Nirmala Rajasekar
Nirmala Rajasekar | |
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![]() This is a picture of Nirmala Rajasekar performing live in the prestigious Janaranjini Sabha in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu | |
Background information | |
Origin | Chennai |
Genres | Carnatic, world music |
Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, vocalist, vainika |
Instruments | Saraswati veena |
Labels | INNOVA |
Website | www.nirmalarajasekar.com |
Nirmala Rajasekar is a Carnatic Saraswati veena player, composer, vocalist, and educator.[1] One of the world's premier veena players,[2] Rajasekar has performed at Carnegie Hall,[3] the United Nations,[4] the Madras Music Academy, Narada Gana Sabha,[4][5] Sawai Gandharva Festival,[3] and the Konya International Mystic Music Festival.[4] Rajasekar is the current Co-Chair of the American Composers Forum.[6]
Early life[edit]
Nirmala Rajasekar began her training in the Saraswati veena at the age of 6 in Chennai[7] with Sri Deva Kottai Narayana Iyengar and Smt. Kamala Aswathama,[8] the mother of Smt. E. Gayathri. After moving to Bangalore, she studied at the Gana Mandira School in Basavangudi with Smt. G Chennama and Smt. E. P. Alamelu.[9][8] Rajasekar also received guidance from violinist Sri A.D. Zachariah[8] and Veena Sri S. Balachander.[8]
Rajasekar began her career as a soloist at the age of 13.[10][11][12] Upon returning to Chennai, Rajasekar came under the tutelage of Saraswati veena player Smt. Kalpakam Swaminathan, with whom she trained for nearly thirty years.[8][13] Through Swaminathan, Rajasekar is part of the Dikshitar shisya parampara.[14] In Chennai and Delhi, Rajasekar studied Carnatic vocal music with Sri B. Sitarama Sarma and Prof T.R. Subramaniam,[15] receiving a Government of India scholarship to study with the latter.[8]
Musical career[edit]
Rajasekar has been performing and composing for over forty years.[16] In her career, Rajasekar performs traditional Carnatic repertoire as a Saraswati veena exponent[1][7][8][12] and creates contemporary works through compositions and collaborations.[7][11][16] In 2020, Rajasekar was the annual Commissioned Composer of the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, the longest-running program of its kind in the United States.[16][17] Past composers include Pauline Oliveros, Morton Feldman, John Cage, Jennifer Higdon, and Julia Wolfe.[17]
In 2007, Rajasekar's album Song of the Veena was released by Innova Recordings,[18] and in 2010, Innova released her album Into the Raga.[19] Rajasekar's third album with Innova, a collaborative world music album called Maithree: The Music of Friendship, was released in 2018.[20][11] The album was reviewed by Songlines,[21] WNYC New Sounds, and Jazz Weekly.[22] Other albums include Sudha Saagara, released by Charsur Digital Workstation,[23] and Melodic Expressions.[24]
Rajasekar has collaborated with artists including Pt. Ronu Majumdar,[5] Pt. Tarun Bhattacharya,[25] Pt. Gaurav Majumdar,[26] Sri Mysore Manjunath,[5] Sounds of Blackness,[2] Gao Hong,[27] Anthony Cox,[3] and poet Robert Bly.[28]
Rajasekar is an A-Grade artist of All-India Radio,[29][9] and has appeared on Australian Broadcasting Corporation,[30] British Broadcasting Company,[2] and Doordarshan Television.[29] Since 1989, Rajasekar has been a performing artist for the Indian Council for Cultural Relations.[29] Rajasekar has been featured at the National Music Museum[2] and the "Beyond Bollywood" exhibit presented by the Minnesota Historical Society and the Smithsonian Institution.[31]
Since 1995, Rajasekar has lived in Minnesota, USA,[7][11] touring several months each year to countries such as India,[7] Turkey,[4] Australia,[30] New Zealand, and Singapore.[29] Rajasekar's daughter and student, Shruthi Rajasekar, is a composer and vocalist.[3][10]
Positions[edit]
Rajasekar is the founder and artistic director of the Naadha Rasa Center for Music,[9][28][4] and was recognized with the Prof. T.R. Subrahmanyam Teaching Award by the Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival.[32] She is also a COMPAS teaching artist.[1] Rajasekar currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Board of the American Composers Forum[6][33] and the Vice President of the Global Carnatic Musicians Association.[34][3]
Awards[edit]
- 2020 Annual Commissioned Composer of University of Wisconsin-River Falls[17]
- 2018 Pratibha Puraskar ("Genius Prize") from Delhi Telugu Academy[33]
