Ethnomusicology Visiting Artist Concert: Ganesh Rajagopalan, violin - Traditional and New Music of South India

Fall Quarter Ethnomusicology Visiting Artist Ganesh Rajagopalan, master violinist and vocalist of Carnatic music, is known in India and worldwide for his virtuosity as a violinist and for his innovative approach to music-making, in which he combines his technique and background with various forms of music ranging from Hindustani to jazz, folk, blues, and much more. He performs traditional and new music of South India in this performance concluding his UW residency.

NOTE: This performance is sold out.

PROGRAM DETAIL

A number of wonderful artists are featured in this performance. The violin is played by the esteemed Ganesh Rajagopalan. He is accompanied by two musicians who play South Indian percussion instruments: Vignesh Venkataraman on the mridangam, a double headed drum, and Sriram Ramesh on the kanjira, a frame drum with jingles (much like a tambourine) that supports the mridangam. The program also features University of Washington students who have been studying with Ganesh this Autumn Quarter, learning to sing and perform Carnatic music on various instruments that they already play. 

PERFORMER BIOS

Master musician GANESH RAJAGOPALAN is one of India’s top classical violinists. He was born into a family of violinists and started to study music as a child with his father. Highly trained and deeply steeped in the Carnatic musical tradition of South India, he also bridges different musical systems, evolving a unique musical style and melding his technique and background with many other genres, ranging from North Indian Classical, to jazz, folk, blues, etc. His 45-year career as a concert performer has yielded a treasure trove of musical knowledge and experience. He has performed with artists across genres, including master instrumentalists in India as well as abroad, and in prestigious venues around the world. He is a much sought after musical guru (teacher) conducting master classes and camps in places such as Portland, San Jose, San Francisco, Chicago, Atlanta and Houston. He moved to the Seattle area in 2015 and runs a school of Carnatic music in Sammamish called eSwara School of Arts.

VIGNESH VENKATARAMAN is a mridangam artist hailing from Umayalpuram Sri K. Sivaraman’s school of music. Vignesh was initiated into playing mridangam by Sri Anand Iyer, also from the same school. Over a period of 5 years, Vignesh traveled to India every summer to undergo advanced training under the tutelage of Umayalpuram Sri K. Sivaraman. Vignesh has accompanied various artists, including many senior musicians, in numerous concerts all over the U.S. and in India. He won the Best Mridangist award at the Spirit of Youth festival held by the Madras Music Academy in 2013. Vignesh is also learning vocal Carnatic music from Smt. Meena Kothandaraman, and more recently from violinist Sri R. K. Shriramkumar. He holds multiple degrees from Stanford University.

SRIRAM RAMESH, a versatile percussionist, has been performing in India, the U.S., and Canada for the past several years. Initially, he had his mridangam training from Vaikom Shri. R. Gopalakrishnan before coming under the tutelage of Bangalore Shri. N. Amrit for kanjira. He has been performing on the kanjira, drums, rhythm pads and morsing (a type of jaw harp) with several leading artists. His abilities to play a multitude of percussion instruments and distinctive tonal qualities have helped him contribute to the soundtracks of several thematic dances and fusion productions. He regularly accompanies Ganesh Rajagopalan. Sriram is an electrical engineer based in Seattle, WA.

UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON STUDENTS OF GANESH RAJAGOPALAN

Sachin Bhargava; Darra Bunkasem; Javoen Byrd; Emily Callan; Juliana Cantarelli Vita; Daniel Chang; Jack Flesher; Kush Gupta; Benjamin Lanier; Grace Lee; Emma McIntosh; Sahara Naini; Ethan Nowack; Graham Peterson; and Shane Shi.