The ability of Hasu Patel, the well-known Indian sitarist, to mesmerize an audience was clear during her performance at Warner Concert Hall last Saturday. The crowded auditorium was full of restless shuffling as onlookers eagerly awaited her arrival; the air was scented with a sweet perfume that traveled in small smoky streams of incense from the side of the stage.

When Patel did appear she was a vision of soft gold with accents of pink. She gracefully stepped to her place upon an Asian carpet and prepared for her performance. On the carpet were the beautifully crafted sitars that Patel played during the concert, along with an assortment of other instruments. With Patel in place, the scene was set for an intense performance.

The audience, already taken with her lovely appearance and natural grace, sat silent as she listed many technical terms and named the techniques she would be using. She requested that the audience “relax and listen to this nice music.”

As Patel picked up her sitar and began to play, the audience was transfixed. The silvery twang of the sitar began to weave a spell through the room that continued until the very last note. It was amazing to see Patel remain so serene and regal as she played so passionately, her fingers moving with swift precision.

The instruments of classical Indian music can be separated into two categories: the instrument that carries the main melody and the instruments that accompany. Hasu Patel mastered the sitar and was accompanied by Subhash Karmarkar, who played the tabla. His drums produced soft and sharp rhythms and deep-water sounding thuds that brought more depth and focus to the music. There was an obvious connection between Patel and Karmarkar; although Patel set the pace, Karmarkar brought passion to the exquisite melody she was weaving. Patel’s students also contributed to the music by accompanying her with tamburas.

Oberlin College was fortunate enough to have the esteemed sitarist give a concert. Affectionately known as “Auntjie,” Patel hails from Baroda, India where she studied the sitar from the age of six. When asked why she had started so early, Patel replied with a warm laugh. “Father put me in sitar classes so young,” she said.

Patel attended the Maharaja Sayajirao, University of Baroda, India, where she was the first woman to receive a degree in music with distinction from the faculty of fine arts. In addition to teaching, composing and performing classical Indian music, Patel also founded the Sursangam School of Music where the techniques of Classical Indian music are preserved.

This spring Patel will be teaching a class through Oberlin’s Experimental College. Patel hopes students will gain an appreciation for classical Indian music by learning how to play the sitar and tabla and sing traditional music. Many students have already shown interest in this class after seeing Patel’s wonderful concert.

At the end of her performance, which consisted of three ragas of varying intensity, Patel was confronted with thunderous applause and a standing ovation. As with everything else, Patel greeted this praise with her characteristic grace.

It is hard not to admire this accomplished woman for being one of the only female musicians professionally pursuing the sitar.

“It was really hard…finding recognition,” Patel said.