A music concert featuring world renowned musician and 2006 Grammy nominee, Zakir Hussain, and a talented ensemble of artists, is being organised by Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) in Bahrain, as part of their fundraising efforts for "Seeing is Believing".

All proceeds of the concert will go toward the “Seeing is Believing” campaign, which was initiated by Standard Chartered as part of its social corporate responsibility, and strives to help restore the sight of individuals around the world. The funds will enable necessary operations, medical equipment, education, training, and awareness, to have a direct and positive impact on the lives of 10 million people. The Bank has already reached their goal of contributing towards one million sight restorations by World Sight Day 2007.

The concert will take place on December 6 in the Bahrain Exhibition Centre, Hall 1, and will feature: Zakir Hussain on the Tabla, along with U Shrinivas on the mandolin, Shankar Mahadevan as the lead vocalist, and A Sivamani as the drummer and percussionist.

Indian native, Hussain, shot to international acclaim, most notably as co-composer of the opening music for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, USA, and also as a composer for San Francisco's premiere contemporary ballet company, Lines 1998; and composer for the San Francisco Jazz Festival, 1998.

Shrinivas has often been compared to some of the world’s greatest prodigies. The music he is able to produce from the little brittle mandolin has been referred to by some as unbelievably Carnatic and classical to the core, throwing into the shade even the top instrumentalists.

Mahadevan is a highly evolved musician, songwriter, and classical vocalist who has captivated audiences worldwide with his fresh expression and breathless vocals; fusing traditional Indian vocals with contemporary western jazz, hip-hop, and R&B.

World-renowned percussionist Sivamani has gone on to build a sound career through integrating his dynamic and innovative African-Japanese-Indian fused drumming to the silver screen and performing in his own concerts across the globe. 

SCB in a statement said that all VIP tickets have been sold out but members of the public can benefit from the family rate by purchasing 2 grandstand tickets at BD20 each with a third ticket offered free.

Tickets are on sale at the following outlets: Standard Chartered Bank Manama Main Branch; Standard Chartered Bank Diplomatic Branch; Jawad Supermarket Budaiya/Bar Bar; Al Jazira Supermarket Mahooz; Yateem Centre Mall; Euphoria Music Store in Seef Mall; and Hava Java Music Store in Seef Mall.

The outlets are supporting the campaign by waiving the conventional percentage charged on ticket sales through their branches. Voice FM Radio (104.2FM) has also supported the campaign through the production of various elements relevant to the radio campaign.   --TradeArabia News Service