Revised Concert Report: Manjiri Asnare-Kelkar Vocal Recital
Colorado Fine Arts Association (CFAA) | October 25, 2026 (Kojagiri / Sharad Purnima)
Longmont / Broomfield area, Colorado
Manjiri Asnare-Kelkar (also Asanare-Kelkar), a leading exponent of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana and disciple of Kishori Amonkar, performed a Hindustani khyal recital organized by the Colorado Fine Arts Association on the night of Kojagiri Purnima. CFAA listed the event in the Longmont area. She was accompanied by Sanjay Deshpande on tabla and Dnyaneshwar Sonawane on harmoniumāthe standard ensemble for her recent US performancesāand sat with tanpura.
Artist Background
Born in 1971 in Sangli, Maharashtra, she trained under M.T. Mhaiskar and Madhusudan Kanetkar, later with Padma Talwalkar, before becoming a disciple of Kishori Amonkar. She is noted for her command of rare and compound (jod) ragas, open akaar, graceful meends, and rhythmic clarity in the Jaipur-Atrauli style. She is an A-grade All India Radio artist and has received the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar and Kumar Gandharva Samman. Live notes mentioned a scholarship/award from Pandit Arun Dravid a few years earlier.
Further: Wikipedia | Darbar profile
Performance
The set focused on compound (jod) ragas characteristic of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana. Attendee @NanaFadavnis described the evening as precise and delightful, especially fitting for Kojagiri Purnima, and noted that she āhas decided not to go wrong today.ā
Raga Lalita Gauri (a specific Jaipur-Atrauli compound raga): Opened the concert, progressing to the vilambit of the bandish āPreetam Saiyaa,ā associated with Kishori Amonkarās repertoire. It combines elements of Lalit and Gauri. (The film song āEk Shahenshah Ne Banwa Ke Haseen Taj Mahalā is based on Raga Lalit, not Lalita Gauri.)
Further: Rajan Parrikarās essay On Raga Lalita-Gouri.
Raga Tilak Kamod: Bandish āSur Sangata Raga Vidyaā (Rupak). Described as delightful. The composition has influenced Marathi natya sangeet.
Further: Aneesh Pradhanās Scroll.in article.
Raga Basant Bahar: Another compound (jod) raga. (Live notes tentatively suggested a possible bandish such as āKaliyan Sanga Karta,ā but that composition is associated with Bahar alone.)
Closing items: A ragamala invoking āDurga Mata Bhawani Devi,ā followed by the Nirguni bhajan āHirana Samajh Bujh Kar Charana.ā Both were performed.
The recital presented a focused selection of Lalita Gauri, Tilak Kamod, and Basant Bahar, highlighting the gharanaās strengths in compound (jod) ragas and delivered with clarity on a spiritually charged evening, closing with the ragamala and Nirguni bhajan. CFAA Fall 2026 listings confirm the October 25 date.
Sources and further reading
Live thread: x.com/nanafadavnis/status/2114494725378179522
CFAA Fall 2026 listings (including Oct 25 Manjiri-Asnare Kelkar, Longmont)
Kojagiri Purnima 2026: Night observance on October 25 (Purnima tithi extending into the 26th).