Posted September 8, 2009.
“Karnatak music is the classical music of South India nurtured in the great Hindu temples and palaces of cities like Tanjavor,” says Zoe Sherinian, associate professor of Ethnomusicology at the OU School of Music. “The three artists in this concert all trace their musical heritage to musicians who performed in the Tanjavor palace in the 18th century.”
The University of Oklahoma School of Music presents Karnatak Classical Music of South India as part of the Masala World Music Concert Series at 8 p.m., Friday, Sept. 11, in the Sharp Concert Hall. Tickets for Masala Series events are $8 for adults and $5 for students, faculty, staff and senior adults. The guest artists also will present a workshop on Karnatak music at 4:30 p.m., Friday, Sept. 11, in Sharp Concert Hall. The workshop is free and open to the public.
Karnatak (Car-na-tuk) music explores the delicate intricacies of slides and oscillations between the pitches familiar to the Western ear as well as the mathematical computation of rhythmic cycles and phrases in five, seven, and nine. It is a treat for all the senses.
“Each of the musicians brings a contemporary flavor to their presentation,” says Sherinian. “This includes performing Tamil (tam-uh l) compositions by composers such as M.M. Dandapani Desikar and Saint Arunagirinatha along with compositions in Sanskrit and Telugu languages by composers like Saint Tyagaraja.”
Singer, B. Balasubrahmaniyan (Ball-a-sue-bra-ma-nee-yun), is an emerging master of Karnatak singing. He began music lessons with his father, D. Balraj, and subsequently studied under several teachers, including T. Brinda and T. Viswanathan. Balasubrahmaniyan has collected numerous first-place prizes for vocal music from a range of musical organizations. He is a regular performer on All India Radio and Doordarshan television, and for the past three years has been invited to perform solo concerts at the St. Thyagaraja Aradhana music festival in Cleveland, Ohio. He holds a Ph.D. in Music from the University of Madras in India. He is adjunct instructor in Music at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn.
Drummer, David Nelson, performs on a mridangam (mur-dung-am), an Indian instrument shaped like a long conical barrel with two tuned heads of different sizes. He has been performing and teaching South Indian drumming since 1975. From his principal teacher, the renowned T. Ranganathan, he learned to accompany a wide range of styles, including Bharata Natyam (Bar-ra-ta Na-tee-yum), South India's classical dance. He has a Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology from Wesleyan University, where he is Artist in Residence in South Indian drumming. He has accompanied well-known artists throughout the United States, Europe, India, and China. He has also written extensively on South Indian drumming, including a major article in the Garland Encyclopedia of World Music. His latest book, Solkattu Manual: an Introduction to the Rhythmic Language of South Indian Music, was published by Wesleyan University Press in 2008.
Violinist, V.V.S. Murari (Mu-ra-li), uses a five stringed instrument. He is son and disciple of violin Maestro Sri V.V. Subrahmanyam (Sue-bra-ma-nee-yum). He is a dynamic contemporary violinist with an uncompromising adherence to perfection, traditionalism and discipline. He seasoned his talent by accompanying his father for many prestigious concerts at an early age. Murari's uniqueness is explicit in his lucid raga essaying which softly penetrate into the souls of the listeners. He conceptualizes and executes his style of playing in a way that stands as a pillar of support for a concert. He is known to for his flourished extempore on a five stringed violin. Murari is also the founder and director for VVS Foundation which imparts music and other important aspects of performing arts in Chennai through students spread across the country and other parts of the world.
All Masala Series performances are in OU’s Catlett Music Center, 500 W. Boyd, in your OU Arts District! Tickets for Masala Series events are $8 for adults and $5 for students, faculty, staff and senior adults. For tickets and up-to-date information call the Fine Arts Box Office at (405) 325-4101.
Please visit http://music.ou.edu/ for a full calendar of events and performances at the School of Music. The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution. For accommodations on the basis of disability, please call the Box Office at (405) 325-4101.