Sifas Post Document

Last Printed Issue of SIFAS Post
Volume 14January/February 2014 Issue 1
Young maestros to take centrestage at SIFAS FEST 2014
Pravaha, a Bharatanatyam dance theatre production presented by students and alumni of
SIFAS, is one of this year’s highlights
The SIFAS Festival of Indian Classical Music and Dance 2014, a much awaited annual feature
in the Singapore arts calendar, is around the corner. The festival features an impressive line-up
of young maestros from India, who are in great demand at festivals in India and internationally.The 12th
edition will comprise of five concerts at the Espla• Pravaha - dance of water
2
nade featuring artistes of international repute and
daily performances at the SIFAS Auditorium featuring • Chennai Festival
4
over 50 upcoming local and regional artistes over a
• SIFAS welcomes five new Gurus
5
two week period from March 28, 2014.
In this Issue
Volume 14 | January/February 2014 | Issue 1
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SIFAS FESTIVAL
The international artistes, young masters in their own right, include Rahul Sharma
(instrumental santoor), son of santoor legend, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma; Sriranjani
Santhanagopalan (Carnatic vocal), daughter of Neyveli R Santhanagopalan; Kaushiki
Chakrabarty (Hindustani vocal), daughter of Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty; and highly acclaimed
flautist, B V Balasai (Carnatic flute). The fifth concert, Pravaha, is a dance theatre production
by local artistes comprising of senior dancers and alumni from SIFAS.
Organized by the Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society (SIFAS) in conjunction with Esplanade
Theatres on the Bay, the SIFAS festival attracts an audience of over 8000 and is a showcase of
the best talent, both international and local, in the field of Indian performing arts today. Over
the years, the festival has been reaching out to art lovers in the region with attendees from
Malaysia, Indonesia and India.
The festivities commence with two much awaited performances on the inaugural day. On 28th
March, Musician’s Diary: Notes and Notations from the Carnatic Repertoire, will be presented
by Aalaap (Chennai) in an attempt to seamlessly blend a storyteller’s compelling narratives
and a musician’s enchanting and evocative melodies and rhythms.
This will be presented by Sushma Somasekharan, Carnatic musician and SIFAS alumnus and V R
Devika (storyteller). The inaugural night will also have an original dance production by the
dance Gurus at SIFAS.
All in all, a festival to look forward to , which will showcase the diverse art and culture of a
country with an ancient heritage. Sarita Sriram
Tickets selling fast. Get your tickets for the Esplanade concerts from the SIFAS Secretariat today.
(Contact Manoj at 62995929 ext 111)
Pravaha: A Curtain Raiser
…the journey of cloud, rain and river;
…the flow of the creative imagination set free, and the dance of the human spirit at one with
nature
A Bharatanatyan-theatre production by the alumni and students of SIFAS.
Inspired by the rich lyricism of classical poetry on the iconic Ganga (the river Ganges), Kalidasa’s Meghadutam and other traditional and modern stories on cloud, rain and river, Pravaha
will highlight, through the story of water, how the human response to nature has evolved over
millennia, finding expression in mythology and sacred/secular art.
Conceived and choreographed by Sheejith Krishna
Dancer, choreographer, drummer, educator, free spirit
Through the medium of Bharatanatyam, you will be elevated to an experience
beyond the mundane.
Come with us on the journey of cloud, rain and river.
Feel the flow.
On April 11, 2014
At Esplanade Theatre
Tickets at SISTIC & SIFAS
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SIFAS FESTIVAL
Dear students, members and rasikas
A VERY HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS
NEW YEAR TO ALL OF YOU !
A new board has taken over from January
2014 and as Vice President of the Publicity
Committee I extend warm greetings to all
of you. We hope 2014 will be as filled with
activities as 2013 was, if not more.
It started with a performance par excellence by Vidhya Subramanian in the unusual Vazuvoor style, which was a feast to
the eyes. That was followed by Sri Palai C
K Ramachandran’s fluid Carnatic vocal
concert in Semmangudi style. On February
22 SIFAS hosted an internationally renown
Hindustani violinist Johar Ali, who was
engaged in a violin jugalbandi as part of
the performance with SIFAS’ senior violin
tutor Nellai Ravindran on the Carnatic
violin. It was a mesmerising performance.
We will make great efforts to bring as many
artistes as possible in all the fields after a
very good start to 2014.
Some of our tutors have left. Five new tutors
have arrived.
We are eagerly looking forward to the
Festival of Music and Dance 2014 edition
from 28th March to 13th April 2014.
