Veena Chandra plays sitar while Devesh Chandra plays tabla and speaks into a microphone before a backdrop of painted landmarks.

Indian Classical Music with Veena and Devesh Chandra

Enjoy an evening of sitar and tabla with the award-winning Indian Classical Music combo Veena and Devesh Chandra. This mother and son duo unfold rich melody and rhythms that are steeped in improvisation. Their performance takes audiences on a journey through the tapestry of Indian classical and folk-inspired music.

Veena Chandra is a sitarist, composer and educator who has performed and taught North Indian classical music for American audiences since 1968. She has served on the faculty at Skidmore College since 1990 and Williams College since 2014, and she founded the Dance and Music School of India in Latham, N.Y. Her honors include a 2019 NYSCA/NYFA fellowship, multiple grants from the New York State Council on the Arts and New Music USA, and a National Endowment for the Arts Our Town project award in collaboration with the New York Folklore Society.

Devesh Chandra has performed tabla since childhood, studying alongside his mother and collaborating across genres including Western classical, jazz, African music, flamenco and Latin music. He teaches as an artist associate at Williams College and has received multiple state arts council awards, including artist fellowships and apprenticeship grants. In 2023, he and Veena Chandra received an NEA Our Town project award with the New York Folklore Society for their community arts work in Schenectady, N.Y.

This free event is co-presented by the HVCC Cultural Affairs Program and the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging.

Watch Veena and Devesh Chandra's Uplift Series Performance on YouTube


If you require an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the Center for Access and Assistive Technology at caat@hvcc.edu, (518) 629-7154 or TDD/TTY (518) 629-7596. Please be aware that advance notice is requested as some accommodations may require time for the college to arrange.