LOTUS September 2013 monthly concert

DATE: SATURDAY, SEPT 28TH, 2013

TIME: 1.15 PM TO 3.00 PM

VENUE: SANATHANA DHARMA KENDRA

193 Commercial St,

Sunnyvale, CA 94086

Phone: (408) 481-9242

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These are free events. All are welcome. Please feel free to spread this message to your friends and relatives.

Priya Gundavajhala (Vocal)

Priya Gundavajhala has been learning Carnatic Music for the past 7 years from the Nadalaya School of Music under the tutelage of Guru Smt. Shanthi Shriram. Priya has performed at various events and places such as Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana, Carnatic Chamber Concerts, SIFA, Nadanritya, OSAAT, Papanasam Sivan Day, Badrikashrama, to name a few. She has won several prizes in solo and group events. Priya has given her solo debut concert in February 2013. She plays western violin in her school orchestra. Priya learns Kuchipudi from Natyalaya School of Kuchipudi dance. She has been a student of Chinmaya Mission's Swaranjali program for the last six years. Priya is a 7th grader at Kennedy Middle School in Cupertino.

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Durga Ganesh (Violin)

Durga Ganesh is a senior disciple of Sri. Susheela Narasimhan and has given many violin performances in India & the bay area. Durga also learns and gives carnatic vocal performances. She is a sophomore at Lynbook High School.

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Arun Shriram (Mridangam)

Arun Shriram is a Sophomore at The Harker School. For the past nine years, he has been learning Mridangam from his father and guru Shri. Shriram Brahmanandam. Arun learns vocal music from his mother Smt. Shanthi Shriram. Arun received first prize in the sub-junior and junior thaniavarthanam competitions and second prize in the accompaniment and konnakol competitions in the Annual Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana conference. He also won first prize in the Papanasam Sivan vocal competition held in 2012 in the group category. Arun has performed at various Bay Area festivals and venues like the prestigious San Francisco World Music Festival, SIFA, and Badarikashrama and has also been performing with the Trinity School of music while regularly accompanying junior artists.

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Shreya Magesh (Vocal)

Shreya Magesh has been learning Carnatic vocal music under Sangeeta Vidushi, Acharya Shri, Smt.. Jayashree Varadarajan, Founder and Artistic director of Sri Rama Lalitha Kala Mandir School of Fine Arts, based in Sunnyvale, California since the tender age of five. Shreya has performed with the SRLKM school on several occasions in the Bay Area for the past ten years such as the Ramanavami festival at the Shiva Vishnu temple, Livermore, the Shiva Murugan temple, Concord and Purandara Dasa day celebrations at the Badarikashrama, San Leandro, to name a few. Shreya was also part of the school’s 25thAnniversary presentation “Kalavandana”. Shreya has won prizes in OSAAT competition and SRLKM’s annual music examination for her performance.

Besides Carnatic music, Shreya has been training and performing western Classical piano since the age of five and is currently at advanced Level 10. Through the Certificate of Merit (CM) contests, Shreya was invited frequently to play at Piano Conventions in and around the state of California. Shreya has also performed for the East Branch Alameda County Honors Recital. Shreya is part of DVHS Advance Orchestra as western Classical Violinist. She has performed violin for CMEA competition and other several concerts representing DVHS. Shreya is a member of Tri Valley Music Ensemble and her ensemble group won the first place in the youth focus competition held in Bay area. Shreya is a Secretary of Parikrma (non-profit organization)."

Currently, a Junior at Dougherty Valley High School, San Ramon, CA, Shreya strives hard to do well in all her endeavors.

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Keerthi Sundaramurthy ( Violin)

Keerthi Sundaramurthy is a Senior at Washington High School, Fremont. She has been learning violin from Sri Saravanapriyan Sriraman, disciple of Sri Lalgudi GJR Krishnan. She has participated in the Cleveland Tyagaraja Aradhana festival and was awarded 1st and 2nd prizes for senior category Violin. She has also won prizes in the Papanasam Sivan competition, and OSAAT. Keerthi has performed and accompanied at various places like Lotus, Nandalala, and for several artists and school events in the Bay Area. Apart from Violin, she learns carnatic vocal from Sri Ajay Namboodiri, disciple of Sri Neyveli Santhanagopalan, over Skype. Other than music, Keerthi plays Varsity tennis for her school team, and has been involved in Speech and Debate.

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Akshay Venkatesan (Mridangam)

Akshay Venkatesan started learning mridangam at Sarvalghu Percussion Art Center, San Jose, CA at the age of 5 under the able guidance of `Laya Kala Ratna’ Sri Ramesh Srinivasan, a leading disciple of Mridangam Maestro Late Sangeetha Kalanidhi Sri Vellore G. Ramabhadran. Akshay is going to 7thgrade at Chaboya Middle School, San Jose.

Akshay had his mridangam arangetram on January 03, 2013 at Tattvaloka, Chennai. He was blessed to accompany Sri. Chitravina N. Ravikiran on Chitravina, Dr. Karthick on Ghatam and Kum. Akkarai Subhalakshmi on Violin. Also, he was blessed with having Dr. Balamuralikrishna as Distinguished Guest of Honor and Sri. N. Gopalaswami (Former Chief election commissioner of India) as Chief Guest.

Akshay has participated in April 2011 Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana `Sustaining Sampradaya Concert’ and Carnatic Symphony in 2013. Akshay has been accompanying vocalists and instrumentalists in Bay area for the last three years.