Upcoming Programs

Date:

Saturday, June 21th 2008

Time:

2:00 PM to 5:00 PM

Location:

Sanathana Dharma Kendra

Address:

897 Kifer Road, Suite 1, (inside RTS Building Complex)
Sunnyvale, CA 94086

Phone:

(408) 481-9242

Map :

Map of 897 Kifer Rd, Sunnyvale, CA 94086-5205

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

Junior Concert:	2.00 PM - 2.45 PM	Rohith Jayaraman (Vocal) Vignesh Venkataraman (Mridangam)
Senior Concert:	3.00 PM - 5.00 PM	Jeyaraaj Krishnan and Jaysri Jeyaraaj Krishnan (Veena) Shriram Brahmanandam (Mridangam)

Rohith Jayaraman (Vocal)

Rohith Jayaraman has been learning Carnatic Music from Smt. Asha Ramesh, Artistic Director of Ragamalika School of Music for the past 6 years. He has participated in all Ragamalika’s productions since 2002. Rohith has participated in various competitions and won many prizes and praises for his singing. He will be starting high school this fall at Bellarmine College Preparatory. Apart from music, Rohith plays the Guitar and also plays tennis.

Vignesh Venkataraman (Mridangam)

Vignesh, a 9th grader at Monta Vista High School, Cupertino, CA is a mridangam artist hailing from Umayalpuram Sri. K. Sivaraman’s school. Vignesh was initiated into playing Mridangam by Sri. Anand Iyer, also from the same school. For the past 4 years, Vignesh has been traveling to India every summer undergoing advanced training under the tutelage of Umayalpuram Sri. K. Sivaraman.

Vignesh has been accompanying various artists in Carnatic concerts in the San Francisco Bay area and has received accolades from local critics. He is a frequent performer at Nandalala Mission concerts. He has performed at Thyagaraja, Annamacharya and Swathi Tirunal Aradhanas. Vignesh is also learning vocal carnatic music from Smt. Meena Kodhandaraman, a disciple of Sri. M.S.Anantharaman, and recently from the violin maestro Sri. R.K. Shriramkumar. Vignesh has participated in mridangam and vocal competitions for the past 3 years at the Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana festival and has won several prizes in both categories.

Besides music, Vignesh is an avid sports fan and football is his most favorite sport. He is training to be the quarterback of his high school football team.

Jeyaraaj Krishnan and Jaysri Jeyaraaj Krishnan (Artiste Duo) (Veena)

JT Jeyaraaj Krishnan and Jaysri Jeyaraaj Krishnan (popularly known as Jeyaraaj and Jaysri) belong to the direct Shishya Parampara of Nadajyoti Sri Muthuswamy Dikshitar - who is one among the famous Trinity of Carnatic Music.

Jeyaraaj and Jaysri started their intensive training in vocal and veena music at a very tender age under the tutelage of Vainika Vidwan Late A. Anantharama Iyer and his sister Late A. Champakavalli who continued the Dikshitar Parampara they imbibed from their father Brahmasri Ananthakrishna Iyer, a direct disciple of Ambi Dikshitar, the great grand nephew of Muthuswamy Dikshitar.

Jeyaraaj and Jaysri are also being guided in their musical quest by esteemed Carnatic Music Exponent, Sangeetha Acharya, Vidwan Shri Chingleput Ranganathan.

"A" grade veena artistes of AIR Chennai, this husband and wife team has regaled audiences in India and abroad. They are passionate Vainikas who believe that Veena holds a revered place in Carnatic Music and have dedicated themselves towards preserving and propagating the "Gayaki" style of playing the Veena. The couple has started an organization called “VEENAVAADHINI”, with multifarious objectives, namely, teaching keen students the art of veena playing; conducting chamber concerts to provide an accessible platform for musicians; retracing Muthuswamy Dikshitar’s pilgrimage and singing the kritis that he has composed on various gods and goddesses enshrined in the respective temples; and undertaking a mammoth archival project of recording 1000 compositions and 100 raga alapanas played on the veena by the duo.

Shriram Brahmanandam (Mridangam)

Shriram Brahmanandam has learnt from the great Guru, Shri Kumbakonam Rajappa Iyer. He hails from a family of great musicians. His mother Lalgudi Shrimathi Brahmanandam is violinist of international acclaim. His fine musical instincts are imbibed from a great family lineage and from the traditions of his Guru parampara.

He started learning to play the mridangam from a very tender age and had his debut when he was twelve years old. Since then he has played in innumerable concerts. He has performed in most of the major venues throughout India. He has also teamed up with many senior musicians including, his uncle, Shri Lalgudi. G. Jayaraman, Shri K.J yesudas, Shri N. Ramani, and others.

He is a graded artist with All India Radio (AIR) and has performed regularly in national broadcasts in AIR and in Indian Television. He has won awards for "Best Mridangist" during the music concert series held in Indian Fine Arts and in Youth Association for classical music. Shriram has also visited United States on a concert, and Lecture/Demonstration tour. He has performed in Melbourne, Australia, and has given presentations in the major multinational music festivals held in Australia.

His style of accompaniment is vibrant and energetic, but it never ceases to support the main artiste. Shriram specializes in supportive accompaniment, and in bringing out the tonal excellence of his instrument.

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