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CGRFI Mentees

We refer to all our course participants as Mentees. Studying music is a lifelong journey and we believe that each Mentee contributes to the joy of learning & discovery, sharing their ideas and fostering a sense of community.

Our Mentees are a diverse group, ranging from the ages of 14 to 40 years old from early intermediate players to music educators who have been teaching for decades. 

2022-2023 Mentees​

Bhavya Duarah
Himaghna Roy
Shristi Thapa
Siddhartha Dasgupta
Arya Routh
Abhishek Choudhary
Adarsh Baraily

Past Mentees

Theophilus Benjamin
Pritam Kar
Ritupaban Kotoky
Mayank Bhadra
Shraddha Sanghvi

How to apply

Any classical guitarist residing permanently in India can apply for our courses.

Please send us a 10 minute video, performing classical guitar pieces of Grade 5 standard (ABRSM or Trinity) or higher. You can either upload this video to YouTube (unlisted) or on Google Drive or any other video uploading/link sharing platform.

Write a brief description about yourself, your musical experiences and how you plan to benefit from being a CGRFI mentee/participant.

After we receive your application, you may be invited to a video interview. Following the interview, and other verifications, we will announce the result. If you’ve been selected for a free course & membership with us, we will send you a contract with our rules & regulations.

For more information please have a look at our F.A.Q. section on musical skillset requirement and technological requirements

Application form

FAQs

FINANCIAL DECLARATION
No donations or money shall ever be accepted from any mentee to the instructors. The Foundation is a non-profit organisation and thus there are no tuition fees for members.

Members who receive tuition from CGRFI will not be able to take private, paid lessons from any CGRFI Instructors for, at least, a period of one year after expiry of their contract.

PROCEDURE
Instructors shall set appointments and lessons with the Mentee through text, email, or through any means agreed upon by the parties setting the scheduled date and time (and venue if any).

Instructors shall initiate the call on a scheduled meeting application (Zoom or Skype) through online or phone communication where the information shall be provided to Member.

CONFIDENTIALITY
The information exchanged whether written or oral shall be bound within the principles of confidentiality set forth in the Model Code of Ethics for Educators (MCEE). The Instructor agrees not to disclose any information pertaining to the Member without the Member’s consent. 

Confidential Information shall consist of private communication between the parties given by the Member to Instructors with trust and in confidence. Should, for any reason, Instructors be summoned by any competent and official authority to disclose information that is confidential, the Instructors shall notify the Mentee prior to the summoning in order for the Mentee to seek remedies available in accordance with the MCEE. If Instructors believe that the information acquired involves illegal activity or information that may be of risk to the Mentee, the Instructors shall be obligated to report such activity to the proper authorities.

CANCELLATION & RESCHEDULING
It is the Mentee’s responsibility to notify the Coach at least 48 hours prior to the scheduled meeting.

REQUIRED MUSICAL SKILLSET
• Roughly Grade 5 standard of playing ability (ABRSM or Trinity schools)
• At least 15 minutes of repertoire
• Basic level of sight reading 

TECHNOLOGICAL REQUIREMENTS
• A stable internet speed of at least 10Mbps appropriate for Skype/Zoom lessons
• A functional webcam (inbuilt or external)
• A microphone (preferably USB)
• Headphones (preferably with extended wiring)  

INSTRUMENTAL REQUIREMENTS
• A playable Classical Guitar (nylon stringed) – properly tuned with no intonation issues
• Foot rest or guitar support
• Music notation stand
• Access to music notation (sheet or tablet) 

TERMINATION WARNING
The contract will be terminated if the Mentee fails to attend lessons and classes (without notice) after two warnings.

Termination of contract will also occur if the Member violates any of the Foundation Regulations.

Lack of preparation or progress may result in contract termination under review by the CGRFI Instructor, CGRFI Associate Instructor and Moderator and the CGRFI Member.


PHOTO CREDITS
Photos of Art Guitar Fest Calcutta 2022 by Anupam Mazumder
Photos of Srijit Mukherjee & Samrat Majumder by Kai Myller. With thanks to the Koblenz International Guitar Society.
Header Image: Cal Taxi-3 (CC BY-NC 2.0) by Travelotto
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Bhavya Duarah

Bhavya is from Guwahati, Assam. She has been learning guitar since 1st standard and has already cleared the classical guitar Grade 8 performance exam under ABRSM. Recently, Bhavya has also started playing the electric guitar but classical guitar remains her first priority. In the state of Assam, the classical guitar is not so prominent among musicians of the new generation. Bhavya’s dream is to create awareness in her state about the importance of western classical music as the pillar of any form of guitar playing. Her vision is to establish a formal platform and forum for the newer generation of guitar players from Assam.

Himaghna Roy

Himaghna studies classical guitar at the Calcutta School of Music and is currently at Grade 4, Trinity College London. Himaghna’s discovered the Spanish Guitar and it’s elegance at the age of 6 and has been playing for over 4 years. It is his passion to become a good classical guitarist and by working with CGRFI, Himaghna seeks to discover new techniques, styles and a deeper understanding of both Western classical music and the guitar.

