NIHAR MEHTA comes from one of the foremost and respected families of Philosophers and Musicians of Ahmedabad. His great grand father late Diwan Bahadur Narmadashankar Mehta was a well known Vedantist and Philosopher of India. His grand father late Yashodhar Mehta was a Barrister and prominent Philosopher, Novelist and Astrologer of Gujarat. The family is also active in teaching and promoting Indian classical music through their well known Music Institute "SAPTAK" in Ahmedabad. "SAPTAK" a Public Charitable Trust was founded in the year 1980 by his Uncle Nandan Mehta.
Since music was in the family, it became a second nature for Nihar and right from the age of 12 he started learning Tabla from his father Murari Mehta who himself was a Pakhawaj player. Then he took his further training from his uncle Nandan Mehta at SAPTAK School of Music Ahmedabad. As his uncle Nandan Mehta who is a disciple of the great Tabla master of Banaras Gharana Pt.Kishan Maharaj, Nihar was hence fortunate enough to learn Table from Pt.Kishan Maharaji himself. Nihar's style of playing Tabla is of 'Banaras Gharana'. Currently, he is closely associated with Saptak School of Music and has been learning under his Uncle and Guru Nandan Mehta and also from Pt.Puran Maharaj, son of Pt. Kishan Maharaj.
Nihar performs regularly on the All India Radio and Television as a‘B High' grade artist since 1996. Nihar was awarded first in the prestigious "Pt.Omkarnath Music Competition" in 1994. He was also judged first and was selected to represent his state for the National Youth Festival in 1995. He also played Tabla in the popular play "JI SHABNAM BIBI" under Sutra Production and National Institute of Design at PRITHVI THEATRE Mumbai, NATRANI THEATRE Ahmedabad and GANNA SANSTHAN Lucknow in 1999.
Nihar has accompanied with well known artists like Ustad Shahid Parvez Pt.Jasraj, Pt. Amarnath Mishra, Pt. Ramesh Mishra, Manju Mehta, Krishna Bhatt, Ustad Shaukat Hussain Khan, Shri Shubhendra Rao, Kala Ramnath, Purbayan Chattarjee, Pt Tarun Bhattacharya, Anupama Bhagwat and many other artists. He has also presented Tabla Solo performances several times.
Nihar has performed in many prestigious Music concerts like ‘The Saptak Annual Music Festival', ‘The Sankalp Music Festival', Gujarat State Sangeet Natak Academy Music Festival, Gujarat State Music Festival, Pt Omkarnath Music Festival, Tana-Riri Music Festival and many other private concerts to name a few in India.
Nihar has also given recitals in London-UK, ‘Asian-American Heritage Festival'-Chicago, Schaumburg-Illinois, Milwaukee-Wisconsin, New Jersey in the USA. While in the USA, Nihar has also imparted Tabla Lessons to many senior Indian and American Students in Chicago..On his tour to Europe in June-2002 & 2003, Nihar had performed with the European Fusion Group ‘KABUL WORKSHOP' based in Lyon-France at Jazz concerts in Lyon-France, Arizzo-Italy, Bonn-Germany and Fribourg-Switzerland.
Main Festival in India
- Saptak Festival
- Sankalp Music Festival
- Sangeet Natak Academy Music Festival
- Gujarat State Music Festival
- Omkarnath Music Festival
- Tana-Riri Festival
Main Performances
- 2008 Pro Gitar, Concerts at Munchen Museum & Muster music High School. (Germany).
- 2008 Homage à Alain Danielou, Centro studi Alain Danielou, Zagarolo-Rome, (Italie).
- 2008 Ekphrasis 2008 Concert à la Fondazione del Disegno , Meina Lago Maggiore, (Italie).
- 2008 Concert de musique classique de L’inde à la conservatoire de Vicenza, (Italie).
- 2008 Centre for performance research. Aberystwyth, Wales, G.B.
- 2008 Special Guest with Odwalla à Euro Jazz Festival, Ivrea, (Italie).
- 2007 Concert à la Salle de l’Académie de la musique ancienne, Le Thoronet, (France).
- 2007 Concert avec Jean-Pierre DROUET à la Fondazione del Disegno, Meina. (Italie).
(invité par M.Valerio ADAMI).
- 2007 Concert organisé par la ville de Viterbo / Incontro con India 2007, Fondi et séminaire au conservatoire de Turin, (Italie).
- 2007/2006 Concerts au Festival SAPTAK Ahmedabad, (Inde).
- 2006 Concert de Musique du Monde, Centre Culturel de la Providence, Nice, (France).
- 2006 Concerts au Festival Musica Antica del Mediterraneo, Bari, Brindisi, Matera, (Italie).
- 2006 Concert au Museo d’arte Contemporanea, Ville de Lissone, (Italie).
- 2006 Concert au festival de Trélazé, organisé par la Mairie de Trélazé, (France).
- 2006 Concert et conférence à ACANTHES, Metz, (France). (Invité par M.Claude SAMUEL).
- 2005 Concert à l’inauguration du Film Festival of Popolieregione, Terni, (Italie).
- 2005 Concerts au World Music Festival à Oslo et au festival Borealis, Bergen, (Norvège).
- 2004 Concert à la Fondazione del Disegno , Meina (Italie) & concert à l’espace des Arts, Le Pradet, (France).
- 2003 Concert Shringara à l’Espace Teatro convenzionato de Turin, (Italie).
- 2003 Tournée avec le groupe de fusion Kabul-Workshop Arezzo wave festivals (Italie), Jazz Parade Fribourg, (Suisse).
- 2001 Festival Saptak, Ahmedabad, (Inde).
- 2000 Festival de l’héritage Américano-asiatique, Chicago & concert à l’université de Milwaukee, (U.S.A).
- 1999 Tournée en Inde au sein Ji Shabnam Bibi produit par le National Institut of Design, au Prithvi theatre à Bombay, au Natrani theatre à Ahmedabad et au Ganna Shansthan à Lucknow.
- 1996 Certificat officiel délivré lors d’ une audition par All India Radio et par la Télévision Nationale en tant qu’artiste de grade « B high ».
- 1995 Sélectionné pour représenter son Etat, le Gujerat, lors du Festival National des jeunes virtuoses de la musique classique.
- 1994 Reçoit le 1er prix lors de la compétition de musique de Omkarnath à Ahmedabad, (Inde).
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