K.G. Westman is one of Europe´s foremost musicians in the field of North Indian classical and semi classical music performed on Sitar and Surbahar. As a senior disciple of Pandit Rabindra Narayan Goswami he has performed in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Egypt, Europe, USA and Russia as well as for radio and T.V. He takes influence from different gharanas and performs in a traditional way a detailed and systematic alaap, jor jhala followed by gats in either instrumental or vocal style. On the Surbahar he maintains the pure Dhrupad style of playing, just like his teacher.
Due to training in both Indian and Western Music, he also makes an excellent teacher and conductor of workshops regardless of the background of the participants. KG teaches his students in Stockholm and since 2023 also as the sitar teacher of Anubhab Academy in Germany.
K.G. Westman is one of the founders and main organizers of the Stockholm Sangeet Festival, Scandinavia’s most prestigious event for Indian Classical Music and dance, which has run continuously for over 15 years.
The interest in Indian Music began when his father moved to Kerala in 1996. Already an accomplished guitar player and recording artist, he tried his hand at the Saraswati Veena, before making up his mind that the sitar was the instrument for him. Then in 2004 he started to learn the basics of sitar technique, raag and taal, first from Stian Grimstad, then also from Anil Singh of Dharamshala, before he was accepted as a student of Goswamiji in 2006. He has since then returned to the Goswami House in Varanasi every year for learning new raagas and to deepen his understanding of the art.
In 2017 the classical album Sonashish was released on the Kolkata label Bihaan Music, in 2022 the Swedish-Indian-Egyptian collaboration KG Westman & Zaعfaran and in 2023 yet another classical album featuring the self composed raag Anandpriya.
Due to training in both Indian and Western Music, he also makes an excellent teacher and conductor of workshops regardless of the background of the participants. KG teaches his students in Stockholm and since 2023 also as the sitar teacher of Anubhab Academy in Germany.
K.G. Westman is one of the founders and main organizers of the Stockholm Sangeet Festival, Scandinavia’s most prestigious event for Indian Classical Music and dance, which has run continuously for over 15 years.
The interest in Indian Music began when his father moved to Kerala in 1996. Already an accomplished guitar player and recording artist, he tried his hand at the Saraswati Veena, before making up his mind that the sitar was the instrument for him. Then in 2004 he started to learn the basics of sitar technique, raag and taal, first from Stian Grimstad, then also from Anil Singh of Dharamshala, before he was accepted as a student of Goswamiji in 2006. He has since then returned to the Goswami House in Varanasi every year for learning new raagas and to deepen his understanding of the art.
In 2017 the classical album Sonashish was released on the Kolkata label Bihaan Music, in 2022 the Swedish-Indian-Egyptian collaboration KG Westman & Zaعfaran and in 2023 yet another classical album featuring the self composed raag Anandpriya.
Pt. Rabindra Goswami
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Stian Grimstad
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Anil Singh
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