Classical arts are oceans unto themselves. As children, when we learn classical music or dance, we may begin in a shallow lagoon, paddling around, singing, dancing, or playing for the joy of art.
I was tentative but curious about the artist-in-residence program. My first entry into Ananda Nilayam, the residence, stays fresh in my memory. In the quiet study, two tamburas stood waiting — their presence almost symbolic, as though they were to be my companions for the month...
Youngest of the celebrated Carnatic music trinity he may be, but Muthuswamy Dikshitar (1775-1835) is not the most accessible of composers.
RK Shriramkumar must be one of the most popular choices for the title of Sangita Kalanidhi in the history of Carnatic music, beloved as he is of senior musicians, the vocalists he accompanies,...
In the tapestry of a musician's life, there are moments that stand out as transformative - periods of growth, introspection, and artistic evolution. My two-month artist-in-residence programme in the United States through Dhvani, was one such pivotal experience....
Ms. Ranjani Sivakumar’s delightful musical presentation on Friday night inspired me to tap into my avian vocabulary to see if I can possibly write something centered around our feathered friends.
In one of his last concerts, Kollenkode Viswanatha Iyer Narayanaswamy moved listeners to tears with the depth of feeling of his rendering of Gopalakrishna Bharati’s, Varugalamo Ayya, the devotee Nandan’s desperate plea before the Deity.
What is the Musiri bani? Listen to what his star sishya Suguna Purushottaman had to say about him during Musiri Margam, an illuminating tribute she paid to his memory—during the late evening of her own life.
We, in Columbus, Ohio, have been in the isolating grip of a viral pandemic for three months now. Social interactions have been impacted in ways one could never have imagined [...]
It is with deep sadness and anguish that we have all been observing the events surrounding the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Our emotions are also mixed with the knowledge that the circumstances and behavior which led to his death are all too common.
Since early March, Dhvani Music School has been proactively taking steps to promote the safety of all our students, teachers, members and participants, We proactively moved to online instruction and other virtual platforms for all our classes, events and activities.
For this musicologist and author, there are good reasons to believe that Carnatic music matters, perhaps more than ever and almost anywhere in the world. So why not perform and teach [...]
