NIU’s Graduate School and School of Music will present a North Indian classical music concert featuring the Indian slide guitar player Barun Kumar Pal and tabla artist Ray Spiegel at 8 p.m. Thursday at the Music Building’s Recital Hall.

“The purpose of this event is for cultural diversity and understanding other cultures,” said Robert Chappell, professor of music and head of percussion studies. “It’s a good thing for the university to appreciate different music cultures and virtuosity of performance, even if we don’t understand the structure of this music.”

At 11 a.m. Thursday, Pal and Spiegel will give a lecture, “The Melodic and Rhythmic Elements of Improvisation in Hindustani Classical Music,” at the Music Building’s Boutell Memorial Concert Hall.

Both events are free and open to the public.

Pal, a native of Calcutta, India, is considered to be one of the leading artists of Indian classical music. Born into a musical family, Pal started his career at age 7 by performing for radio, television and stage productions.

Pal participated in music festivals, concerts, seminars and workshops around the world. He recently released an album, “Ragas on Slide Guitar,” under Simla House Records.

Spiegel, from New York, has performed in the United States and India. In 1989, he was awarded an American Institute of Indian Studies Performing Arts Grant to sponsor his study of the tabla style while playing at the Alla Rakha Institute of Music in Bombay, India. Spiegel also has performed with well-known artists such as Bon Jovi and Bill Cosby.

For more information about the events, call Lynn Slater at 753-1546.