Alangkar

FESTIVAL

by S

IFAS

SINGAPORE INDIAN FINE

ARTS SOCIETY

7-9 DEC 2018Kasturi Srinivasan Hall

Madras Music Academy

IN COLLABORATION WITH

ABOUT SIFAS

Singapore Indian Fine Arts SocietyTraditional, Classical & Cultural Indian Institute

The Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society (SIFAS) is Singapore’s pioneer academy in imparting the knowledge of Indian traditional and classical music, dance and arts. Founded in 1949, SIFAS is characterised by a high level of artistic excellence across all its disciplines. With a pan-Indian curriculum, it reflects the cultural diversity of a vast nation with a rich and ancient heritage. Academic excellence underlies SIFAS’ approach with a structured curriculum, classes and examinations, along with in-depth teaching and artistic guidance. SIFAS plays a role in the transformation of Singapore into a global city for arts as it offers the vast repertoire of Indian artistic traditions to Singapore students and nurtures local talent to excel in their genres.

Exploring Creative Depths

Learning at SIFAS gives students the opportunity to explore more than one discipline to develop skills and hone interests.

A Lasting Journey

A student’s journey with SIFAS continues after they graduate in their 5th year with a Certificate or 8th year with a Diploma. Students will have opportunities to perform at annual festivals, participate at Academy Day and in workshops and become an active member of the SIFAS Alumni Association.

SIFAS Academy

SIFAS began teaching of music as early as 1952. Today it has a Principal, Vice-Principal, 28 teachers, 15 disciplines and over 2500 students. The Academy runs a five-year programme with an approved syllabus leading to the award of a Certificate. The Academy guarantees a high state of accomplishment by giving close adherence to a deliberately organised syllabus and with opportunities to execute and watch performances as a major aspect of the learning.Diploma graduates in music and dance are accredited by the University Of Madras, India for admission into its Master’s in Music / Dance degree courses. The Academy also has a Memorandum of Understanding with the prestigious Madras Music Academy and a long standing relationship with The Kalakshetra Foundation. Both organisations provide syllabus development guidance, tutor recruitment, examiners and performance collaborations.

SIFAS Performing Arts SIFAS’ principal activity is the training of students in the performing and visual arts. However, we recognise the importance and integral nature of performances and create opportunities for students to participate regularly in festivals, cultural events, regular programmes, workshops and lecture-demonstrations in Singapore and internationally.SIFAS is supported by the National Arts Council, National Heritage Board, Indian Heritage Centre, Hindu Endowments Board and other institutions. Sought after to perform at various platforms, SIFAS participates in programmes organised nationally and internationally including television channels, and other prestigious events.

SIFAS is a registered society of members in Singapore.

AlangkarFESTIVAL MESSAGE

Message from the Festival Director

Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society (SIFAS) is very pleased to host a three day festival in Chennai. Alangkar, our offering from the shores of Singapore will feature Indian classical music and dance performances. This provides a great platform for SIFAS students and alumnus to perform here and be a part of the Chennai Kutcheri during the iconic December season.

SIFAS makes an effort to include junior and upcoming talented performers along with talented artistes. This year SIFAS has widened its repertoire and will showcase Hindustani Sitar and Kathak along with Bharatanatyam and Carnatic genres.

For the first time, SIFAS will present a concert featuring a multi-racial group of musicians and dancers. Conceptualized and conducted by Guru Sreekanth, Laya Sangamam is inspired by the diverse and multi-cultural influences that enrich the land of Singapore.

