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Anuradha Sridhar (Carnatic Violin)  accompanied by
Shriram Brahmanandam on the Mridangam and
Ravi Balasubramanian on the Ghatam

Sunday, August 9, 5:00 PM


Venue

Recital Hall
St. Catherine University,
St. Paul
Ravi BalasubramanianAnuradha SridharShriram Brahmanandam
Tickets:

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Advance $12.00 $17.00
Gate $15.00 $20.00

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About the Artists

Anuradha Sridhar

As a soloist, Anuradha has teamed up with her mother and given violin duets in venues in India, Singapore, UK, Australia, New Zealand and USA. A reputed accompanist, Anuradha has accompanied many senior musicians over the last three decades. She performs solo violin concerts in India and around the United States throughout the year. In the last two decades of living in the San Francisco Bay Area, Sridhar has enjoyed a myriad of musical forays both in the Indian and the mainstream world. She has been featured as lead violinist in a Hollywood score, for an Indie film titled "The Book of Stars," by the popular music director Richard Gibbs, She has improvised a section of music for "Mugangal," a Tamil language pop album. She has actively volunteered her skill for community fundraiser shows for organizations such as Asha, Sankara Eye Foundation, Sankara Nethralaya, SwayamKrushi, Iskcon and the Livermore Temple.

Ever challenged by a technically demanding repertoire, Anuradha has ventured into thematic concerts which required painstaking research; she thrives on unearthing complicated rhythm structure, rare ragas and forgotten compositions. Anuradha received the best violinist award from the prestigious Music Academy of India’s Chennai for her performances in its December Music festival concerts during the years 1979, 1982, 1984, 1999. The December Music Season concert of 2000 at the Music Academy by Anuradha and Srimathi received the best instrumental musician award of the year for the duet, among hundreds of other concerts. The mother-daughter duo never fails to please the music critics at Chennai’s local dailies.

A versatile teacher with great acumen on vocal, instrumental and rhythmic aspects of Carnatic Music, in 1989, Anuradha launched Trinity Center for Music in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her mission? "A school to groom stellar students of music and to serve and propagate the aesthetics of Carnatic music in the United States," she observes.

Shriram Brahmanandam

Today, Shriram is one of the most sought after accompanists in the United States, having also performed at the annual Cleveland Carnatic festival and at the Lincoln Center in New York. He has often been featured in fusion concerts where he has collaborated with percussionists and musicians of other musical systems such as Hindustani, Folk, and Pop. He has also performed drum fusion concerts with celebrated western drummers Anthony Brown and Hari Nikesh.

A prolific composer, Shriram zealously looks for opportunities to create new rhythmic compositions (mohras and korvais). Shriram translates his passion for the mridangam in articulate, riveting lecture and demonstration sessions (‘The Art of Mridangam Accompaniment’) held around the Bay Area.

Shriram Brahmanandam was initiated into the mridangam by the renowned guru Harihara Sharma and later continued his training with C.V. Kuppuswami. He completed advanced training from the percussion stalwart Kumbakonam Rajappa Iyer. Shriram has won awards for "Best Mrudangist" during the music concert series held in the Indian Fine Arts Society and in the Youth Association for Classical Music.

Since his debut at the age of 12, Shriram has played on countless stages at major venues in India and abroad. He has performed in Melbourne, Australia, and has been invited to present in major multinational music festivals like the Australian Woodford Folk Festival in Queensland. He has also teamed up with many senior musicians including Lalgudi. G. Jayaraman, T.K. Govindarao, N. Ramani, Shashank, Suguna Purushothaman, R.K. Venkatrama Sasthri, K.J Yesudas, and Nookala Chinnasatyanarayana.


Ravi Balasubramanian

Dr. Ravi Balasubramanian is the most sought after ghatam artiste in North America and is known for his energetic, sensitive accompaniment and solo performances. Ravi has extensive experience in Carnatic percussion, including performing on the Ghatam at top musical institutions such as the Chennai Music Academy and the Cleveland Aradhana for over fourteen years. He received the title Yuva Kala Bharati in 2003 from Bharat Kalachar, a music organization in Chennai, for excellence and dedication in the art of ghatam. Ravi has had the rare honor and experience of performing with leading artistes including Sangitha Kalanidhi vocalists, violinists, flautists, and mridangam artistes in India, USA, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, and Australia. Ravi received his initial tutelage from Palghat Sri P. K. Sekar and Sangitha Kalanidhi Dr. T. K. Murthy and later pursued advanced training from Sri. V. Suresh in Chennai, India. Ravi has given lecture-demonstration on the ghatam in the University of Pittsburgh, PA. He recently received his Doctorate in Robotics from Carnegies Mellon University and is a Research Associate at the University of Washington.
About the venue:


Directions and Parking:

The Recital Hall is located just behind the O’Shaughnessy Auditorium  in the campus of St. Catherine University (2004 Randolph Ave, Saint Paul, MN 55105). The Recital Hall is Building 24 in the campus map (see below).

Driving Directions: 

  • From I-94 going E: Take Cretin Avenue exit. South (right) on Cretin to Randolph Avenue. East (left) on Randolph to Cleveland Avenue intersection. Stay on Randolph. Enter at GATE 3 on Randolph.
  • From I-94 going W: Take Snelling Avenue (US 51) exit. South (left) on Snelling Avenue to Randolph. West (right) on Randoplh to Fairview/Randolph intersection. Stay on Randolph. Enter at GATE 3 on Randolph.
  • From I-35E: Exit on Randolph Avenue. Proceed West to Fairview/Randolph intersection. Stay on Randolph. Enter at GATE 3 on Randolph.
  • From I-35W: Exit on 94 eastbound to Cretin Avenue exit. South on Cretin to Randolph Avenue. East on Randolph to Cleveland Avenue intersection. Stay on Randolph. Enter at GATE 3 on Randolph.

Gate 3 is located between Cleveland and Fairview and is nearest to the intersection of Randolph and Prior Avenues. The Recital Hall is located right behind the better known O'Shaughnessy auditorium. Parking is free after hours and on weekends.

Click here for a campus map of St. Catherine University.

Click here for other general maps and directions to St. Catherine University.

Acknowledgments:

IMSOM’s Fall 2009 Concert Series has been supported in part by funds provided by: an appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature, the Honeywell “Dollars for Doers” Grant, and IMSOM members. This concert is co-sponsored by KFAI Radio (90.3FM in Minneapolis 106.7FM in St. Paul).
KFAI Logo

For further information contact:
 
Durgesh Manjure
durgeshmanjure@yahoo.com
Ameeta Kelekar ameeta@imsom.org

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