We would like the whole hearted
support of all members, students and well
wishers. We call upon all students to take the
interest to spread the word and bring in the
audience for all the shows. Kindly support
all the programmes and help to make the
festival a grand success. This will encourage
us arrange the festivals in the future.
I look forward to a eventful year filled
with many programmes, seminars and
workshops. Needless to say all this will not
be possible without the support of all of
you. Looking forward to a year steeped in
Music and Dance!
Yours truly,
A.Sachithanandan
Vice-President, Publicity
SIFAS Festival of Music and Dance 2014
A brief synopsis of main concerts
PRASTARA – Musical Notes
A Carnatic Vocal Recital by Sriranjani Santhanagopalan
Saturday 29th March 2014 at 7.30pm
Esplanade Recital Studio
Ticket Price - $20
Sriranjani Santhanagopalan is a young, up and coming artiste in
the Indian classical music firmament. She has been under the able
tutelage of her father and Guru, the legendary Neyveli R Santhanagopalan. She has a consistent record of well received concerts
and has established herself as a sought after artiste in India.
NAADAGATHA – Sound of Harmony
A Santoor Recital by Rahul Sharma
Sunday 30th March 2014 at 7.30pm
Esplanade Concert Hall
Ticket Price - $40, $25
Limited tickets available at $80
Rahul Sharma, an accomplished santoor player, is a new-generation classical artiste, in tune with tradition and modernity. He
learnt music and the santoor from his illustrious father and Guru
Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, a music legend in India and the world.
With over 50 released albums Rahul Sharma has carved a niche for
himself not only in Indian classical music but in world fusion music.
MADHUR MURALI – Magical Flute
A Flute Recital by B V Balasai
Friday 4th April 2014 at 7.30pm
Esplanade Recital Studio
Ticket Price - $20
B V Balasai, hailing from a family of rich musical tradition is an
accomplished, well known and immensely popular flautist of
the Carnatic music genre. He learnt music from his father B V
Sudarsana Rao and later honed his skills under the tutelage of
Chittor G Venkatesan, Dr. Prapancham Sitaram and the special
guidance of Guru Karaikudi Mani.
SWARAABHISHEK – Musical Offering
A Hindustani Vocal Recital by Kaushiki Chakrabarty
Sunday 6th April 2014 at 7.30pm
Esplanade Recital Studio
Ticket Price - $20 (SOLD OUT)
Kaushiki Chakrabarty was a child prodigy. At age two, she could
reproduce Hindustani classical vocal patterns; at age 12 she was
a scholar at the ITC SRA; at age 14, she was on a 50-concert tour
in the US with her father and Guru Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty, at
age 16, she took the world of music by storm with her first solo
concert in Delhi and by her early twenties she was being hailed
as the brightest young female vocalist of her generation.
Connoisseurs agree that Kaushiki is, quite simply, the best
Hindustani vocalist of her generation today.
PRAVAHA – A Bharatanatyam Dance Theatre Production
by the Students & Alumni of SIFAS
Conceived and choreographed by Sheejith Krishna
Friday 11th April 2014 at 8.00pm
Esplanade Theatre
Ticket Price - $40, $25
Limited tickets available at $80
(See Pravaha Curtain raiser on page 2 for details)
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NEWS & REVIEWS
SIFAS Chennai Festival 2013
In its 4th year, SIFAS included dance recitals to the festival, presenting a total of 10
performers by 17 senior students and alumni members; and saw a bigger turnout at the
mini hall at MMA [Madras Music Academy in Mylapore, Chennai] also during dance
performances at a time when other established sabhas were having their arts festivals.
Two of the participants at the festival were professionals and home grown talents – they
were Sushma Somasekaharan, now a professional Carnatic vocalist, and Anjana Anand, a
professional Bharatanatyam dancer.
The other SIFAS students and alumni members, who took to the limelight in the
festival, were Carnatic vocalists Sai Vigneshwar, Nanditha Gurunath, Ganesh and Sriram
Balasubramaniam, Mythili Rajaraman, Sharad Rajaram; veena player Kavitha Jeyaraman;
and Bharatanatyam dancers Preeti Devarajan and Sambhavi Rajangam.
They were selected in an audition earlier in the year by Dr S Sowmya, a well-known Carnatic
vocal performer and teacher - a sign that the Chennai Festival is getting more recognition
and attracting more participants. Moreover, more and more of the SIFAS students are now
getting opportunities to perform in Chennai after this festival was started.