We thank the Consulate-General of the Republic of Singapore, Chennai, especially Mr. Roy Kho, Consul-General, for all the support afforded to SIFAS for this Festival,

Narayanan BalasubramanianVice President, Performing ArtsSingapore Indian Fine Arts Society

FESTIVAL by SIFAS

SIFAS MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

President Ms. Vidhya NairVice-President (Administration)

Mr. Maruvada Venkatlakshmi Ram Lingeswar PrasadVice-President (Academy)

Mr. Krishnan Srinivasan Vice-President (Finance)

Mr. Vinay Kumar SinhaVice-President (Building Fund &

Construction)

Ms. Anuja VenkateshVice-President (Performing Arts)

Mr. Narayanan BalasubramanianVice-President (Publicity)

Ms. Subina KhanejaHonorary General Secretary

Dr. Seshan RamaswamiHonorary Assistant Secretary

Mr. Sundar RamanHonorary Treasurer

Mr. S SivanesanHonorary Assistant Treasurer

Ms. Sandhya Nair KesavanCommittee members Ms. Suguna Ranganathan Ms. Sonal RaoMr. Sai VigneshwarDr. Lavanya Balachandran

PATRONSMr. V M ShawMr. Sat Pal KhattarMr. K V Aiyappan

BOARD OF ADVISORSMr. J Y PillayMr. Tharman ShanmugaratnamMr. Chandra DasMr. S IswaranMr. Haider SithawallaMs. Vidhya Nair

PROGRAMME

7 Dec 2018Friday

5.00PMMangala Isai

6.00pmINAUGURATION

Welcome AddressVidhya Nair

Opening RemarksNarayanan Balasubramanian

Lighting of the LampGuest of Honour:

Mr. Roy Kho Consul-General

Consulate-General of the Republic of Singapore, Chennai

6.30pmLaya Sangamam

Led By: Guru Sreekanth

Featuring his students:Cheryl Ong

Riduan ZalaniTony Makarome

Tim O’DwyerSupported by SIFAS Gurus & Alumni:

Guru Chaitanya KumarGuru Jyotika JoshiGuru Mihir Kundu

Guru Susanta ChowdhuryG Lakshmanan

Meera BalasubramanianRajalakshmi Nageswaran

Sharadh Rajaram

A Festival of Indian Classical Music & Dance

A Festival of Indian Classical Music & Dance

8 Dec 2018 Saturday

9.00 - 9.40 amCarnatic Vocal

Anuradha RajaramanSwathi Kumar

Muthusubramanian

9.45 - 10.25 amCarnatic Vocal

Sreeranjani MuthusubramanianShruthi Kumar

Muthusubramanian

10.35 - 11.15 amBharathanatyamNetra Easwaran

11.20 am - 12.20 pmBharathanatyam

Muskan Anshuman Rao

Break

5.00 - 6.15 pmCarnatic Vocal

Swathi Kumar & Shruthi KumarSharadh Rajaraman

Srinivasan

6.25 - 7.55 pmHindustani Sitar

Susantha ChoudhuryMihir Kundu

8.05 - 9.05 pm

BharathanatyamSneha Srinivasan

9 Dec 2018, Sunday

9.00 - 10.15 amCarnatic Vocal

Aarthi RavichandranShruthi Kumar

Srinivasan

10.25 - 11.40 amCarnatic Vocal

Sandhya RamachandranSwathi Kumar

Balasubramanian

11.50 am - 12.50 pmBharathanatyam

Meenalochani Anandan

Break

5.00 - 6.30 pmCarnatic Vocal

Sudarshan NarasimhanSrikanth Radhakrishnan

Muthusubramanian Shankar Rajan

6.40 - 7.40 pm

KathakHetal Chauhan

7.50 - 9.00 pm

BharathanatyamShalini Mohanakannan

Laya Sangamam

A tribute to the rhythms of Indian Ragas

The language of music and its rhythms and beats are brought together in this concert Laya

Sangamam. A gathering, the musical offering is the confluence where Raga meets rhythm in an unusual mix of instruments.

Conceptualized and conducted by SIFAS Guru Tripunithura Sreekanth, Laya Sangamam offers a ratnavalli, gems of music and dance, woven and blended in a Singaporean and Indian kalasha.

The multi-racial diversity of Singapore offers a rich palette of musicians, and the strength and depth of Indian Ragas invite and absorb sounds from across Indian, Chinese, Malay and Western instruments, and make them dance to their own rhythms.