Shristi Thapa

Shristi’s classical guitar journey started 7 years ago under the able guidance of Sir Shyamal K.De at the Calcutta School Of Music. She has performed in various concerts over the years and attended workshops held by the Calcutta Classical Guitar Society. Shristi placed Second in the Youth Category in the 11th Calcutta International Classical Guitar Competition held in 2020. Over the years she has been inspired to take up music as part of her higher education. As a CGRFI mentee, Shristi aims to improve and develop her skillset as a musician and become competent enough to reach the international concert stage.

Siddartha Dasgupta

Siddartha began playing the classical guitar in 2014 after having learnt a variety of styles and genres of music (including Indian classical music) on the acoustic guitar for several years. Siddartha has attained Grade 8 ABRSM for classical guitar with distinction and is working towards more performance related projects. Although Indian classical is one of his favourite areas, his aim is to gain a deeper understanding of Western Classical music. As a professional, Siddartha teaches guitar to juniors and he also composes and arranges his own music.

Arya Routh

Arya has been playing the classical guitar for just over 3 years. He has already gathered experience of performing on stage by playing in school concerts and in various cultural events in his hometown. After attending the Art Guitar Fest Calcutta in December of 2022, Arya was inspired to apply for CGRFI and continue his musical education from the mentors he met at the festival. By continuing his music education with CGRFI, Arya hopes to develop his skills as a music student and performer.

Abhishek Choudhary

Abhishek is from Kolkata and has been learning the classical guitar for over 2 years. He teaches music privately and is a regular performer at various cultural events in his home city. Abhishek seeks to widen his knowledge and understanding of music as a mentee of the CGRFI programme.

Adarsh Baraily

Adarsh is from Kalimpong. Darjeeling.He has been learning classical guitar for many years and teaches and performs privately. Through CGRFI, Adarsh aims to improve his playing and develop his musicianship.

Theophilus Benjamin

Theophilus Benjamin is one of the leading classical guitarists of India and has been in the field of music education for close to two decades in the country. Theophilus has performed at various concert halls in India such as the Amaltas Hall and Stein Auditorium at the India Habitat Center, New Delhi, the Instituto Cervantes in New Delhi and the Satyajit Ray auditorium at ICCR Kolkata. In 2019 and 2020 Theophilus was invited as a guest artist to be a part of the Guitar Festival at the prestigious KM Conservatory of Music founded by Maestro A. R. Rahman along with guitarists from Thailand and the USA where he performed and conducted masterclasses. His most recent performance was a Spanish music concert with the singers from the Neemrana Music Foundation for the Instituto Cervantes New Delhi on the 8th of December’21.

Theophilus was a part of the music faculties at the Good Shepherd International School (Ooty ), Performers’ Collective School of Music, ( Gurgaon ) and The Delhi School of Music. At The Calcutta Center for Communication and Creativity and he undertook educational outreach programmes of the Calcutta Classical Guitar Society (aimed at bringing music to children from villages and the underprivileged sections of the society).

Theophilus has a rich ongoing experience of teaching at some of the leading academic schools in the country.

Pritam Kar

Pritam is an aspiring classical guitarist from a small town in the Bardhwan district of West Bengal, India. He used to travel for several hours back and forth to Kolkata just to learn the classical guitar under the guidance of Mr. Ekannt Singh ( Biplav Singh ). As a music student, he faced a lot of challenges, one being that he was prone to being misunderstood for pursuing such a foreign instrument to Indian culture. However, that didn’t discourage his desire to learn and advance. Pritam loves to play the keyboard and teaches guitar in his hometown.

Ritupaban Kotoky

Ritu is a guitarist with an eclectic taste in music, who is currently pursuing his PhD in musicology from Rabindra Bharati University. Originally from Jorhat, Assam ( the north eastern part of India) Ritu has been living, studying and teaching guitar in Kolkata for the last 10 years. As a classical guitarist, Ritu has been appointed as a teacher for the first batch of the classical guitar department at the Rabindra Bharati University. Having received the highest marks for his M.A. degree in musicology from his University, Ritu hopes to inspire and encourage those who wants to take up the classical guitar professionally.

Mayank Bhadra

Mayank is a classical guitar enthusiast from Rajkot, Gujarat. He aspires to be a professional and works fulltime as both a music teacher and performer. Mostly self taught, Mayank attended the Calcutta Classical Guitar Society (CCGS) festival in 2014 where he attended a private masterclass by Denis Azabagic. Since then, his passion towards this path continues to grow.

Shraddha Sanghvi

Shraddha is a music educator & classical guitar teacher who has worked with the Calcutta School of Music for over a decade. At the age of 11, she started to play the classical guitar, receiving instructions from her teacher, Mr Shyamal De. She completed her ATCL Diploma in 2018. Having performed at various school events, Shraddha has given solo performances at the Calcutta School of Music. She has had the opportunity to be a part of Trios and Quartets with her co-teachers and students. Her most memorable experience was recording a Guitar Duet (Inventions by J.S. Bach ) as part of the Centenary Celebrations of The Calcutta School of Music.