Posted on 13 August 2026:

A Tribute in Ragas: Hammond Museum’s Indian Classical Music Lecture-Demonstration and Concert Honors the Legacy of Pandit Shivkumar Sharma

Indian Classical Music Concert at Hammond Museum & Japanese Stroll Garden — In Memory of Pandit Shivkumar Sharma

Relive the Hammond Museum’s August 8, 2026 Indian Classical Music Lecture-Demonstration and Concert in North Salem, NY — a moving tribute to the late Padma Vibhushan Pandit Shivkumar Sharma featuring sitar maestro Pandit Sugato Nag.

On Saturday, August 8, 2026, the tranquil grounds of the Hammond Museum and Japanese Stroll Garden in North Salem, New York, resonated with the timeless sounds of Indian classical music. The occasion was as poignant as it was celebratory: a full-day Lecture-Demonstration and Concert held in loving memory of the legendary santoor virtuoso Padma Vibhushan Pandit Shivkumar Sharma (1938–2022), whose music reshaped the world’s understanding of the santoor as a classical concert instrument.

Set against the quiet elegance of the museum’s Japanese-inspired landscape, the event wove together scholarship, mentorship and performance into a single unforgettable afternoon and evening — a fitting homage to an artist who spent his life doing exactly that.

An Afternoon of Insight: The Free Lecture-Demonstration

The day opened at 2:00 pm with a free Lecture-Demonstration, generously open to the public, led by renowned sitar maestro Pandit Sugato Nag.

Pandit Sugato Nag — a sitar virtuoso whose artistry fuses the lyrical gayaki ang of Ustad Vilayat Khan with the profound raagdari and intricate strokes of the Senia‑Shahjahanpur lineage, nurtured under Padmabhushan Pandit Buddhadev Das Gupta and Pandit Radhika Mohan Maitra. An A‑grade artist of All India Radio and Doordarshan, empaneled with ICCR, he has graced stages across India and the world, weaving resonant dialogues with tabla legends like Pandit Anindo Chatterjee, Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri, and the late Pandit Subhankar Banerjee — a journey of depth, lyricism and timeless resonance.

Pandit Nag guided attendees through the architecture of Indian classical music — its ragas, rhythmic cycles, and improvisational spirit — offering both newcomers and seasoned listeners a deeper appreciation of the tradition they were about to experience in full flower. It was scholarship delivered with warmth, the kind of session that turns passive listeners into active participants in the music that followed.

RISING VOICES: THE STUDENT PERFORMANCE

As the golden afternoon light settled over the garden, the stage was handed to the next generation.

From 4:30 to 5:00 pm, young vocalists Rhea Narayanan and Iniya Padmanabhan took center stage, their voices carrying the emotional depth that Indian classical vocal music demands. They were beautifully supported by Bhargava Sridhar on violin and Rohan Narayanan on mridangam, whose interplay lent the performance both rhythmic precision and melodic grace. It was a quiet reminder that the traditions being celebrated that day are very much alive — carried forward by dedicated young artists.

THE MAIN CONCERT: SITAR, SANTOOR AND A LEGACY HONORED

The evening’s centerpiece arrived at 6:00 pm, when Pandit Sugato Nag returned to the stage, this time for a full sitar recital accompanied by the masterful tabla work of Amit Kavthekar –ganda‑bandh shishya of Ustad Allarakha and disciple of Ustad Zakir Hussain — embodies rhythm itself. From Google Talks with Ustad Amjad Ali Khan to the United Nations Day Concert, his tabla has conversed with maestros and world ensembles, bridging classical, jazz, and global fusion with timeless brilliance.

Their exchange unfolded with the mesmeric Indian classical performance — melody and rhythm in constant, elegant conversation. Following a brief intermission, the concert reached its emotional heart: a santoor performance by Kunal Gunjal, again accompanied by Amit Kavthekar on tabla.

Given the santoor’s singular association with Pandit Shivkumar Sharma — the very artist this evening was created to honor — Gunjal’s performance carried an added layer of meaning. Each shimmering note felt like a continuation of Sharma’s own musical lineage, a passing of the torch rendered audible.

Kunal Gunjal — a radiant voice of the santoor — has graced the stage of NCPA and opened the Gunidas Sangeet Samelan for the legendary Ustad Zakir Hussain. Honored with the Dr. Vasantrao Deshpande Yuva Kalakar Puraskar, felicitated at Vedic Heritage (NY) by Sangeet Martand Pandit Jasraj, and recipient of national scholarships from the Ministry of Culture and Sawai Gandharva, his journey is adorned with rare accolades.

In 2019, his groundbreaking album blending santoor with Western film score music won the Global Music Award in World Music and earned a nomination at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards — a testament to his innovation and timeless artistry.

A GATHERING ROOTED IN COMMUNITY AND CRAFT

Beyond the performances themselves, the evening offered attendees a chance to unwind between sets, with food and light entertainment available throughout the breaks — turning the concert into as much a gathering as a performance.

The event was made possible with support from The New York Community Trust – Westchester’s Arts and Creative Expression Fund, underscoring the broader community investment in keeping classical Indian arts accessible and thriving in the region.

Remembering the Man Behind the Music

It is worth pausing on the figure this entire day was built around. Pandit Shivkumar Sharma spent decades elevating the santoor — once considered a folk instrument — into a respected voice within Indian classical concert halls worldwide.

His passing in 2022 left a profound void, but afternoons like this one at the Hammond Museum ensure his influence continues to ripple outward, through artists like Kunal Gunjal, through students like Rhea Narayanan and Iniya Padmanabhan, and through every listener who left the garden humming a raga they’d never heard before that day.