Laayah pita... rhythm is the Father, it is said in Carnatic music. Laya Sangamam is a small tribute to the master rhythms of Indian Ragas.

The following describes the segments of the pieces performed in Laya Sangamam.

MALLARITo start the concert, SIFAS Guru Sreekanth came up with a very own Singaporean concept of a Mallari. Mallari is a unique musical form usually composed in raga Gambeera Nattai and is played on the nadaswaram, the mangala vadyam during the auspicious moment of procession of the presiding deity in a temple. This musical form does not have any words or sahithya. Instead, it has a basic structure made up of a collection of sollu kattus which is then elaborated into different rhythmic patterns which seem to match the swaying motion of the deity in procession.With this in mind, this mallari is set to misra jathi triputa thalam which is a 22 beats cycle. The multi-racialdiversity of Singapore has been blended and woven into this complicated piece to produce a musically and visually pleasing sangam.

KUANZHAI XIANGZI (2018)Composer: Tony Makarome Kuanzhai Xiangzi is an area in Chengdu, China that dates back to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 AD).The name “Kuanzhai Xiangzi” translates as “Wide and Narrow Alley”. It is an ancient area in Chengdu (composer Tony’s wife’s hometown) covering two alleys that has become a tourist attraction in recent years.This composition is in Misra Chapu and is a western tune influenced by Tony’s love of carnatic music and his attachment to the city of Chengdu. The composition has 3 distinct sections: the main melody of the A section is in Mohanam Raga but modulates to a different sruthi for the B section. There is also a third section employing Mohanam Raga again in the sruthi of the B section.Rhythmically, A section sounds as if it is in 2 phrases of Rupaka Chapu, 2 phrases of Chatusra Jathi Eka Tala, and 2 phrases of Misra Chapu. This is outlined by the catchy bass line. There is also a middle section that features a saxophone solo played over 8 avarthanams of Misra Chapu that repeat.

BENGALI FOLK MUSICBased on the evening raag Khamaj from Khamaj Thata, traditional folk tune of West Bengal. Composition set to Kaherwa Taal followed by Sawal Jawab and concludes with Jhala in Teen Taal. Composed by Guru Susanta Chowdhury.

PALLAVIIn Carnatic music, Pallavi forms a part of the musical form called Ragam Thanam Pallavi or RTP. The pallaviwill be performed in Adi talam which is a cycle of 8 beats. Just like the mallari, the pallavi will also be sung in various rhythmic patterns and elaborated up on.The pallavi consists of sahitya or lyrics composed on Lord Vishnu in Raga Hindolam. The Singapore flavour is brought into this pallavi, making it a beautiful fusionof the classical art forms of all the major races in Singapore.

WESTERN NOTERagam: Shankarabaranam. Talam: tishra gathi This is a popular number composed by the 20th century vaggeyakaara Sri Harikeshanallur Muthaiya Bhagavathar. Styled like a string-quartet based on Shankarabaranam Ragam. This resembles the major scale in the western music. The composer, being greatly influenced by the Carnatic trinity, has passionately conceived this swara-laden ‘English note’ popularised by none other than the yester years doyen of Carnatic music Sri Madurai Mani Iyer. This composition is set to tishra gathi.

MANGALAMBhujaga ShayinoRagam: Yedukula Kamboji. Talam:RupakamThis is a short mangalam song in the Ragam YedukulaKamboji and Rupaka talam composed by the KeralaComposer Sri Swathi Thirunal.Any good concert needs to conclude on a happy note and a mangalam is a simple traditional composition that denotes an auspicious ending.

Performing ArtistesAarthi Ravichandran Aarthi Ravichandran is a seventh year Carnatic Vocal student at Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society under the tutelage of T.P.Nishanth. She is a regular face in the December Margazhi Music Season in Chennai, where she gives numerous concerts every year. She has received the prestigious Bharat Kalachar Scholarship in the year of 2008 for a 3-year period and was conferred the title of Yuvashri Kala Bharati. She was awarded the Best Student Award in her 5th Year exam in 2016 by SIFAS.

