FREE Courtroom Concert: featuring 10th Wave

Formed in December 2017, 10th Wave is a flexible instrumental ensemble whose membership shifts with each program, mainly drawing on percussion, strings, winds, voice, and piano. Everything we perform was composed within the last century — contemporary, indie-classical, modern, postmodern, and electronic — and we prioritize work by Minnesota composers and composers from underrepresented backgrounds.

Dr. Pooja Goswami Pavan, Ph.D., is an acclaimed Hindustani (North Indian classical) vocalist, composer, educator, and scholar whose artistry bridges the depth of tradition with the vitality of contemporary creative expression. Distinguished by a voice that is both silken and powerful, she commands an effortless three-octave range, bringing remarkable nuance, emotional depth, and technical precision to every performance. Her rigorous training in Hindustani classical music has cultivated exceptional versatility, enabling her to move seamlessly across a wide spectrum of musical forms. Her expansive repertoire encompasses Khayal, Thumri, Dadra, Ghazal, Bhajan, Sufiana Kalam, and folk-inspired forms such as Hori, Kajri, and Chaiti, reflecting both her mastery of classical idioms and her sensitivity to diverse musical expressions.

Pooja received her foundational training from her father, Pandit Surendra Goswami, and Prof. Ajit Singh Paintal, and continues her advanced study of the Khayal tradition with her brother, Prof. Shailendra Goswami. She earned her Ph.D. in Indian Classical Music from the University of Delhi. She also underwent several years of intensive training in semi-classical music under the eminent vocalist, the late Vidushi Shanti Hiranand – the universally acclaimed successor to the legendary Ghazal/Thumri artist, Begum Akhtar. Raised in Delhi within a rich artistic environment shaped by music and theater, she developed an enduring passion for composing original music to poetry in Hindi, Urdu, and several regional dialects of Hindi—a creative pursuit that continues to define her artistic voice.

An accomplished performer, Pooja has appeared at prestigious venues including The Ordway Center, The Guthrie Theater, India Habitat Centre, and India International Centre. Her distinguished performance career includes appearances at the LearnQuest Music Conference (Boston), the International Music Festival (Vietnam), the Indian Classical Music Festival (The Bahamas), the Thumri Festival (India), and the India Music Retreat (India). Since relocating to Minnesota, she has established herself as a dynamic and influential artistic presence through innovative collaborations with musicians, dancers, and theater artists across diverse genres and traditions.

As a composer, she has created and performed original works for leading arts organizations including Pangea World Theater, Ananya Dance Theatre, Indian Music Society of Minnesota, and Katha Dance Theatre. Her growing body of recorded work features original compositions in the genres of Ghazal, Sufiana Kalam, and Nirguni and Saguni Bhajan, reflecting her commitment to expanding and reimagining traditional forms through original composition.

Equally dedicated to education and cultural scholarship, Pooja is widely sought after by universities, arts organizations, and cultural institutions for her lecture-demonstrations on Hindustani music. She has served as Adjunct Faculty at the University of Minnesota School of Music and in the Music Department at Macalester College, where she taught graduate-level courses in Indian music, history, and culture. Her work as an educator has helped deepen understanding and appreciation of Indian classical music among diverse audiences while fostering meaningful cross-cultural dialogue.

Pooja’s creative vision and artistic contributions have been recognized through numerous competitive grants and commissions from prominent arts organizations, including the Minnesota State Arts Board (MSAB), Metropolitan Regional Arts Council (MRAC), American Composers Forum (ACF), McKnight Foundation, Minnesota Chorale, Minnesota Opera, and The Cedar Cultural Center. She is a two-time recipient of the prestigious McKnight Fellowship, honoring both artistic excellence and community impact. She received the McKnight Fellowship for Musicians in 2016 and the McKnight Culture Bearer Fellowship in 2025, recognizing her sustained contributions as an artist, composer, educator, and cultural ambassador who continues to preserve, advance, and share the rich traditions of Hindustani music with audiences across the United States and internationally. Her new album, “The Mind, Ecstatic” – Songs of Kabir (Neuma Records, 2026) received both, the Global Music Award and the Inter-Continental Music Award for 2026.

