CULTURAL CONNECTIONS – IMMERSED IN INDIA
Saturday, 15th April 2023|7:00 pm EDT
| $5 – $10IMMERSED IN INDIA
During India’s 2020 pandemic lockdown, four Carnatic classical musicians were kept from performing in Columbus. The musicians collaborated through technology and filmed a concert despite their isolation. Shankar Ramachandran of Dhvani India Performing Arts Society of Central Ohio will host a talk with Vanessa Rose, the Executive Director of the American Composers Forum, before the screening of “Rise” to introduce the film.
The second half of the evening will include a live concert featuring none other than the extraordinary Veena Maestra Nirmala Rajeshekar, spotlighting Indian Carnatic music. Accompanists: N. Guruprasad – Ghatam | KV Gopalakrishnan – Kanjira.
Families are invited to return the following Saturday for an Instrument Petting Zoo, where young Central Ohio musicians will demonstrate instruments commonly found in Indian culture.
Cultural Connections
At the MAC, we’re bringing the world to you! Join us for a quartet of events where you will experience “paired presentations” of multicultural music, film, and dance. Build connections in your culture or immerse yourself in new experiences as we offer an expressive mosaic of passionate artists and the arts.
Tickets: $10 Adults, $5 Students
Programming made possible by funding from
PNC Bank and Arts Alive
Nirmala Rajasekar is one of the leading Saraswathi veena players in the world today. She is an excellent vocalist and composer as well- a dynamic and vibrant artist who has been performing for nearly four decades at venues such as the Carnegie Hall and United Nations in New York USA; Madras Music Academy, Narada Gana Sabha Chennai, Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Mahotsava Pune, Kolkata Performing Arts Festival Kolkatta, Chembur Fine Arts Bombay, Bangalore Gayana Samaj, in India; the Rumi International Festival in Konya, Turkey; Musee Rietburg Switzerland; BBC London UK; ABC Sydney Brisbane, Australia; All India Radio/ Doordarshan – National program concerts – and several other venues in India, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Indonesia, and Singapore.
Her performances have been featured at special events –including playing for The President of India Dr. Abdul Kalam and Jazz great Ornette Coleman. Nirmala has been an empanelled artiste of the Indian Council of Cultural Relations since 1987 and has performed in many Festivals hosted by the Government of India.
An “A grade artiste” of Indian Radio and Television, she has been featured in several national and regional concerts on Indian Radio and Television. Nirmala is a disciple of veteran Gurus late Prof. Kalpakam Swaminathan, Bhagavatula Shri Sitarama Sarma, and Prof. T.R. Subramanyam. Nirmala’s music highlights her rich patanthara (tradition and lineage) and her unique creative presentation style that has won her many followers.
N. Guruprasad is the son of Ghatam Vidwan Shri K. Nagaraja Rao and Smt Kallammal. He had his initial training under his father and later underwent gurukulam under ghatam maestro Shri T.H. Vikku Vinayakram.
Subsequently he received training from ghatam Vidwan Shri V. Suresh, and mridangam Vidwan “Laya Chudaroli” Madurai Shri T. Srinivasan.
Guruprasad is one of the leading percussionists in South India and regularly accompanies most of the senior artists in the field of Carnatic Music. He is also highly sought after in the film industry and for collaborations with world renowned artists of various genres.
Guruprasad has had the privilege of playing alongside stalwarts of percussion such as Shri Palghat Raghu, Shri T.K. Moorthy, Shri Vellore Ramabhadhran, Shri Umayalpuram K Sivaraman, Shri Karaikudi Mani, Shri Trichy Sankaran, Shri Haridwarmangalam A.K. Palanivel, Shri Kaliyamoorthy, and Shri Thanjavur Govindarajan, to name a few.
He has performed in esteemed global venues such as The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., The Lincoln Center in New York City, the “Incredible India” festival at The Oval Cricket Ground in London, and along with the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra in South Africa.
Guruprasad has been bestowed with numerous awards and titles, which include the Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar from Sangeet Natak Akademi – New Delhi, the title of “Aasthaana Vidwan” of Kanchi Kamakoti Mutt – Kanchipuram, and the Kalki Krishnamurthy award in Chennai.
Guruprasad is also a reputed teacher and is training many ghatam artists of the next generation.
KV Gopalakrishnan – KVG, as he is popularly known, had his initial training from his father KVRS Mani, and is now under the guidance of “Percussion legend” “Sangitha Kalanidhi” Dr. TK Murthy.
He’s been performing for almost 30 years now and he’s one of the most sought after Percussionists in the field of Carnatic Music.
He has shared the stage with almost all the top stars as well as up-and-coming artists of today. He’s an “A” graded artiste of All India Radio.
KVG has played along with legendary percussionists of Carnatic Music such as his guru Dr TK Murthy, Sri Palghat Raghu, Sri TV Gopalakrishnan, Sri Umayalpuram Sivaraman, Sri Trichy Sankaran, Sri Guruvayur Dorai and many others. He has also worked with famous Tamil cine music directors “Isai Gnyaani” Ilayaraja & Vidyasagar.
He has received many titles and awards over the years. Like “Bismillah Khan – Yuva Puraskar” from Sangeet Natak Academy, Govt of India.”Kanjira Harishankar Memorial Award” from Nadalaya Trust. And the latest being the “Palghat Mani Iyer Puraskar”, instituted by Vidvan Sri Palghat Rajaram, (Son of the legend) from Chennai Fine Arts.
KVG has traveled widely around the world taking part in many international tours and music festivals. And prestigious places like The Kennedy Center, Washington DC, The Lincoln Center, New York, The Indian Presidents Palace, New Delhi, Madras Music Academy, and many more.
He is also a well-accomplished Mrithangam player and has won the best Mrithangist award from the Madras Music Academy for 3 consecutive years.
This quartet has been conceptualized as an effort to explore the coming together of two distinct instrumental artforms within the Carnatic tradition. The melodic instruments in this collaboration, violin, and nadaswaram, come from very different cultures. So is the case with the mridangam and tavil. The intent is to explore each of these instruments, without restriction, and to witness the magic that happens when they come together.
Each performance is crafted keeping in mind the musical and sonic uniqueness of the four instruments, and their coming together in both composition and manodharma. Every listener so has something special to take back with them, be it a Mallari, a Bhairavi swarajati, a lilting tillana, a folk song (Kavadi) or even an old film song sung by one of the Carnatic greats.
Over the course of each concert, every instrument gets its own space, playing solo, and in combination with one, two or all three other instruments. The sincere admiration and respect each artiste has for the other’s space and the aid of technology is what makes this collaboration a celebration of instrumental music.