After coming to the United States over two decades ago, Rita
Sahai continued her extensive music studies under the world
famous sarod maestro Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, who passed away in
2009. Impressed by her talent and passion toward music,
“Khansahib,” as she affectionately called her guru, gave her the
title Gayan Alankar (Jewel of Music).
Sahai, an acclaimed composer, performer, and teacher, tours
throughout the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and India. She is also in
demand at recording studios at home and abroad, where she
graciously lends her voice to many diverse musical projects,
including contributing vocal tracks for Grammy Award-winning
artist Béla Fleck and performing on Alonzo King’s Sacred
Texts, a CD of international music that won the Isadora
Duncan Award for music excellence. She has also collaborated on
several live musical productions with Jennifer Berezan’s “Edge of
Wonder” project.
Heni Savitri began to
study sindhènan (Javanese singing with
gamelan) in 2002. In 2003 she won the competition for best singer
in her native district of Wonogiri, Central Java. She entered the
Performing Arts Conservatory in Surakarta in 2004 and began
representing the institution in competitions the following year,
as well as performing in shadow plays. Upon enrolling in the
Indonesian Arts Academy in Surakarta she was selected as the
singer for many recordings of new faculty compositions and
traditional works, representing the academy in the 2008
international vocal competition in Jakarta. She has recently been
performing with gamelan groups in the United States, including at
the Indonesian Consulate in New York City, at Tufts University,
Cornell University, the Indonesian Embassy in Washington D.C.,
Earlham College, Friends of the Gamelan Chicago, and with Sumunar
Gamelan in Minnesota.
