Raja Hindustani Program

[Staci Mauger]

AmieMaciszewski is a sitarist (who sings), ethnomusicologist, and Hindustani music educator. She trained initially in Santiniketan, India, under the late Prof. Suresh Misra, where she stood first in her B.Mus. batch and went on to earn the M.Mus. degree. Disciple of Grammy-nominated sarode maestro Aashish Khan and Hindustani vocal diva Padmabhushan Girija Devi since the early 1990s, Amie has performed throughout North America, in India, Europe, and Japan, and has taught in North America since 1986. She has received awards and grants for her work as teaching artist, ensemble director, scholar, and documentary filmmaker. A Ph.D. in ethnomusicology (University of Texas/Austin), she has served as visiting professor and teaching artist on the faculties of the Universities of Colorado, Alberta, Pittsburgh, and Texas. Other residencies have taken her to schools as well as cultural and special needs centers around North America. In 2005, she performed to enthusiastic audiences at several venues in Kolkata, India, including the prestigious Sangeet Research Academy. In 2006 she served as Director of the Indian Music Ensemble, University of Alberta.

Also an activist scholar, she has published several articles in journals and books and produced three films documenting her research with courtesan musicians in India, which have screened at festivals and conferences in North America, India, and Europe.

Performing artist and teacher of North Indian Classical Music, Amjad Rahman is one of the foremost disciples of India's renowned musician Pt. Prof. N. V. Pattwardhan (Gwalior gharana) for more then ten years. Amjad has a Bachelors, Masters and M. Phil Degrees in Indian Classical Music from Maharaja Sayajirao University Baroda and Delhi University in India. Amjad has been giving concerts and workshops throughout India, Europe, Canada and through out the United States.

Anuradha Naimpally is an exquisite classical Indian dancer of the Bharata Natyam style, who has won numerous international awards. Her mesmerizing performances gained her the recognition as "Best Dancer" in 2000 by the Austin Area Critics' Circle. She learned her first steps under Dr. Menaka Thakkar of Toronto. Love for dance brought her back to India to study professionally under Gurus Venugopal and Jayashree Pillai of Bombay. Later she also studied with Acharya Parvati Kumar and briefly with Dr. Padma Subrahmaniam. Anuradha has been performing worldwide for over 25 years. In 1989 she was awarded the prestigious Jacqueline LeMieux Prize by the Canada Council, making her the only Indian classical dancer to receive this high honor. She was bestowed the title of Sringar Mani, "Artistic Jewel", in Bombay after her performance at the Kal-Ke-Kalakar Festival in 1990. She has been on the faculty of various universities around Austin, such as University of Texas, St. Edward's, Southwestern, and currently, Austin Community College. In Austin, she has been a teacher with Ballet Austin's Leaps and No Bounds Program in AISD schools. Through One World Theatre, she presents assembly performances on Indian dance and culture in Austin area schools. She teaches Bharata Natyam technique through her organization, Tanjore Performing Arts.

Shri Balaji Narasimhan, hails from Srirangam, a famous religious center in Tamil Nadu, India. He had his initial training at the age of eight under Shri Hariharan, and then from Shri Embar Lakshminarasimhan (Brother of harikatha expert Shri Embar Vijayaragavachariar) and Shri Harikumar, All India Radio, Tiruchirapalli. He had his "Arangetram" in 1987 and started accompanying many artists both vocal and instrumental in Tamilnadu and other places in various sabhas. He has participated in Thyagaraja Aaradhana festivals held at Thiruvaiyaru and Srirangam. He has accompanied for many dance programs in Trichirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India. He received a talent search scholarship from Government of India for imparting specialized course for a period of 6 years. He is a B-high grade Mirudangam Artist of All India Radio, Trichirapalli, Tamil Nadu. He came under the tutelage of the popular Mirudangam maestro at Chennai - Shri Karaikudi R.Mani before coming over to the United States. He has performed on Doordarshan - Chennai as an accompanist both for vocal and Thalavadyam. He is currently accompanying for Vocal, Instrumental and Dance programs.

Bana Ramanath who has been teaching in Texas for more than 15 years directs and teaches all Natyanjali classes in San Antonio and Austin. She has been trained in India by Guru late Vidhwan Chandrashekhar and Gurus Padmashri The Dhananjayans. She has taken natuvangam and abhinaya classes with Padmashri Adyar K. Lakshman and the abhinaya exponent Padma Bhushan Smt.Kalanidhi Narayanan, respectively. Bana has performed extensively in India as a cultural delegate of the government and in many states of USA. She is a performing artist on the roster for the Texas Commission on the Arts and currently performs and conducts workshops in colleges, universities, and special events all over Texas. She has received financial awards from the city of San Antonio and the state of Texas to produce and choreograph dance festivals and dance productions. Bana has been very successful in integrating Indian dance, music, and culture into the American mainstream through her work "Temple Dance of India - a Universal Language" Bana Currently teaches classical and folk dances of India in San Antonio and Austin and "Dances of India" informal classes at the University of Texas in Austin.