Singapore Consulate General in Chennai Mr Roy Kho Ngee Seng and Mrs Kho graced the
inauguration as Guests of Honour . The 2013 series was inaugurated by Sri L Sabaretnam,
Chairman of Karthik Fine Arts and Bharatiya Vidhya Bhawan, and Director, Chennai
Petroleum Corporation.
Ganesh & Sriram Balasubramaniam
Kavitha Jeyaraman (veena) with
former Guru Meenakshy (right)
Sambhavi Rajangam
Brothers & SIFAS alumnis Sai Akilesh
(mridangam) & Sai Vigneshwar
Sushma Somasekharan at the inaugural
concert
Anjana Anand
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NEWS & REVIEWS
Welcome New Gurus
2014 saw five new tutors join SIFAS in January and February. SIFAS welcomes them warmly and looks forward
to their contributions.
Talmani Chiradip Banerjee (Tabla)
An ‘A’ graded tabla artiste, Sangeet Praveen and ‘NET’ in music, he is also the recipient
of the titles of ‘Talmani’ and ‘Talbharati’. He is one of the senior most disciples of tabla
maestro Pandit Anindo Chatterjee. He was a tabla teacher and performer at IGCIC,
High Commission of India, and Mauritius and is an empanelled artiste of ICCR.
He has accompanied maestros and toured many countries including Germany, France,
Holland, Switzerland, Mauritius and Bangladesh.
Chaitanya Kumar C (Carnatic Vocal & Flute)
He learnt flute from Padmashri Dr N Ramani and his disciples Sri L V Mukund and
Prapancham Balachander. Currently, he is pursuing advanced musical training from
Chitravina N Ravikiran and Chitravina Narasimhan.
He has performed in concerts all over India, won First Prize in AIR music competition in
2001 and is a B high graded artiste of AIR.
Hema Rangenathan (Carnatic Vocal & Veena)
Hema is a SIFAS Alumnus, who has come home. She was a student of Padmavathi
Ananthagopalan (sister of the legendary Sri Lalgudi Gopala Iyer Jayaraman) and Lalgudi
R.Rajalakshmi. She completed the SIFAS diploma and was awarded the title “Sangeetha
Sigamani” for Carnatic vocal by Sri Lalgudi Jayaraman and for veena by Sri S Balachander.
She has a B.Com from Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi; 1st Rank in
vocal and distinction in veena in the Senior Music Examination conducted by the
Karnataka Government; 1st Rank & Gold Medal in M.A. in Carnatic Music (Veena),
Bangalore Bangalore University; and PhD from Bangalore University’s Department of
Performing Arts.
She is a B High graded artiste in Carnatic classical vocal and veena, AIR, Bangalore. She has performed on
radio and TV in Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Singapore and Malaysia.
Janaki Sadagopan (Carnatic Vocal & Violin)
She learnt music from her mother, Ms. Rajeswari Sadagopan before she joined Gana Kala
Vidya Nilayam in Goregaon, Mumbai to learn music from Mrs. Sampoorni and Mrs. Girija
Narasimman.
She participated in various competitions in schools and in colleges winning more than 50
prizes.
She did her B.A. music at Tamil Nadu Government Music College, Thiruvaiyaru, and was a
disciple of Prof. Dr. P Uma Maheswari. She also obtained second rank from Bharathidasan University, did her
post graduation in music with Seethalakshmi Ramaswamy College, Trichy and scored 1st rank.
Hariharan Subramaniam (Violin)
Hariharan started learning violin with Guru Kalakshetram Mathew and continued his
studies under the guidance of the famous violinist, B Sasikumar (AIR TVM). He did his
“Ganabhushanam” in classical violin with a 1st Class from RLV Music College at
Tripunithura in 2002. He is a B High graded artiste of AIR, Trivandrum, in classical violin.
He has performed solo and accompanied several flute and dance maestros in India,
USA, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Bahrain and Kuwait. He is also a composer.
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NEWS & REVIEWS
SIFAS students sweep Papanasam Sivan Awards
SIFAS students swept 21 of the 175 awards that were given away at the 8th Papanasam Sivan Festival in
Singapore on 25th and 26th January 2014. They have been holding a leading position in this competition since
it was started in Singapore. SIFAS congratulates all the winners.
