, collaborative music-making, and research on musical institutions. He serves as Co-Director of the University of Chicago’s South Asian Music Ensemble, was co-founder and organiser of Chicago Mehfil, and is a founding member of The Modal Collective, a Chicagoland-based ensemble exploring cross-cultural modal sound worlds through sarod, flute, oud, violin, and a rotating roster of musicians. Building on earlier creative initiatives such as the Borderlands Ensemble, his work continues to foster meaningful musical dialogue, grounded pedagogy, and thoughtful exploration across traditions while remaining rooted in the discipline and expressive depth of Hindustani art music. He also contributes writing on the history, politics, and social life of music in modern South Asia.

An Atlanta-resident and an ex-Houstonian, Biplab is a well-known violinist, who hails from a musical family in Kolkata. Trained in the Hindustani Classical form of music, he was initiated to violin at the tender age of ten by his father Sri Bimal Samadder, a disciple of maestro Pandit V. G. Jog. Later on, Biplab was under the prolonged tutelage of the sitar virtuoso Pandit Deepak Chaudhury, a senior disciple of maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar. Biplab also received lessons from violin virtuoso Dr. Sisirkana Dhar Choudhury. Apart from his core specialization as a classical soloist, Biplab collaborates with many other forms of music, ranging from Rabindra Sangeet, to Fusions and Crossovers. In his professional avatar, Biplab is a Delivery Manager for Decision Sciences at Delta Airlines.