Bhubaneswar, April 8: A music concert hosted by the Bhubaneswar Kala Kendra got rave reviews from the audience.

The two-day event held at Jaydev Bhavan showcased vocal as well as instrumental performances by veteran personalities and youngsters.

The cultural programme ended on Wednesday evening.

The concert opened with an invocatory chorus composed by renowned music director Shantanu Mohapatra and written by Gurukrushna Goswami.

A dash of Odissi music led the way for the rest of the musical evening with Srinivas Panigrahi and Swaha Panigrahi presenting a couple of soulful songs.

Students of the Kala Kendra then rendered Hindustani genre of classical vocal music under the guidance of veteran Baikunthanath Satapathy.

A group performance by tabla players of the Kala Kendra was impressive as the team of young artistes showed great co-ordination and maturity during the symphony directed by Binod Bihari Rout.

Senior artiste Bijay Kumar Nayak gave a solo rendition of classical Hindustani music that was the highlight of the opening day. It concluded with a group Odissi dance recital by artistes from the host institute.

The concluding evening had a variety of instrumental sessions that pulled music lovers of all ages.

Immensely popular among the youth, the guitar was seen in a different avatar at the event. Biswamohan Behera and his troupe of young artistes played the instrument totally in classical style.

The traditional mardala of Odisha, a percussion instrument used in Odissi music, also drew attention of the audience. The doyen of mardala, Guru Banamali Moharana, also performed with his students. Among other performances on Wednesday were Odissi dance by senior danseuse Minakshi Behera and Odissi vocals by young singers. The performances received immense appreciation.

"Banamali sir is an iconic figure. It was a special experience to see him guide his students on stage. The classical guitar performance too was wonderful," said Subrat Padhi, a city-based music student.