Says Sri Ashok Ramani, the initiator and organiser of the competition: “I have been conducting the
Papanasam Sivan Festival in Singapore for the last 8 years and the quality of participants has improved
over the years. This year we had over 220 students for the competition and more than 20 students from
SIFAS have won in various categories. SIFAS has been supporting the competition every year and I thank the
management [of SIFAS]. “
Various other institutions including GIIS, Prenavam Music School, Rhythm Music School, Sruthilaya Music School
and many individual teachers have also been supporting the festival regularly.
The festival is to pay homage to a great composer Sri Papanasam Sivan, who is also Sri Ashok Ramani’s
maternal grandfather.
PAPANASAM SIVAN 2014 COMPETITION WINNERS
S/No
Name
Discipline
Category
Prize
Former Teacher
2nd
NA
Santhrika Manickavel
Special Category
1st
NA
T P Nishanth
Special Category
2nd
NA
N R Prashanth
Carnatic Vocal
Sub Senior
3rd
P P Rao
N R Prashanth
Carnatic Vocal
Sub Senior Group VI
3rd
NA
P Sushanth
Sathay Selvan S
Carnatic Vocal
Senior
1st
NA
M B T Sreedevi
7
Shruthi Kumar & Swathi Kumar
Carnatic Violin
Sub Senior Group
1st
NA
N Ravindran
8
Surup S Thathachar
Carnatic Violin
Sub Senior Solo
2nd
NA
N Ravindran
9
Mrinal Ganesh
Carnatic Violin
Sub Senior Solo
3rd
NA
N Ravindran
10
Sharadh Rajaraman
Carnatic Violin
Special Category
1st
NA
N Ravindran
11
R Priyadarshini
Carnatic Violin
Special Category
2nd
NA
N Ravindran
12
Surup S Thathachar
Carnatic Violin
Special Category
3rd
NA
N Ravindran
13
Sandhya Ramachandran
Carnatic Violin
Sub Senior Solo
1st
NA
14
Nanthini Ramanthan
Veena
Sub Senior Group
1st
Meenakshi Somasundaram
M B T Sreedevi
1
Nikitha Lakshmanan
Carnatic Vocal
Junior
2
Sharadh Rajaraman
Carnatic Vocal
3
Poojayatha Venkatesh
Carnatic Vocal
4
Rachana Murali Narayanan
5
Shruthi Kumar & Swathi Kumar
6
Current Teacher
Sivaraman Kottandapani
15
Shruthi Shankar
Veena
Sub Senior Group
1st
Meenakshi Somasundaram
M B T Sreedevi
16
Navaneethan A S V Nadar
Carnatic Flute
Sub Senior
3rd
NA
V K Sivakumar
17
Isha Chandra
Bharatanatyam
Junior
1st
NA
Ramya Krishnan
18
S Shruthika
Bharatanatyam
Junior
2nd
NA
Maya Balakrishna Kurup
19
Kalyani Hema Nair
Bharatanatyam
Sub Senior
1st
NA
Ramya Krishnan
20
Ananya Diddapur
Bharatanatyam
Senior
1st
NA
Maya Balakrishna Kurup
21
Aishwarya Warrier
Bharatanatyam
Senior
2nd
NA
Ramya Krishnan
The new year started on a vibrant note with an OPEN House and two concerts in January. The concerts set
the tone with the mature and graceful rendering of a Margam and a performance by a legend Sri Palai C K
Ramachandran in the Semmangudi style of Carnatic singing.
The OPEN House, which offered trial classes, saw 130 persons visit SIFAS on January 4 and one in two registered
for courses.
Margam
Solo Bharatanatyan Recital by Vidhya Subramanian
Saturday, 18th January 2014
Vidhya, trained in the Vazhuvoor style of Bharatanatyam under esteemed Guru SK Rajaratnam, honed her
abhinaya skills under eminent Guru Kalanidhi Narayanan.
She is known to be a graceful performer as well as a thinking dancer, whose presentations have depth and
dignity. Through Vidhya’s evocative renditions, she has touched many arts enthusiasts across the world and
has been appreciated by critics and connoisseurs alike.
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NEWS & REVIEWS
Vidhya
opened
her
traditional
repertoire,
Margam,
with
a
Pushpanjali, which was
followed
by
Sambu
Natanam, a vigorous
piece depicting Shiva
in all his glory. It was a
wonderful
beginning
to the concert with
majestic and statuesque
poses and quiet contemplation.
