Sulochana Brahaspati

Sulochana Brahaspati is one of the top vocalists of the Indian classical music style, khyral, which blends religious Hindu music, Persian music and Sufi music. A member of the Rampu Gharana (music school), Brahaspati has mastered the gharana's approach which begins with a poem in an ultra-slow tempo and is followed by a poem in a medium tempo and a highly-improvised poem at a fast tempo. Much of Brahaspati's repertoire was composed by her husband, Dr. Acharya K.C. D. Brahaspati, a well known musician and musicologist. As a youngster, Brahaspati studied classical Indian singing with Pandit Bholanath Bhatta. She continued her studies as a teenager, working with Ustad Mushtak Hussein Khan, the star of the Sahaswan/Ranpur Gharana. Brahaspati was accompanied by musicians who played with Khan more than fifty years ago. ~ Craig Harris