sri lakshminarashima parabrahmane namaha:

International Academy of Indian Music

proudly presents

Carnatic Vocal Arangetram

of

Kum. Shriya Krishnan

Saturday, July 8th 2023

Dublin High School

Center for Performing Arts and Education

International Academy of Indian Music (IAIM)

International Academy of Indian Music (IAIM) was founded by Smt. Kasthuri Shivakumar and Dr. Shiv Kumar Bhat, with blessings from Sangeetha Kalanidhi Shri Neyveli Santhanagopalan in the year 1999 in Detroit, Michigan.

In the Bay Area, the school has centers in Fremont, San Jose, Santa Clara, and Dublin, training over 200 students of all ages and levels. They also have students learning online from other parts of the USA, India, and the UAE. The students of I AIM are known for their bhava laden music and excellent manodharma.

Many IAIM school students successfully completed their “Arangetram” and are frequently invited to perform concerts at several prestigious organizations like Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival, Carnatic Chamber Concerts (CCC), iCarnatic, Papanasam Sivan Festival, LOTUS, SR fine arts, Silicon Andhra University, GLAC Sarovar and more.

IAIM students have also participated and won numerous prizes at Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana, Papanasam Sivan Festival, OSAAT, Silicon Andhra University, Saptami, Chicago Thyagaraja Utsavam, etc. They won the first runner-up in the Carnatic Music Idol group competition conducted by Jaya TV. IAIM students have also been participating in Epic Choir since 2015, which is a creation of their Parama Guru Sangeetha Kalanidhi Shri Neyveli Santhanagopalan at Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival.

The teachers continuously strive to educate their students to perform high level concerts through their innovative teaching methods, voice culture, and they instill awareness about the musical tradition, bhakti, bhava, intricacies, and nuances of Kritis and ragas.

Parama Guru

Sangeetha Kalanidhi Shri Neyveli R. Santhanagopalan

Shri Neyveli R. Santhanagopalan is an internationally acclaimed senior Carnatic musician who is known for concerts that mark a traditional classicism. Well-known for rendering effective concerts couched in bhakthi (devotion) and bhava (emotion), he spiritually elevates his technically intricate music to the pedestal of divinity. A musician is often revered by his ability to justify innovation while carefully balancing tradition. Neyveli Santhanagopalan is an expert performer who consistently communicates with his audience through this process of balancing innovation and tradition. The greatness of this born-musician lives beyond the image he portrays. His excellent theoretical depth with extensive research of the best approaches makes him a distinctive musicologist. This multi-faceted musician is also proficient at playing the Veena and percussion instruments with distinct strengths in laya exposition.

Sri Neyveli Santhanagopalan is an A-top graded artist in both All India Radio and Doordarshan and is the recipient of several laurels, titles, and awards from leading music associations in India and overseas such as Sangeeth Natak Akademy, Archarya Rathnakara, Sangeetha Kalasarathy, and Sangeetha Choodamani.

Vidwan and Guru Dr. Shiv Kumar Bhat

Vidwan and Guru Dr. Shiv Kumar Bhat is a multi talented musician, teacher, vedic scholar, and composer. Shivkumar one of the senior disciples of Sangeetha Kalanidhi Shri Neyveli Santhanagopalan. Having been raised in a family of Vedic scholars in Karnataka, Shri Shiv kumar Bhat breathes the essence of our spiritual heritage with which our arts are closely entwined. Shiv Kumar has also been trained under Sangeetha Kalanidhi Padmabhushan Shri B. Rajam Iyer, where he has learned many unique compositions such as Rama Nataka Kritis, rare Dikshitar compositions, and Tiruppavais.

In addition to being a coveted Carnatic music Guru with students in the USA and India, he is an ardent Harikatha exponent who views Carnatic music as a means to spiritual identity. His melodious voice, and unique style of Harikatha presentations are as thought-providing as they are humorous, informative, and enrapturing! Shivkumar’s Harikathas are well known to be thorough with modern and logical thoughts, yet highlighting the values and greatness of our scriptures and epics, which imparts a promising bridge for youngsters of Indian origin connect back to their roots.

As a teacher, Shivkumar has trained numerous students and his students perform concerts regularly. Many of his students have imbibed his mellifluous voice that can travel through three octaves effortlessly. Shivkumar is fluent in many languages. In 2014, he received a Ph.D in Sanskrit from the University of Mysore. Pt Shivkumar is a house-hold name for several families of Indian origin in the Great lakes area and Bay Area, where he has contributed to the community well being through his services as a musician, teacher and Vedic Guru.

Guru Smt. Kasthuri Shivakumar

Kasthuri-Vidushi and Guru Smt. Kasthuri Shivakumar is one of the prime disciples of Sangeetha Kalanidhi Shri Neyveli R. Santhanagopalan. As a concert artiste, she has performed widely in India and North America and is no stranger to music festivals all over the USA. Her live, thematic and online concerts stand testimony to her commitment to learning, educating and promoting Carnatic Music.