- Vocational Excellence Award from Rotary Club International[35]
- 2010 McKnight Fellowship[36]
- 2006 Bush Fellowship[37]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "May Artist Spotlight: Carnatic Composer Nirmala Rajasekar". COMPAS. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "USD Public Events NMM Live! Sounds of South India - Nirmala Rajasekar - Bedework Events Calendar". calendar.usd.edu. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Swaminathan, G. (25 December 2019). "A vainika's journey around the world". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Shen (29 May 2017). "Smt Nirmala Rajasekar (veena - Chennai/USA)". QLD Sangeet Mela Association. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Dec 25, B. Sivakumar / TNN /; 2019; Ist, 11:49. "TN: Veena exponent, violinist and flautist to present trigalbandi | Chennai News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Board". American Composers Forum. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 "Renowned south Indian musician in Plymouth". MPR News. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 Venkataramanan, Geetha (29 December 2014). "Strings that sing". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 "Carnatic Saraswati veena by Nirmala Rajasekar". Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Carnatic music master Nirmala Rajasekar passes on love for music". MPR News. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 "Four artists from India who made their mark on Minnesota". Star Tribune. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Khanna, Shailaja (12 February 2020). "A sublime saraswati veena baithak by Nirmala Rajasekar". The Asian Age. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ↑ "Upcoming Music Performances include Indian veena, American art songs and British Invasion". Otterbein University. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ↑ "Kalpakam Swaminathan | RadioWeb Carnatic". old.radioweb.in. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
- ↑ Romero, Angel. "Artist Profiles: Nirmala Rajasekar | World Music Central.org". Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 "Vainika to win over Wisconsin". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 "Commissioned Composers". www.uwrf.edu. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ↑ "Song of the Veena | Innova Recordings". www.innova.mu. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ↑ "Into the Raga | Innova Recordings". www.innova.mu. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ↑ "Maithree | Innova Recordings". www.innova.mu. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ↑ "Review". Songlines. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ↑ "Maithree | Innova Recordings". www.innova.mu. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ↑ "Kutcheri- SudhaSaagara". Charsur Digital Workstation. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ↑ Melodic Expressions - Veena (1998) - Nirmala Rajasekar, retrieved 22 October 2020
- ↑ Upadhyay, Aninda (18 October 2019). "Jugalbandi". Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ↑ "Renowned Indian Musicians Take the Stage at CSUSM". Renowned Indian Musicians Take the Stage at CSUSM. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ↑ "Butterfly - Home Page". www.chinesepipa.com. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 "Performer & Teacher Nirmala Rajasekar – Ampers". ampers.org. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 29.3 "Veena Recital by Nirmala Rajasekar – Dhvani". dhvaniohio.org. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ↑ 30.0 30.1 "Music from the Goddess". ABC Radio National. 31 August 2017. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ↑ Minnesota Historical Society (2016). "Vibrant Accompaniment" (PDF). Minnesota History.
- ↑ "Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival". stepoutside.org. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ↑ 33.0 33.1 "IMSOM Concert: Nirmala Rajasekar (Veena)". www.imsom.org. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
- ↑ "Global Carnatic Musician's Association - Committee Members". www.gcma.in. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ↑ http://diftv.corridor-design.com/season-8/nirmala-rajasekar/
- ↑ https://www.mcknight.org/grant-programs/arts/past-mcknight-artist-fellows
- ↑ https://www.bushfoundation.org/fellows/nirmala-rajasekar