Competent Carnatic music singers do not merely project their voices. Singing Carnatic music is said to be an experience that involves the artist's entire being. This philosophy is embodied in one of the principle lines of Tyagaraja's kriti "sobillu saptaswara''. The composer writes:
"nabhi hrith khanta rasana na sadhu layandhu" Tyagaraja says: "It is not merely the voice, but the entire being, the heart, the vocal chords, the tongue and the nose that shine in all the seven notes of the octave. Let us worship the confluence of all of these through music..."

Priya Tirur, 16, a High School honors student at the Milford High School presented a captivating solo vocal classical music concert on Sunday, August1 in Milford. She has been learning Carnatic vocal music from Ms. Tara Anand for the past ten years.

Priya’s remarkable poise and confidence coupled with sheer talent turned the event into a memorable one for everyone present. Endowed with a rich voice, remarkable creativity and a versatile style in raga delineation, her rendition of krithis, and execution of complex ragas helped maintain a high level of classicism through out the concert.

Priya says that she loves music in any form; she is part of her school chorus and plays the flute for the school band. Having learnt Indian Flute for a few years, Priya can be truly called a versatile musician. Priya sang the National Anthem for the Special Olympics for swimming and her essay for the National Honor Society was ‘ How Music has affected my life.’

Accompanying Priya on Mridangam was Mr. Praveen Sitaram, an active Mridangam teacher and community leader in the area. He has accompanied several local artists and artists from India like the late Chitti babu, Lalgudi Shri G.J.R Krishnan, Guitar Prasanna and Flute Raman, to name a few.

On Violin was young maestro Ashwin Gargeya, also a student of Ms. Tara Anand and has won numerous awards for his musical talents. He teaches beginner Carnatic Violin classes. Mr. Gargeya will attend Middlebury College in Vermont in September.

Especially noteworthy was the care used in selecting pieces by different composers, ranging from the composer Thyagaraja to the Lalgudi Jayaraman. Her creativity was apparent in her elaborate, but at the same time chaste, alapanas and swaraprastaras.

Starting the concert with Eranapai in ragam Thodi and talam Adi (Composed by Sri Patnam Subramaniam Iyer) she went on to present Vinaaayaka Ninuvina in ragam Hamsadwini and talam Adi( Composed by Shri Veenai Kuppaiyyar)

Sriman Narayana(by Shri Annamachrya) and Madhupurana followed(In ragam Jyothiswarupini, composed by Guru Surajananda) with Priya ending each piece melodiously and with greatest ease.

The other items presented were Shobillu (ragam Jaganmohini composed by Tyagaraja), Mahalakshmi (ragam Shankarabharam, composed by Papanasam Sivan), Aarabhi (ragam Raagamalika, composed by Tharangampadi Panchanatha Iyer), Guruin Vedathai ( ragam Madhuvanthi, composed by Savitri Mohan), Uyala Lugine (a Sai Bhajan in ragam Madhuvanthi), Nainanmein Nandalal (Meera Bhajan in ragam Peelu), Tillana (Ragam Brindavani, composed by Lalgudi Jayaraman) and the traditional denouement Mangalam(Tyagaraja)

Said Tara Anand who has taught Priya for the last 7 years. “Perseverance and dedication are essential for any learner. Her pursuit of music is strong and her commitment commendable. When she came up to me nine months ago and expressed interest in performing the concert, I knew that she was one student who could do it. Her hard work and determination have paid off!”

We asked Priya about this milestone in her life and she said "Although I have not seen as many kacheris as I most likely would have if I lived in India, music has always been an interest to me. I have been learning for the past 10 years and anytime I would hear about a concert close to us, I would attend. Yes, this concert was like a graduation for me, and more over, a culmination of all that I have been learning for the past 10 years. I do not see it as an end, but more as the beginning of my career as a carnatic musician. I definitely plan on continuing with singing and hope to give many more concerts in the future.

This whole experience has been so surreal to me. especially afterwards, I felt a great sense of fulfillment and accomplishment. Seeing my family and friends in the audience provided a great energy for the whole evening and for me, was the best setting for my first actual concert. Even a year ago, I did not believe that I had the stamina and the confidence for a concert like this.

Tara aunty, my guru and friend, gave me all the encouragement I needed to portray the music and myself in a presenting manner. Through many many practices at home and at Tara aunty's house, I finally became more comfortable with my voice and my singing and I was able to settle into it.

I concentrated more on the music than on my surroundings. That thought made it so much easier for me to keep my cool and keep any nervousness at bay in front of such a big audience. Overall, the experience was one I will keep with me for the rest of my life, and it is definitely just a setting stone for more to come in the future."

Girija Haran, a frined of the Tirur family said "Priya sang like a mature, seasoned artist belying her tender age of 16. From the varnam to the mangalam, she sang with the same energy and poise. It was a real treat to listen to such a wonderful performance from someone so young. We look forward to more concerts from this young artist.

Carnatic music is the original classical music of India, and one of the most sophisticated classical music systems in the world. It stems from South India; primarily the states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala.

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