A Little Lunch Music is an informal performance presented by Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art and musician Patrick McCurry, series coordinator. You can sit and listen to the entire performance, dine in the Museum Café from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., browse the shop, or explore the galleries.

On April 14 from noon to 1:00 pm, the series will present a free concert by the Auburn Indian Music Ensemble, a performing class at Auburn University made up of students and community members. The group is led by Dr. S. Raj Chaudhury and will perform traditional classical and semi-classical music from North India. The concert is being sponsored by Mr. & Mrs. Paul D. Peterson.

The AUBURN INDIAN MUSIC ENSEMBLE led by Dr. S. Raj Chaudhury comprises students in a semester long class where they learn fundamentals of Indian classical and semi-classical music. The students in the group come from varied musical, educational and cultural backgrounds and thus bring a rich diversity of experiences with them.

This music is based on the system of ragas (melodies) and talas (rhythms). The vocal performances of the group feature a variety of traditional instruments such as harmonium (organ), tabla (drums) and tanpura (drone). Bansuri (bamboo flute), sitar (six-stringed lute) and veena (South Indian lute) are instruments that are sometimes featured in the group’s compositions. The website auburnsangeet.wordpress.com has more about the class.

Trained in classical and semi-classical traditions of North Indian music, Dr. S. RAJ CHAUDHURY is the founding director of the Auburn Indian Music Ensemble, which was started in Fall 2010. His training is in the classical musics of North India with a focus on the music of Rabindranath Tagore. He has led similar music ensembles while a doctoral student at University of California, Los Angeles; at Christopher Newport University in Virginia; and within Indian cultural groups wherever he has lived in the United States. A vocalist by training, Dr. Chaudhury plays harmonium, tabla, and tanpura.

In 2015, Chaudhury joined the Office of the Provost at Auburn University as Special Assistant for International Programs and Auburn Online. He previously served as Associate Director of the Biggio Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning. His academic training is in Physics and Physics Education.

Raj Chaudhury, Director
Auburn Indian Music Ensemble