By N. Krishnamurthy

Chennai December music festival is a prestigious event. Every aspiring musician wants to perform in this ginormous Margazhi music extravaganza.

When asked about the process by which his daughters were shortlisted by a well-known sabha, the father of two such aspirants, said “It is a rat race. You have to be at it”. Most sabhas receive hundreds of applications every year from aspiring debutants. Despite there being over 50 sabhas conducting concerts during the season, the quest to enter and sustain a place in the performers’ circle year after year is arduous. And yet, many artists living 15000 kms away in the US and training there, have managed to break into this inner circle. Over the years, some have become regular performers and are now living their ‘Indian dream’. How did they make it? What is different now from what it was a couple of decades ago? To delve into these, I spoke to four US-based artists who were performing this December in the 2024 Margazhi season. 

Young Kamalakiran Vinjamuri, from Springfield, Virginia is today a much soughtafter violinist during the Margazhi season. His journey to ‘senior’ status has not been easy. He started visiting Chennai at a very young age. He has been under the tutelage of the renowned violinist and a much admired teacher, A. Kanyakumari since 2006. While in school, he recalls catching up on his homework while attending Chennai concerts. In the days before Skype lessons, his teacher would take classes on the speakerphone. His first concert in Chennai was in 2009.

“A few senior artists who moved from the US to India made it big and paved the way for many of us to find greater acceptance in the Chennai season”, says Kamalakiran. This year, he had over 50 concerts in the season. At least 13 vocalists that he accompanied at various sabhas were designated `senior-evening' performers at The Music Academy. This year, Sri Parthasarathy Swamy Sabha presented the Dr. MLV award to Kamalakiran Vinjamuri. Modest as he is, he did not even tell me about the award when I interviewed him. When we finished that interview, which was after his concert, he picked up his violin and hurried towards The Music Academy where he was a part of the ensemble for the inaugural concert.

The busiest violinist in the 2024 season was not from Mylapore or Adyar, but from Springfield, Virginia in the US.

Many US-based artists start their Chennai journey at the NRI festival conducted by Hamsadhwani. This festival started in 1994 and aims to give opportunities to deserving NRIs (largely from the US) to perform to a `home' audience. This year, it was a 15-day affair featuring close to 70 musicians. “Since inception, more than 600 NRI's have taken the stage at this festival. Many have gone on to give concerts at well-known sabhas regularly in the Margazhi season,” says R. Sundar, Secretary of Hamsadhwani.

Rohan Krishnamurthy hails from remote Kalamazoo in Michigan, USA. After getting initiated into mridangam by teachers in the US, he continued advanced training under maestro Guruvayur Dorai. Uniquely, all his lessons with the great master have been `in-person', either on his visits to Chennai or Dorai’s many visits to the US. His first concert in Chennai was in 1999. He recalled that some of his early performances were at the NRI festival. “Hamsadhwani is a unique platform promoting Carnatic musicians from the diaspora”, he says.

Rohan is a full time musician and a professor of music. “Now we have a small community of full-time Carnatic musicians in the US”, he adds. Rohan now accompanies many senior musicians in Chennai and when they tour the US. He celebrated his 25th year of performing at the Chennai season this year. 

Much of the progress in skill level, as well as the rise in the number of Indian-origin artists, is due to the increasing number of sabhas and the growing community of teachers in the US, especially in the Bay Area and New Jersey.

“In the last 20 years, it has exploded”, says Sruti Sarathy, another popular violinist in the season from California, US. She knew this well, as she could pursue advanced training without having to reach out to India-based tutors. She began her training at the age of three from Anuradha Sridhar, Lalgudi Jayaraman’s niece. Anuradha founded the Trinity Centre of Music in the Bay area way back in 1989.

Sruti is a performer, teacher and a music collaborator. Sruti had a busy schedule this season with over 20 concerts at various sabhas. At her concert in The Music Academy, where she accompanied N.J. Nandini, the audience gave a rousing applause several times.

While the number of sabhas has surged, so has the interest in Carnatic music among the young in the US. According to an article in Mint Lounge in 2018, a music school in the small town of Cupertino in California that started two decades ago with two students has expanded to over 100 students. CMANA (Carnatic Music Association of North America), which was founded in 1976 lists over 30 teachers in the New Jersey area on its website. Not surprising, since central New Jersey is said to have the largest concentration of Tamils.

Twelve-year-old Arnav, whom I met at a concert at The Music Academy, studies in Portland, though he hopes to move to Chennai to pursue mridangam professionally. He is so dedicated that he spends many weekends at his teacher’s home practicing late into the night.

Speaking of commitment from a young age, Vishaal Sapuram from Austin, Texas, is a good example. Vishaal, reclusive by nature, started learning Carnatic vocal from the age of three. His prodigious talent impressed Chitravina Ravikiran deeply, and he took him as his student when Vishaal was six years old. Recalling his early training, Vishaal said, “We used to mail cassettes back and forth from Chennai to Austin. I would receive them in my post. I would then record my playing and mail back to Ravikiran Sir”. He believes that growing up as an aspiring Chitravina player in the US had some benefits. “That forces you to think about what is universal in music, how it appeals to a listener, regardless of language, culture, or Carnatic background”. Vishaal and Sruti collaborated in a project called Unfretted and played three concerts this season.

Over the last decade, US-based musicians have gained greater recognition in the Margazhi festival. The secretary of a leading sabha admitted that US already is or could soon become a major centre, next only to Chennai. Greater interest in Carnatic music by scores of Indian children, burgeoning ecosystem of sabhas and teachers, access to virtual training from well-known mentors in India and active social media presence have all played a key part. These young musicians are not only talented but also articulate and capable of presenting themselves compellingly.

(The author is the co-founder of a technology company and writes on travel and music)