Nirmala Rajasekar

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Nirmala Rajasekar
This is a picture of Nirmala Rajasekar performing live in the prestigious Janaranjini Sabha in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu
This is a picture of Nirmala Rajasekar performing live in the prestigious Janaranjini Sabha in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu
Background information
Born11 December
OriginChennai
GenresCarnatic, world music
OccupationsMusician, composer, vocalist, vainika
InstrumentsSaraswati veena
LabelsINNOVA
Websitewww.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 | edit source]

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 | edit source]

Nirmala 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.[20] Other albums include Sudha Saagara, released by Charsur Digital Workstation,[22] and Melodic Expressions.[23]

Rajasekar has collaborated with artists including Pt. Ronu Majumdar,[5] Pt. Tarun Bhattacharya,[24] Pt. Gaurav Majumdar,[25] Sri Mysore Manjunath,[5] Sounds of Blackness,[2] Gao Hong,[26] Anthony Cox,[3] and poet Robert Bly.[27]

Rajasekar is an A-Grade artist of All-India Radio,[28][9] and has appeared on Australian Broadcasting Corporation,[29] British Broadcasting Company,[2] and Doordarshan Television.[28] Since 1989, Rajasekar has been a performing artist for the Indian Council for Cultural Relations.[28] 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.[30]

Nirmala Rajasekar performing with the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra and VocalEssence
Nirmala Rajasekar performing with the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra and VocalEssence

Since 1995, Rajasekar has lived in Minnesota, USA,[7][11] touring several months each year to countries such as India,[7] Turkey,[4] Australia,[29] New Zealand, and Singapore.[28] Rajasekar's daughter and student, Shruthi Rajasekar, is a composer and vocalist.[3][10] In 2025, Rajasekar was featured with Thanjavur Murgaboopathi in a composition by her daughter for orchestra and choir performing with the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra and VocalEssence.

Positions[edit | edit source]

Nirmala Rajasekar is the founder and artistic director of the Naadha Rasa Center for Music,[9][27][4] and was recognized with the Prof. T.R. Subrahmanyam Teaching Award by the Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival.[31] She is also a COMPAS teaching artist.[1] Rajasekar currently serves as the co-chair of the Board of the American Composers Forum[6][32] and the Vice President of the Global Carnatic Musicians Association.[33][3]

Awards[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "May Artist Spotlight: Carnatic Composer Nirmala Rajasekar". COMPAS. Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  2. ↑ 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.[dead link]
  3. ↑ 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. ↑ 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. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 B. Sivakumar (25 December 2019). "TN: Veena exponent, violinist and flautist to present trigalbandi | Chennai News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Board". American Composers Forum. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 "Renowned south Indian musician in Plymouth". MPR News. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  8. ↑ 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. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 "Carnatic Saraswati veena by Nirmala Rajasekar". Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Carnatic music master Nirmala Rajasekar passes on love for music". MPR News. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 "Four artists from India who made their mark on Minnesota". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Khanna, Shailaja (12 February 2020). "A sublime saraswati veena baithak by Nirmala Rajasekar". The Asian Age. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  13. ↑ "Upcoming Music Performances include Indian veena, American art songs and British Invasion". Otterbein University. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  14. ↑ "Kalpakam Swaminathan | RadioWeb Carnatic". old.radioweb.in. Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  15. ↑ Romero, Angel (7 August 2018). "Artist Profiles: Nirmala Rajasekar | World Music Central.org". Retrieved 22 October 2020.[dead link]
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 "Vainika to win over Wisconsin". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 "Commissioned Composers". www.uwrf.edu. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  18. ↑ "Song of the Veena | Innova Recordings". www.innova.mu. Archived from the original on 5 May 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  19. ↑ "Into the Raga | Innova Recordings". www.innova.mu. Archived from the original on 5 May 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 "Maithree | Innova Recordings". www.innova.mu. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  21. ↑ "Review". Songlines. Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  22. ↑ "Kutcheri- SudhaSaagara". Charsur Digital Workstation. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  23. ↑ Melodic Expressions - Veena (1998) - Nirmala Rajasekar, archived from the original on 21 August 2014, retrieved 22 October 2020
  24. ↑ Upadhyay, Aninda (18 October 2019). "Jugalbandi". Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  25. ↑ "Renowned Indian Musicians Take the Stage at CSUSM". Renowned Indian Musicians Take the Stage at CSUSM. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  26. ↑ "Butterfly - Home Page". www.chinesepipa.com. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 "Performer & Teacher Nirmala Rajasekar – Ampers". ampers.org. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 28.3 "Veena Recital by Nirmala Rajasekar – Dhvani". dhvaniohio.org. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 "Music from the Goddess". ABC Radio National. 31 August 2017. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  30. ↑ Minnesota Historical Society (2016). "Vibrant Accompaniment" (PDF). Minnesota History.
  31. ↑ "Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival". stepoutside.org. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 "IMSOM Concert: Nirmala Rajasekar (Veena)". www.imsom.org. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  33. ↑ "Global Carnatic Musician's Association - Committee Members". www.gcma.in. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  34. ↑ "KALAIMAMANI NIRMALA RAJASEKAR – Soorya Performing Arts". Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  35. ↑ "Nirmala Rajasekar | Performing Artist | Diversity in Focus".
  36. ↑ "Meet the Fellows".
  37. ↑ "Nirmala Rajasekar".
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