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Tickets – Sruti Members can use Coupon code (After selecting seat) SRUTIMEMBER for $28 tickets and other Sruti fans can use the Coupon code SRUTINONMEMBER for $35 tickets.

This concert is being organized in collaboration with Montco Cultural Center Lively Arts Series.

SRUTI is pleased to present a Grand Carnatic vocal concert by Sriranjani Santhanagopalan, accompanied by Sayee Rakshith on the Violin, and Praveen Sparsh on the Mridangam.

Sriranjani Santhanagopalan (Vocal)

Sriranjani Santhanagopalan hails from a family with a great musical pedigree – she is the daughter of Sangita Kalanidhi Neyveli Santhanagopalan, a distinguished vocalist and a well-known teacher.  Her meteoric rise to the highest echelons of the Carnatic world has been rapid, sensational and a testament to her hard work and dedication.

Sriranjani’s artistic brilliance, poise and stage presentation simply belie her age and her impeccable adherence to pitch mixed with her golden voice elevates the listener to a state of bliss. With an arresting voice capable of rendering every embellishment in high speed and slow glides, she is at home in all aspects of her genre, from the weighty Ragam-Tanam-Pallavi to the poignant Bhajan. She has won numerous awards and accolades – notably the “Outstanding Vocalist” award from the Music Academy five times, Outstanding Lec-Dem from Music Academy in 2023, Yuva Kala Bharathi from Bharat Kalachar and Kala Ratna from Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana Committee. Sriranjani has traveled across the globe enthralling audiences with exemplary performances. Sriranjani also runs a highly successful music school named “Sriranjani’s Tapasya”.

Sayee Rakshith (Violin)

Sayee Rakshith started his musical journey at an early age of ten. He initially learnt violin under Shri T.V. Ramani and continued training under the tutelage of Shri K.G. Rajesh and Sangeetha Kalanidhi A. Kanyakumari. He has performed duet concerts with his guru as well accompanying leading artists in concerts across India and abroad.

Sayee has been a part of the band ‘Staccato’ since 2018 and continues to collaborate with leading musicians across various genres. He has also been playing in the film industry for leading music directors.

Sayee has received several awards including Lalgudi Jayaraman Endowment award from Sri Krishna Gana Sabha; Best accompanist award by Karnataka Fine arts council;  Won the First prize in the national competition conducted by All India Radio for Carnatic Violin; Best concert award for the HCL concert series from the Music Academy, Madras.

Praveen Sparsh (Mridangam)

Praveen Sparsh started learning Mridangam at the age of five from Mridangam Maestro Guruvayur Sri Dorai. He is the grandson of Mridangam exponent Thanjavur Sri Upendran.

Praveen is a sought-after Mridangam player, and performs regularly with stalwarts like TM Krishna, Aruna Sairam, Bombay Jayshree, Sikkil Gurcharan. He has performed in India and abroad.

Praveen has released his acclaimed solo percussion album, ‘UNRESERVED,’ a mridangam centric album that explores the sounds of everyday life. As a music producer, Praveen has scored and performed music for the play ‘Kurukshetra – When things fall apart.’  He has also scored music for short films, performed at music festivals, and has collaborated with renowned music bands.

Praveen has received prestigious awards and titles including “Laya Ratna,” “Palani

Subramanya Pillai Memorial Award,” MS Subbulakshmi Fellowship, “Yuva Kala Bharati,” “Best Performer Award,” and Palghat Mani Iyer’s Endowment Award.

List Of Songs

Track 1 – Varnam – Asaveri – Patnam Subramania Iyer

Track 2 – Telisi Rama – Poornacandrika – Adi – Tyagaraja

Track 3 – Ma MayUrameedil – Bilahari – Adi – Mazhavai Cidambara Shastri

Track 4 – Sri Viswanatham – Caturdasha Ragamalika – Adi – Muthuswami Dikshitar

Track 5 – Parvati Ninnu Ne – Kalgada – Adi – Syama Sastri

Track 6 – Ninne Nammi Nanu – Todi – Capu – Syama Sastri

Track 7 – Tani Avartanam – Capu

Track 8 – Yei Ho Vittale – Abhang – Ragamalika – Sant Namdev

Track 9 – Sodanai Sumaikku – Kapi – Papanasam Sivan

Track 10 – Tillana – Kapi – Lakshmisa Talam – Pooch Srinivasa Iyengar

Concert Review

Review of Sriranjani Santhanagopalan’s Concert 

By An Informed RasikA

 The air was filled with anticipation as the audience gathered in the beautiful auditorium at Montgomery Community College, eagerly awaiting the performance of one of the most sought-after vocalists in the carnatic music circuit, Sriranjani Santhanagopalan, with Sayee Rakshit on the violin and Praveen Sparsh on the mridangam.  Blessed with a mellifluous voice and with strong command over the technical aspects of Carnatic music, Sriranjani is highly appreciated by musicians, critics and rasikAs for her adherence to tradition while bringing out new dimensions in her renditions.

Commencing with a varnam in Asaveri composed by Patnam Subramania Iyer, Sriranjani also rendered kalpanaswarams for the charanam line, showcasing the fluidity in her voice and setting the stage for what was to come for the rest of the evening.  She then proceeded to sing Thyagraja’s composition Thelisarama in Poornachandrika.  Presenting at a very brisk pace and with a lot of clarity, Sriranjani showed clearly how much effort she puts to ensure swara-suddham in rendering fast-paced phrases.  Sayee was able to respond effortlessly on the violin to the different swara patterns, with Praveen demonstrating his dexterity with nice finishes at the end of each cycle.

The audience was treated to a fairly elaborate alapana of Bilahari, followed by Maa Mayura Meedhil, a composition of Mazhavai Chidambara Bharathi.  Sriranjani presented the raga in its full glory, bringing out many subtleties.  She then proceeded to present a chathur-dasa ragamalika composition of Muthuswamy Dikshithar, Sri Viswanatham Bhajeham.  Another gem of a creation, with fourteen different ragams factored in this piece by the illustrious composer, Sriranjani took enormous care to maintain the kalapramanam to deliver with emotion throughout while transitioning through the many verses.  Both Sayee and Praveen followed the vocalist very closely to embellish the rendition.

After rendering Shyama Sastri’s composition Parvathi ninu Ne in Kalgada, Sriranjani launched Todi alapana for the main piece for the evening.  Traversing effortlessly between three different octaves, the ragam was beautifully rendered by the vocalist, demonstrating a lot of breadth control and ease in handling fast-paced phrases.  Ninne Namminaanu, another Shyama Sastri’s composition was chosen for the evening.  Nereval and swarams for the line Kamakshi Kanchadhalayadakshi were presented extensively with Sayee shadowing and complementing very well.  Praveen played an excellent thani avarthanam, weaving misra nadai and thisra nadai korvais and clearly showcasing many nuances of the Pudhukottai style of mridangam-playing.

Sriranjani then presented an Abhang, Bhakta Jana Vatsala, in Brindavani, bringing out the myriad of sensitivities encapsulated in the different stanzas in the composition.  A composition of Papanasam Sivan in Kapi, Sodhanai Smaikkuvezhai was rendered prior to Sriranjani concluding the concert with a thillana (also in Kapi ragam) in Lakshmisa talam, composed by Poochi Srinivasa Iyengar.  With very good rapport between the artists, the performance was very enjoyable for the evening.