Subhra Guha

Biography

Subhra Guha was born in Calcutta in 1956. Her family encouraged her to pursue Hindustani classical music, as she showed talent in music from a young age. Initially, she learnt music under the guru Satish Bhowmick. From 1970, she trained in singing in Agra gharana style under Pandit Sunil Bose. From 1982, for ten years, she was a student at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy in Kolkata where she was taught by Pandit K. G. Ginde and Bhowmick. She learned thumri rendition from D. T. Joshi. In spite of the macho nature of the Agra gharana style of music, with her own sense of layakari (everything related to rhythm) and strong tone, she became proficient by creating her own style of gayaki under the guidance of Pandit Vijay Kichlu, director of the academy. She joined the academy as guru and taught between 1992 and 2003 and again in recent years. She is the only woman, as student of the academy, to be appointed as guru in the same institution.

In 2006, Guha was involved in many teaching assignments in the US. She recorded playback music for the Goutam Ghose's film, Yatra. She gives performances regularly on the All India Radio and Doordarshan.

Performances

Guha has performed in many concerts nationally, and internationally in USA, Europe and Asia. She has recorded albums for HMV, and many other recording companies. Guha gave a concert at the Vishnu Digambar Jayanti Music Festival in New Delhi in August 2001. She participated at the Malhar Festival held by ITC Sangeet Natak Research Academy in G. D .Birla Sabhaghar, Kolkata when Ashoke Mukherjee and Rupashree Bhattacharya accompanied her on the tabla and harmonium, respectively; audio clips released of this performance are on raga Gaud Malhar, Mishra Tilak Kamod and Kajri. Her renditions of thumri in the Poorab Ang are unique and popular. Her other notable concerts have included appearances at the Classic International Music Festival at Calcutta, SAPTASUR Music Festival at New Delhi, Gharana Sammelan at Bangalore and Raag Rangs Gayan Samaroh at Delhi. In 2012, she gave the opening recital at the 9th Dhwani Music Festival, in Bangalore, in memory of Mallikarjun Mansur.

Recordings

Subhra Guha in her audio recording of Rāg Bihag, a clip of 3.5 minutes, presents the raga in arohi or ascending and descending or avarohi scales, which highlights the core features of the raga in a model scale.

Awards

In 2015, Guha received the Girija Shankar Smriti Puruskar award from the Government of West Bengal.