Anuradha RajaramanAnuradha started to learn music from a tender she of 5, from her mother Smt. Mythili Rajaraman. Later she was under the tutelage of T.P.Nishanth at the Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society. She is currently under the guidance of Sri Raghul Ravichandran. Anuradha has won prizes in various competitions held in Singapore.

Chaitanya KumarGuru Chaitanya Kumar is a B.E graduate and a B high grade artist of All India Radio, Bangalore. He has received tutelage in flute from the best of the gurus like Vid Prapancham Balachander, Vid L.V. Mukund and legendary flautist Padmashree Dr N Ramani. His vocal training under Radha Vijayaraghavan and Dr T S Satyvathi has enriched his flute playing style. At present, he is under the able guidance of Chitravina Maestro N Ravikiran over the last few years. He is the recipient of several awards, some of which include Mali Endowment Award by Krishna Gana Sabha and Kishora Prathibha award from state government of Karnataka. Some of his recent notable performances are at Mysore Dasara Festival 2014, NUS Conservatory, Nada-neerajanam concert at Tirupathi & Perumal temple at Singapore. He has over 15 years of teaching experience. Guru Chaitanya joined SIFAS in October 2018.

Cheryl OngCheryl, a Singaporean percussionist active in music performance and education, performs regularly with Avant rock group, The Observatory. She has also played with SA, a trio that fuses traditional Chinese instruments and electronics. A recipient of the National Arts Council Arts Bursary, Cheryl graduated with a degree in Chinese Percussion from the Central Conservatory of Music, Beijing. Though classically trained, Cheryl has gone on to explore improvisational and experimental practices in recent years, hunting down new ideas and sounds. Her recent performances include a joint online performance with Scandinavian musicians, and other collaborative projects staged in Singapore, such as “Folly of a Garden” with the Arts Fission Dance company, “Lao Jiu- The musical” with The Theatre Practice, “Tribal Gathering: An alternative ensemble”, an incubative music programme at The Substation, and as one of the live performers in Zai Tang’s immersive “Spectre” installation at the Singapore International Festival of the Arts in 2017.Cheryl has been a student of SIFAS since September 2016, learning Mridangam under the tutelage of Guru Tripunithura Sreekanth.

Hetal Chauhan Hetal Chauhan is a SIFAS alumnus who started learning Kathak from the age of 11 Years as a student of Guru Smt Pallavi Vyas, a renowned Kathak dancer of Gujarat. She received her training under the Jaipur Gharana. In the year 2001, she received Visharad (B.A. in Dance) from Gandharva Mahavidhyalay also known as Bruhad Gujarat Sangeet Samiti. She has performed in various shows choreographed and organized by her Gurus. In Singapore, she has actively participated in several dance performances under the tutelage of Guru Jyotika and Guru Mulla Afsar, including Sifas Festival in 2015 and Prakriti Vikriti in 2018 at the Esplanade Theatre.

Guru Jyotika Joshi Guru Jyotika hails from New Delhi. She had her initial five years of training from Smt. Malti Shyam of Lucknow Gharana at Kathak Kendra. She completed her Diploma (Hons) in Kathak Kendra under the guidance of Guru Rajendra Kumar Gangani, a leading exponent of Jaipur style. She is a recipient of a merit scholarship from Kathak Kendra,New Delhi. Besides doing solos,she has also done several group performances in major festivals both in India and abroad. Jyotika has been with SIFAS since Sep 2013.