Dr. Pavan is a regular figure in the Twin Cities music circles as a Tabla player and teacher. He initially trained in Tabla under Sri G. Laxmiah, senior disciple of Ustad Shaik Dawood Khan of Hyderabad, India. He has studied with several masters over the years and presently trains with Ustad Shabbir Nisar, the illustrious son and disciple of the Tabla legend Ustad Shaik Dawood Khan. He has performed for Katha Dance Theater, Pangea World Theater and Indian Music Society of Minnesota (IMSOM) in several productions and concerts. Pavan also appears on recordings of world/fusion music with many MN based artists. Since 1999 Pavan has been providing Tabla instruction to a number of students. Pavan co-composed and performed with Nirmala Rajasekar, Minnesota based Veena artist, the score for Pangea World Theater’s production “Partitions”, and the score for “5 Weeks” with Dr. Pooja Goswami Pavan, his wife, who is a Hindustani vocalist, teacher and composer.

Pavan has also performed with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra along with Nirmala Rajasekar. In 2024, Pavan received a commission from the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies (GTCYS) and was a featured Tabla soloist in their Spring Festival concerts. He was also invited as a special guest artist to perform for the Quad Cities Symphony Orchestra in Davenport, IA. His creative projects have been supported by multiple grants from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council (MRAC) and the Minnesota State Arts Board (MSAB).

A senior leader in technology innovation and management, Pavan is an alumnus of the University of Minnesota from where he received his Ph.D. His association with the Indian Music Society of Minnesota (IMSOM) goes back to 1989 when he first arrived in MN. He has served in IMSOM in various capacities, first as a volunteer, then playing various roles as a member of the Executive Committee for several years and finally as President of the Society from 1997 – 2001. He continues to be very active in IMSOM and presently serves as a member of the Advisory Board. Dr. Pavan was the Executive Director for several of IMSOM’s big concert productions in the past including “Masters of Percussion” (2002 and 2006), “Legends of India” (2003), “Remember Shakti” (2003) and “Rhythm Fantasies of India” (2004) and “Zakir Hussain with Niladri Kumar” (2022). Dr. Pavan leads the grant writing responsibilities for IMSOM and has won well over 100 grants for the society under his leadership for artistic projects, capital improvements, management consultancy and arts learning.

Kavyesh Kaviraj is a critically acclaimed composer, arranger and pianist living and working in Minnesota. The Twin Cities based musician has worked with several internationally renowned artists, including the likes of Wynton Marsalis, David Sanchez, Justin Robinson, Roosevelt Collier & Steve Cole. Despite being primarily a Jazz pianist, having studied at Berklee College’s Global Jazz Institute, Kavyesh has established himself in an eclectic assortment of music scenes. Whilst being active in hip-hop, gospel, R&B, funk scenes, he has enjoyed working with Jamecia Bennett, The Steeles, I Self Devine, Lady Midnight, Desdamona, Nooky Jones & Toki Wright. All the while, he has become an important member of the local music circuit, collaborating with local jazz legends like Debbie Duncan, Bruce Henry, Babatunde Lea, Kevin Washington &LA Buckner. Born in the town of Sohar in Oman to Indian parents, Kavyesh began his musical journey almost immediately, inspired by his family’s rich musical ancestry. Attributing his initial musical curiosity and experience to his upbringing, at the age of 2 he was already sitting behind a piano, being educated in both South Indian Carnatic music and North Indian Hindustani music.

From there, he was introduced to both classical and contemporary music by his father, lifelong music educator and skilled musician Kaviraj CG. As a teenager, he took the next step in furthering his musical development by moving from Oman to India, enrolling in one of the best music schools in the region, Swarnabhoomi Academy of Music. In 2016, he moved to the Twin Cities to pursue a professional music education in the United States.

Kavyesh graduated from Columbia College Chicago in 2018, with a Bachelor of Music (BM) degree in Jazz Studies and Contemporary Music. In 2019, Kavyesh received a full tuition grant to pursue a Masters’ degree at Berklee College’s Global Jazz Institute, where he was under the eminent tutelage of jazz masters, such as Danilo Perez, Kenny Werner and JoAnne Brackeen. He graduated in 2020 with a Master of Music (MM) degree in Contemporary Performance.

Beholden to a lifetime of invaluable musical experience, Kavyesh has followed in his parents’ footsteps to become a successful music educator. His passionate and considerate nature has served him well as both a private instructor and college professor. As of right now, he sits on the faculty in the piano department of St. Paul’s own University of St. Thomas. He also features heavily as a visiting instructor at Carleton College and as an instructor for various musical arts at Walker West Music Academy. His work in music education has taken him across the country, leading workshops and classes for children and youth. Kavyesh’s compositions and arrangements have been featured on national radio, TV and in collaborative exhibitions.