Geetha Narasimhan started learning Music from her mother Smt. Kamala Narasimhan at the tender age of 3 1/2 yrs. She has learned carnatic music under different gurus namely S.K. Vasumathi, Usha Chary, Janaki Raman, Sivarama Kodudula and continues to take lessons from various artists visiting Austin, TX. Her first concert was in Gaana Kala Parishat, Bangalore at the age of 9. She has won various awards in music and have been giving lessons for the past 8 yrs. Location: Round Rock.

Hema Raja is a proficient Bharathanatyam dancer and teacher having received her training since the age of 6. Her early training was received under Smt. Muthulakshmi, an eminent dancer from the temple town of Srivilliputtur, India. Hema Raja has given numerous stage performances both in India and in the U.S. She received prizes and awards for her performances. Hema Raja is also a certified Yoga instructor from Swami Vivekananda Yoga Center, Chennai. Her passion to propagate Indian classical dance and Yoga takes her back to India every year to update her training under renowned artists. Hema hasbeen teaching Bharathanatyam, Semi classical dance and Yoga for more than five years in Southwest Austin and is currently accepting students of all ages

Hema started learning Veena and Vocal at the age of eleven.from Mrs Kannamma Rengarajan, Mr Koviladi Rengarajan and Ms. Kala Rengarajan. Hema has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Indian Music from University of Madras. Hema has given performances in All India Radio, Trichy and has been teaching Carnatic music since 1985.

Mrudula Naveen has been pursuing the divine art form of Bharata Natyam for more than two decades. She was initiated to this divine art at the age of two and a half under the guidance of Smt. Sujatha Ramalingam (nee Parashuraman), student of Shree K. Adayar Laxman, Kalakshetra. She gave her maiden performance (Arangetram) at the age of five and half in Chennai.Subsequently, she started learning from Smt. Sugandhi Subramaniam of Natanapriya, student of Shree Kalasadan Mani, Mumbai. Under her guidance, she gave many performances in and around Mumbai. Currently, she is a disciple of Guru Smt.Rajee Narayan, founder-director Nritya Geethanjali. She has given various solo as well as group performances in Mumbai and Chennai under her tutelage. She started a branch of Nritya Geetanjali at Thane, Mumbai in the year 2001. She has been learning Carnatic music under Guru Smt. Padma Ganapathy, Thane, Mumbai for many years. She gave her maiden concert in 1999, at Thane.

Mythily Srinivasan started learning music from age 9 under the guidance of violinist Mr. Kuppuswamy Iyer and Manakkal Varadarajan. Later she took lessons from Ms. Visalam Venkatachalam, Radha Venkatachalam and others. As resident of Raleigh, North Carolina since 1987, she has been actively engaged in providing Carnatic music lessons for the local Indian community. Many of her students have won distinguished awards in Carnatic music from various cultural organizations in USA. While living in Raleigh, Mythily Srinivasan has not only been teaching music to over 50 students, she was actively managing several cultural organizations. She was the president of Indian Classical Music and Dance Society of NC for several years. She is a founder and patron of Ragasudha, a cultural organization in Raleigh. She was also the founder of Aradhana Group of Music. She initiated the Thyagaraja Aradhana Festival and Annamacharya Day in Raleigh and they are actively progressing for over a decade. She has organized and participated in several fund raising programs like dance dramas, Taranginis, bhajans in various languages in the Carolinas. She has been the recipient of numerous awards for promoting Carnatic classical and light music in India and USA.

Pavithra Ramadoss is a Bharatanatyam dancer and teacher. She had her initial training under Priyadarshini Ramchand (Senior disciple of PadmaShri Chitra Visweswaran) and performed her Arangetram at the age of 13. She then came under the direct tutelage of PadmaShri Chitra Visweswaran and Vijay Madhavan (senior disciple) and continued to train and perform in various venues in India. She has also performed regularly in Austin at the Thyagaraja Aradhana and other cultural programs over the years. Pavithra enjoys learning and teaching dance and her aim is to pursue a career in dance with a focus on performances and group choreography. Pavithra is currently accepting students of all skill levels and conducts classes at North Austin and South Austin locations.

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