Lakshman SenthilLakshmanan holds a Vadhya Visharad Diploma in Tabla from the Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society (SIFAS). He received his initial training in Tabla from Guru Ahmed Sarfraaz, and is currently a disciple of Guru Mihir Kundu, under whose able guidance, Lakshmanan staged his Tabla Arangetram in 2015. Lakshmanan won the 3rd prize at the National Indian Music Competitions 2017 organised by the National Arts Council for Tabla (Open Category). He has performed extensively in concerts and theatre productions both in Singapore as well as abroad. Owing to his deep interest in music, Lakshmanan has pursued music at the academic level as well. He graduated with a Diploma in Music from Lasalle College of the Arts in Singapore in 2018, and aspires to further his academic pursuit in the field of music Meenalochani AnandanMeenalochani is a SIFAS alumnus, who completed her eighth year Bharatanatyam Diploma in the year 2016. Meenalochani was also a student at Bharata Kalanjali, the school of Dhananjayans’ for a short course during 2017-18. Apart from various performances nationwide in Singapore, Meenalochani also presented a Margam at SIFAS in July 2017. She also took part in All India Classical Dance Festival held in Ooty in July 2018 organised by National Classical Dance Academy, Karnataka. In July 2018, she performed at Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple and received the Natya Ilavarasi Award from Viswananthan Trust.

Meera BalasubramaniamMeera Balasubramanian is a performing artiste currently based out of Singapore. She started learning Bharatanatyam at the age of 5 under Smt Ranganayaki Jayaraman and continued to learn for many years. She joined SIFAS in 2009 under the tutelage of Smt Roopika Julian. She is currently doing her advanced training under Kalakshetra Shri Haripadman. She is a regular performer in Singapore and India. She was awarded the best performer for her performance in Bharat Nritya Utsav, dance festival by Sri Parthasarathy Swamy sabha in 2015 and 2017. She is also a freelance trainer and choreographer in Bharatanatyam and runs a non- profit performing arts company called Kalpavriksha Fine Arts Ltd in Singapore, along with her friends focusing on community outreach and creating awareness about classical dance through performances and dialog sessions.

Mihir KunduGuru Mihir started his initial training from Shri Sabyasachi Sengupta and went on to do his Sishya Parampara under the maestro Pt. Sankha Chatterjee. Because of his training in Pt. Sankha Chatterjee School of Music, he is equally adept in Farukhabad, Punjab and Delhi Gharanas. He has received the prestigious Jadubhatta award from Saltlake Cultural Association (Kolkata) and Talmani award from Sursinger samsad (Mumbai). Guru Mihir is also a regular performer in AIR and Doordarshan. He has shared the stage with distinguished artistes across the globe such as Pt Jagadish Prasad, Pt Ajoy Pohankar, Kartik Kumar, Pt V G Jog both in India and abroad. Guru Mihir has taught tabla in SIFAS since 2007.

Muskan Anshuman Rao Muskan Rao is currently an eighth year Bharatanatyam student under the tutelage of Sreeliji Sreedharan at Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society. Muskan is the recipient of several prizes, some of which include First Prize at the Annual Papanasam Sivan Festival in 2017 & 2018 and First Prize in Bharatam competition at Toa Payoh West CC as well as in Talent Show and Musical Soiree organised by Overseas Family School, Singapore. Apart from being part of SIFAS Annual productions, Muskan has also been part of productions such as Shivdasi Chauladevi, as part of Kalaa Utsavam at the Esplanade Theatre Studio and Saptapadi at the Republic Cultural Centre. MuthusubramanianMuthu Subramanian, a student of SIFAS, started learning Mridangam from Kumbakonam Singaram Pillai and later continued learning from Mayuram Gurumurthy. He has been performing regularly in temple events in Singapore, Chennai music seasons and also in the SIFAS yearly festivals. He has been under the tutelage of T.R. Sundaresan for the last 5 years. He is also Graded AIR Mridangam artist and has completed his diploma with SIFAS.

Narayan BalasubramanianBalasubramanian learnt Mridangam from Sri Sengottai Rajamani, a disciple of Palghat Sri.Mani Iyer. After moving to Singapore, he further trained under Sri.T.R.Sundaresan @ SIFAS. He has performed for numerous events of SIFAS including the annual Music Festival, Navaratri concerts and the December Chennai Music festival. He has also performed in various events in Singapore.