With a Masters Degree in Carnatic Music from the University of Madras and several years of rigorous training from great teachers at the Madras Music Academy, Guru Kasthuri has devised curricula and taught for over 2 decades at the International Academy of Indian Music, an organization founded by her and her husband Vidwan & Guru Shri Shiv Kumar Bhat. Having lived in Chennai, Michigan Lakes, and CA Bay Area, Kasthuri is a well-known name; she is sought after and consulted as an educator and an artiste on musical productions, community events, and festivals.

A noteworthy aspect of her music is the influence of Sangeetha Kalanidhi Shri B. Rajam Iyer, from whom she has learned many rare and valuable compositions while contributing to several of his educative projects for the Madras Music Academy.

Kasthuri is highly respected in Carnatic music circle primarily not only for her contributions to educative projects for students and rasikas of North America, but also for her enthusiasm in collaborating with all peers and seniors on musical projects that enable amateur artistes. Kasthuri is a highly sought-after Guru and is a torch bearer of the Neyveli bANi.

Shri Vidwan Vignesh Thyagarajan - Violin

Vignesh Thyagarajan is a disciple of Vidwan Delhi Sri P. Sunderrajan and has been under the tutelage of his Guru for 17 years. He had his initial training under his mother Smt. Rama Thyagarajan and Sri Susheela Narasimhan.

Vignesh has regularly accompanied in the Chennai December Music season concerts since 2012 in leading sabhas including in the prestigious Madras Music Academy from 2016. Vignesh has performed numerous solos and provided violin accompaniment to many USA artists and visiting artists from India. He has been giving Violin Duets with his sister Aparna Thyagarajan across USA, India and online social media platforms.

Vignesh has had the privilege of accompanying his Guru, Vidwan Delhi Sri P. Sunderrajan, in multiple concerts as violin support and violin accompaniment.

Vidwan Shri Ajay Gopi - Mridangam

Shri Vidwan Ajay Gopi is a disciple of his father Sri. Gopi Lakshminarayanan and Sri. Kallidaikurichi Sivakumar. He had his arangetram on July 2013 with Sri. Neyveli Santhanagopalan on vocal and Sri. Hemmige V. Srivatsan on violin.

Ajay regularly performs in the Chennai December Season festival in many reputed sabhas. Ajay also learns carnatic vocal and he is currently learning from Sri. Kolkata Vijayaraghavan. Ajay is a graduate of UC Berkeley and is a software engineer in the Silicon Valley.

Vidwan Shri MN Hariharan - Morsing

Vadya Kalaimani Shri MN Hariharan is a Mridangist and a senior Morsing Percussionist from Chennai. Being a disciple of Guru Karaikkudi Mani, Hariharan is an expert teacher of Mridangam and percussion instruments.

As a passionate research scholar, Hariharan is a winner of the ‘Junior fellowship award’ from the Department of Culture, Govt of India, for his thesis named ‘Advanced Mathematical Research in Korvai Playing’. He has also composed more than 5000 Kuraippus and Arudhis for various Nadais, and conducted many percussion ensembles in many prestigious sabhas all over India and abroad.

His book ‘Korvais Made Easy’, released in 2004, with unique ideas and formulas, is a product of his years of in-depth research, which is a great handbook for percussionists and korvai lovers.

Through his upcoming book ‘Mridangam learning made easy’ he is planning to help learners and teachers to standardize the art of learning laya techniques which is very useful for seekers of the art of music, dance and percussion.

Smt. Padma Mohan - CCC Bay Area

Padma Mohan is a founder of Carnatic Chamber Concerts also known as CCC , which is a pioneer organization in the San Francisco Bay Area which supports students learning Indian Classical Carnatic Music. CCC founded in January 2009 by Padma Mohan with just twelve students has grown exponentially over the past decade. Carnatic Chamber Concerts (CCC) is dedicated to promoting Indian Classical (Carnatic) music among local youth in the Bay Area. CCC hosts monthly events in which budding artists from various music schools showcase their talents in front of a knowledgeable audience.

Second generation Indian-American youth train in America by working with master artists who live here or in India and through this long period of training, CCC provides a presenting platform to them so that they may stay engaged in the process to become better musicians. CCC currently supports over 350+ music learning member students from all over the bay area, by giving them performance and learning opportunities in a professional yet friendly platform with encouraging audience members.

Special Thanks

Shravya Krishnan - Tambura
Prasanna Ranganathan - Photography
Dheenu Neelamegam - Video and livestream
Adam Fresquez - DUSD Theater Manager
Staff of Dublin High School Theater
Parent Volunteers
Friends and Wellwishers