What an amazing journey it has been with the Saraswathi veena over these past 4 months!
In early March, I performed at the Momentary, an exciting venue in Bentonville, Arkansas, with Pt Samir Chatterjee. From there, I joined my daughter – and composer – Shruthi Rajasekar in New York for my performance with the United Nations Symphony Orchestra. We were invited by the organization United Voices 4 Peace to perform for a special event during the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. Among the many wonderful ways they celebrated the artists, including hosting us at the United Nations with conversations on cultural diplomacy, they also featured us in Times Square. It was a true honor to be shown wearing the South Asian sari on the big billboard:
For the concert at the Skirball Auditorium, I joined the orchestra, under the baton of Maestra Amy Andersson and director Predrag Vasic, to perform Shruthi's piece Freely Mohini: This was a special way to mark International Women's Day this year. Here is our cross-cultural performance:
Immediately following this was the much-anticipated Veena Gaanam ensemble performance at the Cleveland Aradhana. With 50+ members from 10 US states, Veena Gaanam's third presentation was very well received.
Naadharasa is currently organizing Veena Ganaam 2025 at the Cleveland Aradhana. To find out more, click here - and follow our Facebook page for updates!
Our young Naadharasa students participated in online competitions held around the country and at the Aradhana, coming home with prizes and rich experiences. As always, being at the Cleveland Aradhana amidst lovers of music is exhilarating. Each year, it is inspiring to spend time with the pioneers and founders of this Aradhana... 43 years of dedicated service. My own concert there–with a wonderful team of artists–was a lovely experience; the raga Shankarabharanam took center stage.
Back in Minnesota, we were in the throes of Naadotsavam on its 12th annual edition. The young students of Naadharasa worked hard and did well in all the categories, including the title of "Carnatic Star."
Our Veena Gaanam team then traveled from Minneapolis to Chicago to participate in SAPNA's (Sri Annamacharya Project of North America) 20th Veena Festival. I was blessed with the "Srikala Purna Award - The Complete Artist Award" by the organizers Dr Smt Saradapurna Sonty and Dr Shri Sriram Sonty. I bow in gratitude to my Gurus, parents, and elders for all that they continue to give.
Returning to Minnesota, it was an honor for me to light the traditional lamp and be part of the opening ceremony of the Swaradhwani Festival hosted by the Hindu Society, Dash Foundation and SwaraVedika. Our younger members of the ensemble presented another short concert to much appreciation and personal satisfaction.
Today, we are happy to share the news that United Voices 4 Peace's documentary film about our work, "Global Women in Music," was screened at the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France on May 20, 2024... we are grateful to the Power that has made this possible!
Excerpts from the documentary
The journey continues with Summer Intensives for our students, a special commission to create and perform music with Katha Dance Theater in a unique presentation of Carnatic Music & Kathak Dance, a recording of 'Light Eternal' for a UK project and traveling to India in August for a month of concerts and presentations.
Our national fall tour, '100 strings,' begins on September 7th. Looking forward to sharing more with you soon.
Your neighborhood Vainika,
Nirmala
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