Netra Easwaran Netra Easwaran is a fifth year Bharatanatyam student training under Sreeliji Sreedharan at Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society.Netra has given solo performances at Brahmotsavam 2017 and Rathotsavam at Rangantha Temple, Pomona, New York.

Rajalakshmi Nageswaran Rajalakshmi Nageswaran is a SIFAS alumnus who started learning Carnatic vocal at SIFAS at the age of 9 from Guru V.K. Sivakumar. Under his tutelage, she won the Best Student award in her 5th year exam in 2012. She then continued learning from Guru Poorna Pragna Rao. She is presently under the tutelage of both Guru T.P. Nishant and Guru Poorna Pragna Rao. She was awarded the Diploma in Carnatic vocal in the year 2016 by SIFAS. She recently won the 3rd prize in the prestigious National Indian Music Competition 2017 organised by the National Arts Council, Singapore in the Carnatic Vocal Open Category. She has performed in SIFAS festival of music and dance in the past year. She has performed in various temple programs as well. Rajalakshmi presented a solo vocal concert for Alangkar 2018.

Riduan Zalani Riduan, is one of Singapore’s most prominent artists, versatile in producing and performing various drums and percussions, both traditional and contemporary. He’s been part of numerous local and international performing groups: Wicked Aura, OrkeStar Trio, Batucada Sound Machine (NZ) among others. As a Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Nadi Singapura, he strives to etch their brand of traditional Malay drums and music performance in the hearts and mind of people. known as “Uan Abang” among his peers and supporters, Riduan has been conferred with the Young Artist Award 2015, Singapore Youth Award 2013 and the ASEAN Youth Award 2013 for his dedicated efforts in developing the local Malay music scene. Riduan has studied Mridangam with Guru Tripunithura Sreekanth. Sandhya Ramachandran Sandhya is currently an eighth-year Carnatic Vocal student under T.P. Nishant at SIFAS and has won prizes in the Papanasam Sivan and Purandara Naamana Competitions. She secured the 3rd prize in the Junior Category of the National Indian Music Competition in 2011 organised by the National Arts Council and was a finalist in the Intermediate Category in 2017. She also was awarded ‘Best Singer of the Year’ by Artshub in 2017 and has given concerts in the SIFAS Festival from years 2015 to 2017. She received the Best Student Award in her 5th Year Examinations at SIFAS.

Shalini MohanakannanGuru Shalini Mohanakannan started learning dance from the tender age of 12 under Guru Gowri (Disciple of Guru Dhananjayan) and S K Vivekananda Baskar & Bhavani Baskar. She joined Kalakshetra Foundation in Chennai and graduated with flying colours with a first-class Diploma & PG Diploma in Bharatanatyam from Rukmini Devi College of Fine Arts, Kalakshetra. Guru Shalini has also performed vastly in dance dramas & kathakali programs. She has been a tutor at SIFAS since March 2017. Shankar RajanShankar is a traditionally trained Carnatic vocalist and Mridangist. Over the last forty years Shankar has enthusiastically contributed to the arts scene in Singapore. He is the leader of the Singapore Indian Orchestra and Choir of the People’s Association and also serves the National Arts Council and National Youth Council, Singapore in various capacities. Shankar has served as Registrar and Principal of SIFAS from 2006 until 2012 and again since May 2017.

Sharadh RajaramanSharadh Rajaraman is a Carnatic Vocal as well as a Violin student of SIFAS. He is under the tutelage of Sri Sreyas Narayanun for his Carnatic Vocal and SIFAS Guru Nellai Ravindran for Violin. He completed his Diploma in 2013 for Carnatic Violin and also achieved the ‘Vadhya Visharad’. and the Best Student Award for his 5th Year exams in 2010. He has played solo in the SIFAS Festival since 2012. He has played an accompanist on the violin in temple performances, SIFAS Chennai Music Festivals, and the Times of India Thyagaraja Awards. Sharadh has achieved top places in the National Indian Music Competition organised by the National Arts Council, in the Intermediate category in 2014, and the Open category in 2017, for both Carnatic Vocal and Violin.

