Aditya Kumar’sMridangam Arangetram

Sangeetha Kala Acharya Sri T. H. Subashchandran (1946–2020), affectionately known to us as “Subash Mama,” was a renowned ghatam player and konnakol artiste. Konnakol is the intricate art of enunciating percussion notes in various rhythmic cycles at rapid speeds. He was a versatile master of percussion who taught all forms of Carnatic percussion instruments.

Subash Mama built a global reputation through his spellbinding performances around the world, including at the United Nations, with the New York Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta, the Oslo Philharmonic with Dr. L. Subramaniam, and the Moscow Philharmonic in the former U.S.S.R.

He collaborated with many all-time greats, including violinist and conductor Yehudi Menuhin and drummers Tony Williams and Max Roach.

Vidwan “Kanjira” Ganesh Kumar is among the world’s leading exponents of the kanjira and a senior disciple of Vidwan Sri T. H. Subashchandran. His work has been instrumental in expanding the scope of the kanjira beyond Indian Carnatic classical music. He is a recipient of the Fulbright Fellowship from the U.S. Department of State and the Maryland State Fellowship for Classical & Folk Arts.

He has accompanied many eminent Carnatic music artistes, including Smt. M. S. Subbulakshmi, Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna and Dr. L. Subramaniam. He has also performed with many Western jazz greats in the United States and Europe. A testament to his versatility and creativity is his invention of the synthetic kanjira, released by the Cooperman Drum Company in Vermont as part of its Artists Innovation Series. The Hindu has described his collaborations as helping to develop a new genre of Indo-Western classical music.

He has released a two-volume instructional DVD titled “The Art of Kanjira” to reach students of kanjira and percussion around the world.

Murali Krishna is a Carnatic percussionist and vocalist.

His formal introduction to percussion began at the age of seven on the mridangam with Sri K. M. Vaidyanathan, an expert of the Harihara Sarma school of percussion.

He transitioned from the mridangam to the ghatam under the tutelage of Sri T. H. Subashchandran, also of the Harihara Sarma school. Now continuing advanced lessons from Sri Kanjira Ganesh Kumar, he can also claim the rare honor of being taught by three generations of percussionists from the same lineage.

Murali also learned vocal music from his mother, Smt. Radha Krishna of the Alathur school of Carnatic music. He now advances his musical education with his sister, Smt. Meera Krishna of Seattle. His dual training affords him a unique insight into the interplay between rhythm and melody.

Vishaal Sapuram is an acclaimed Carnatic musician and exponent of the chitravina, a rare Indian slide lute. A disciple of maestro N. Ravikiran, he began performing at age nine and has since appeared at the Chicago World Music Festival, Esplanade’s Kalaa Utsavam in Singapore, Drive East in New York, the Tyagaraja-Tansen Festival in Kuala Lumpur, and leading sabhas across India. A highly proficient vocalist, he has also helped create concepts including “Unfretted” and “Immersed in Infinity,” exploring collaboration and spirituality within the Carnatic concert journey.

Praised by The Hindu for his musical wisdom and sonorous sound, Vishaal has received the Shanmukhananda Dr. M. S. Subbulakshmi Fellowship, awards from the Music Academy Madras, and an A Grade from All India Radio Chennai. A passionate teacher since age ten, he has lectured at Brown and Emory Universities, Temple of Fine Arts Malaysia, and other institutions. His knowledge of Sanskrit, Telugu and Tamil informs his English translations of many Carnatic compositions.

Sruti Sarathy is a leading Carnatic violinist, singer and composer known for her soulful sound and imaginative approach. Born and raised in the Bay Area, she began training at age three under Guru Anuradha Sridhar, a sixth-generation violinist from the eminent Lalgudi lineage. Sruti regularly accompanies leading artistes including Flute Shashank, T. M. Krishna, Sikkil Gurucharan and Sudha Raghunathan. She has received awards from the Music Academy three years in a row and the 2023 Mysore T. Chowdiah Memorial Award for outstanding violinist.

A Fulbright Scholar who also trained in Hindustani music under violin maestro Kala Ramnath, Sruti co-leads the Indian strings duet “Unfretted” with Vishaal Sapuram. She created and leads “Songs for Many Lives,” telling stories of the South Asian diaspora through new Carnatic compositions, and frequently composes for dance and theater. Her work has been heard at major festivals and venues across the United States and India. Sruti is a graduate of Stanford University, where she studied French literature.

Aditya has studied the mridangam since 2019 under Shri Ganesh Kumar and Shri Murali Krishna, drawn to the instrument’s uncommon blend of discipline, power and conversation.

Music is one part of a life shaped by curiosity. He also plays the violin and brings the same patient problem-solving to robotics and computer science. For this evening, however, everything comes back to one thing: listening closely enough to find the right response.

At the center of the evening, Aditya carries melody through rhythm and years of devoted practice as he formally ascends the Carnatic stage.