GURU-SHISHYA SERIES - May 2012 concert

DATE: SATURDAY, MAY 12, 2012

TIME: 2.00 PM TO 5.00 PM

VENUE: SANATHANA DHARMA KENDRA

897 Kifer Road, Suite 1, (inside RTS Building Complex)

Sunnyvale, CA 94086

Phone: (408) 481-9242

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These are free events. All are welcome. Please feel free to spread this message to your friends and relatives.

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Hema Sista (Vocal - Guru)

Hrishikesh Chary (Vocal - Shishya)

Srikanth Chary (Veena accompaniment)

Ravindrabharathi Sridharan - (Mridangam)

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Hema Sista (Vocal - Guru)

Smt. Hema Sista had her early vocal training from Sri Bhaskara Bhagavathar in Bombay. Later, Hema started receiving advanced music instruction from the legendary Vocalist, Sangeetha Kalanidhi Dr. M. L. Vasantakumari, affectionately known as MLV. In the last few years since MLV’s passing, Hema has been continuing her music education under the guidance of Smt. Charumathi Ramachandran, and Sri Trichur V. Ramachandran, seasoned performers of the GNB and MLV baanis. Hema has also received invaluable training from the legendary violinist, Sri Lalgudi Jayaraman, as well as Smt. Sudha Raghunathan. As a performing vocalist Hema always admired the enthralling style of MLV. MLV’s style is characterized by swift brighas, sparkling creativity and melody dripping at the turn of each musical phrase, coupled with impeccable laya. Hema has remained faithful to her Guruji’s bani, and combines it with her own sense of bhava and pinpoint precision of laya. Hema has performed widely in the United States – in live performances and on television and radio, as well as for dance performances. She won the Second Place Musician and Teacher Award given by the Cupertino Arts Council. She has also been invited to judge at music competitions. Hema established the Sangithalaya School of Music in the San Francisco Bay Area over 20 years ago. Her teaching philosophy emphasizes excellence in music. She strives to bring her students up to the complex levels of the music instead of simplifying the music in the process of instruction. She has trained several students to give full-length Carnatic music concerts. Several of her students have competed and won prizes at the Papanasam Sivan festival and the Cleveland Araadhana festival.

Hrishikesh Chary (Vocal - Shishya)

As a young child, Hrishikesh showed a keen interest and talent in music. He could easily identify ragams when he was a little over a year old and could barely pronounce the names of the ragams! He started learning vocal music at the age of seven from Smt. Hema Sista, who is a disciple of the music doyenSangeetha Kalanidhi Smt. M. L. Vasanthakumari. In 2005 Hrishikesh composed a ragamalika musical piece for the "Reflections" contest, interpreting the theme "I Wonder Why" which was selected to appear at the Fremont District competition. Hrishikesh has performed several solo vocal concerts in the San Francisco Bay Area, including performances for the Nandalala Mission and for the Swara Lahari

television program. In addition to following his passion for vocal music, Hrishikesh also studies the veena from his father, the eminent bay area Vainika, Sri Srikanth Chary, a disciple

of the legendary violin maeastro, Sri Lalgudi Jayaraman. Since the age of 10, Hrishikesh has won several prizes in vocal and veena competitions – held in the Bay Area and at the Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana. In 2010, Hrishikesh won the prestigious Cleveland Aradhana concert competition, and was awarded a tambura and the opportunity to present a concert at the 2011 festival. Hrishikesh is a senior at Mission San Jose High School in Fremont, California. He is a Tae Kwon Do black belt and enjoys playing cricket and basketball.

Srikanth Chary (Veena accompaniment)

Accomplished Veena artiste Srikanth Chary began his training at the age of six in Mumbai under Veena vidwan Devakottai Sri Narayana Iyengar, and later from Smt. Kalyani Sarma at Shanmukhananda Sabha. Even at the young age of 8, Srikanth received the first prize in Shanmukhananda Sabha’s Veena competition, awarded by Smt. M. S. Subbulakshmi. In the US, Srikanth had the opportunity to learn from the famed violinist Kum. A. Kanyakumari, awakening a passion in him for music that he has been pursuing ever since. Since the early 1980s, Srikanth has been receiving advanced music training from the music Maestro Padmabhushan Lalgudi G. Jayaraman, whose baani is characterized by its purity of swara and laya suddham, and sparkling manodharma sangitam.

Srikanth has adapted this captivating style to the Veena, exploring the subtle nuances of this divine instrument while preserving the traditional purity of Carnatic music. Srikanth has given many concerts in the United States, India and Australia, receiving excellent reviews. He was felicitated with a silk shawl by the late Sangeetha Kalanidhi Dr. M. L. Vasanthakumari at Chennai’s Narada Gana Sabha in 1989. He has accompanied eminent vocalists like Smt. Charumathi Ramachandran, Smt. Sudha Ragunathan, Papanasam Sri Ashok Ramani and the Carnatica Brothers, and has given jugalbandis with Hindustani musicians. In 1999, he gave a duet with Sangeetha Choodamani Lalgudi Sri G. J. R. Krishnan at the residence of the Governor of Andhra Pradesh. In 2002, Srikanth joined Lagudi GJR Krishnan in a concert tour all over the US. In December 2002, Srikanth was awarded "the best veena player award" by the prestigious Madras Music Academy. Srikanth is a graded artiste of All India Radio. In 1989, Srikanth has established a Veena school, Naada Nidhi. Many of his students have won prizes, given arangetrams and are concert-level performers. Srikanth has released 3 CDs through Dhwani Productions, which have won rave reviews from music connoisseurs.

Ravindrabharathi Sridharan - (Mridangam)