Sneha Srinivasan Sneha Srinivasan is a SIFAS alumnus, who completed her eighth year Bharatanatyam Diploma in the year 2016. Currently she is under the tutelage of P.N. Vikas in SIFAS, who encourages her to make great strides as a dancer. Apart from regular performances at SIFAS Anuual Day productions, Sneha was also part of Saptapadi, a LalitAnjali production in collaboration with SIFAS at the Republic Cultural Centre. She also performs regularly at various temples during Navarathri and at community centres and school for various cultural events. Sreeranjani MuthuSubramanian Sreeranjani Muthusubramanian is an eighth-year Carnatic Vocal student training under T.P. Nishanth at the Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society. She won the First Prize in Carnatic Junior Vocal Competition, organised by the National Arts Council. SIFAS conferred the Best Student Award in Carnatic Vocal to her in the year 2016. Sreeranjani is also a violin student of SIFAS under the tutelage of Guru Ravindran and she received the Best Outgoing Student award for the same in the year 2018. She is an active performer in all of SIFAS concerts.

Srikanth RadhakrishnanSrikanth began his musical journey in Carnatic vocal and violin with the Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society (SIFAS) at the age of 6, and completed his diplomas in both with the titles of Sangeetha Visharad and Vadhya Visharad. With more than 100 concerts under his belt since his first one in 2005, Srikanth has given concerts in Singapore, Bangalore, Mysore, and Chennai. Srikanth is also a recipient of numerous awards in competitions and events held in Bangalore, Chennai, and Singapore in both disciplines. He is a “B” Grade artiste from All India Radio, Bangalore, in Carnatic Vocal. SrinivasanSrinivasan started learning Mridangam from Guru Subramnaiam in New Delhi for about four years. Later continued training with Thanjavur Ramdas for 5 years in Chennai. A student of SIFAS since 2009, he has accompanied various artistes in SIFAS music festival and Chennai-SIFAS festival since 2013. Currently he is under the tutelage of Guru Tripunithura Sreekanth of SIFAS.

Sudarshan Narasimhan Sudarshan initially learnt Carnatic vocal from his mother the Late Smt Rukmani Narasimhan. Subsequently he underwent tutelage at SIFAS under Sri N.R Prashanth and Sri S. Pathmalingam and completed his 8th year with the title of Sangeetha Visharad. He has also received training from gurus M. Sankaranarayanan and R Muthusubramaniam in India. Sudarshan won the first prize in the Carnatic Vocal Open Category in the competition organized by National Arts Council in 2017. He has performed at numerous venues in Singapore and India which include the Esplanade, DD Bharathi as well as Thirupati Devasthanam

Susantha ChoudhuryGuru Susanta who hails from Kolkata, had his early training from his father Sri Bhupendra Nath Chowdhury and subsequently learnt under the tutelage of Sri Shyamlal Chattopadhya. Later on, he moved to become a disciple of the famed Padmabhushan Pandit Debu Chaudhuri. Having received his MA Music from Delhi university, he is an A grade artiste of All India Radio and has performed widely in India, USA, Germany ,France, Spain, China and Singapore. He has also accompanied stalwarts like Pt.Birju Maharaj,Saswati Sen, Rammohan Maharaj and Reela Hota. Guru Susanta has been a tutor in Sifas since 1999.

Swathi Kumar & Shruthi Kumar Swathi and Shruthi Kumar are eighth year Diploma students in Carnatic Vocal and Violin at the Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society under the tutelage of Sushanth.P. and Nellai Ravindran respectively. Swathi won 1st place in the Violin Junior category and 2nd place in 2017 for Violin Intermediate category in the National Indian Music Competition organised by National Arts Council. Shruthi won first place in violin competition at ASEAN India Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in 2018 conducted by Indian High Commission. They took part in the Mediacorp Young Talent Project (YTP) competition in 2016 and Swathi made it to the finals; first time Indian music did so in YTP. The duo has given concerts in Singapore Festival, Kalavaibhavam organized by SIFAS in the years 2016 and 2017. In Chennai, they are regular performers at ‘Sannidhi Academy’ and have given both vocal and violin concerts.