Vidhya continued her
recital
with
the
ever-popular
Varnam
“Mohamaginen”
by
Guru Dandhayudhapani
Pillai in Karaharapriya,
expressing very eloquently the passion and longing of the Nayika for her beloved Shiva. The Nayika was a
Virahotakhandita, one who is pining and waiting for her beloved and Vidhya brought out the depth of
feeling of the Nayika through her feminine lasya style of dancing. Interspersed with crisp jatis, the Varnam
proved that the traditional Sringara-focused items have retained their relevance in the solo format even
today because they are most suited to unfold all the dimensions of this dance form. The Varnam was
followed by the Ashtapadi “Yahi Madhava” in Sindhu Bhairavi, where Vidhya’s emotive skills came to the
fore. The item was laden with sensuality, yet depicted in the most dignified manner. Vidhya portrayed a
Khandita Nayika (one who has been betrayed by her beloved and is angry with him) in a very touching
manner. This was followed by the playful Maiya Mori Main Nahin Makhan Khayo, a bhajan on Lord Krishna
with Vatsalya bhava. Vidhya concluded the recital with a fast-paced Lalgudi Jayaraman thillana in Revati
ending with a contemplative Shlokham.
The traditional repertoire by Vidhya Subramanian was performed to recorded music- her dancing surely
deserved live music, but the recording that included Sindhu Natarajan on vocals, and GS Rajan on flute did
a fine job. Renuka Vaidyanathan
Semmangudi Paadaantharam
By Sri Palai C K Ramachandran
Saturday, 25th January 2014
SIFAS was blessed with the opportunity to host the
divine concert by a senior vocalist from India, Sri Palai C K
Ramachandran. He was accompanied by a group of
equally reputed musicians: Mridangam Kalaishiromani
Trivandrum V Surendran; Nellai Ravindran, SIFAS senior
violin tutor; Thirupunithura Sreekanth, SIFAS senior mridangam
tutor; and Janaki Sadagopan, SIFAS Carnatic vocal tutor.
The concert was packed with melodious Kritis, all dipped
with his mesmerizing manodharmams, establishing his
‘vocal gymnastics’! The support by Sri Ravindran on the
violin lifted the entire performance to a different level
altogether. The pulse of the music-filled evening, the
percussion, consisting of Mridangam Kalaishiromani V
Surendran and Sri Sreekanth had the audience tapping their
feet and nodding their heads vigorously to the rhythm in appreciation. The auditorium was full with an
audience listening with rapt attention throughout the concert. The highlight had to be the sprightly
mangalam that ended the musical extravaganza on a light and uplifting note. Shruthi Shankar
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NOTES FROM THE SECRETARIAT
Last Printed Issue of SIFAS Post
This is the last printed issue of SIFAS Post. In keeping with the times, the SIFAS Post will go
monthly from March and become an electronic newsletter. It will be brought to you on the
last Friday of every month with fresh news and developments at SIFAS. It will be uploaded
onto the website (www.sifas.org).
If you have changed your email id since joining SIFAS, please send an email to arya@sifas.
org with the subject heading “UPDATED EMAIL ADDRESS” mentioning both your old and
new email address.
CAR LABEL
Have you collected your car label?
If you are a member/student of SIFAS and need to use the SIFAS Carpark, please get a carpark label from the admin office by February 28. Cars parked illegally on the grounds will be
wheel-clamped and the release fee is $100.00.
SIFAS SANGAMAM
Are you a member of SIFAS Sangamam?
This is a group of members including parents, mature students and past students, who have
come together to play their part to make SIFAS more efficient and effective. They organise
events like the Deepavali Sangamam; help out at SIFAS events like Academy Day; and
become sharp shooters of challenges. In teams they share solutions to make SIFAS a much
better academy.
Come join this group of friends of SIFAS. Send an email to sangamam@sifas.org with your
full name as in NRIC/Passport; NRIC/Passport No; residential address; email address and
mobile/contact no. with the subject heading “SIFAS SANGAMAM”.
We are looking forward to your presence.
COMING YOUR WAY
Prayaana - a journey through dance
Students’ Nite programme by Guru Sanjit Lal’s Bharatanatyam students on Saturday, 15th
March 2014 at SIFAS Auditorium. FREE Admission. All are welcome.
Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society – Est. 1949
2A Starlight Road, Singapore 217755 T: 6299 5929 F: 6295 1238
Editorial Team: Sarita Sriram, Viji Gopi, Dr S Ramaswami, Shruthi Prakash,
Arya Susheela Devi, Kana Gopal
Email: admin@sifas.org, Website: www.sifas.org
Photo Credits: SIFAS Secretariat and SIFAS Volunteers
Artwork, Design & Printing: Stamford Press Pte Ltd
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