Tim O Dwyer A saxophonist, improviser, composer and educator, Tim is currently Head of the School of Contemporary Music at LASALLE College of the Arts in Singapore since 2004. Trained as a jazz musician at the Victorian College of the Arts graduating with a BA Music in 1993 he furthered his studies with a tuition grant from the Australian Council for the Arts in 1995 studying with composer Richard Barrett in Amsterdam and visionary saxophonist/ improviser Evan Parker in London. Tim has been a member of Australia’s leading Contemporary Classical Ensemble ELISION since 1994 as a saxophonist and has premiered many new works for saxophone in this group by composers Liza Lim, John Rogers, Richard Barrett, Chaya Chernowin, Volker Heyn and Maurizio Pisati. In 2006 with Darren Moore, Tim formed C.H.O.P.P.A. Experimental and Improvised Music series in Singapore, and presented weekly concerts at various venues around town. Tim has a PhD from Queensland University of Technology completed in 2013.Tim has also been Mridangam student of SIFAS since September 2016 under the tutelage of Guru Tripunithura Sreekanth.

Dr Tony Makrome Conductor, composer, bassist Tony is Associate Professor at Yong Siew Toh Conservatory. His educational achievements include a D.M.A.(Orchestral Conducting) from USC and a B.M. (Composition) from BerkleeCollege of Music. He has been a student of SIFAS since August 2010 learning Mridangam, currently under the tutelage of Guru Tripunithura Sreekanth. His other eminent teachers include, George Monseur, Attilio Poto, Robert Spano, Miroslav Vitous, Herb Pomeroy, K.R. Shyama, T.R. Sundaresan, and R.Karthikeyan. Tony’s recent premieres include Rain Konnakkol (2018) in Baltimore, What Pattern? (2016) in New York City, Scifi Lounge (2006) in Bangkok and Name with No Street in Shanghai. Other works include East Wind (solo percussion) and his opera,Faybulous at Pawley’s Island Music Festival. His arrangements of Seven Steps to Heaven and Asiana were performed by Singapore Chinese Orchestra and China Broadcasting Folk Orchestra (Beijing).Besides being a leading Pedagogue of solfége and jazz,Tony has performed as a mridangist in Chennai and New York City.

Tripunithura SreekanthGuru Tripunithura Sreekanth is a disciple of Prof. Cherthala S Dhinesh and the legendary Guru Padmabushan T V Gopala Krishnan. Currently, he is a disciple of Mridangam Guru Mannargudi A. Easwaran. He holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Mridangam with first class from R.L.V Music College of Fine Arts, Mahatma Gandhi University. In addition, he has completed the prestigious Ganabushanam (4 year) Diploma with first class in Mridangam from the same college. He served as an adjunct Lecturer in Sree Sankara University, Kalady for three years and Govt. R L V College of Music and Fine Arts in Tripunithura for six years. He has accompanied senior vocal artistes, Guruji Padmabushan T V Gopala Krishnan, Sri Aleppey Venkatesan, Sri P Unnikrishnan, Akkarai Sisters and other top artists. He has accompanied Bharatanatyam dancers like Sri C V Chandrasekhar and Padmabhushan Sri V P Dhananjayan’s. He has performed extensively in India and abroad and has conducted several workshops and lecture demonstrations in India and in the US over the last six years. He is a recipient of the Kanchi Kamakodi Asthana Vidwan title in 2017. Guru Sreekanth joined SIFAS in June 2013.

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SINGAPORE INDIAN FINE ARTS SOCIETYEstablished in 1949

2A Starlight RoadSingapore 217755

Tel: 62995929. Email: admin@sifas.org. Website: www.sifas.org

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