A member of the faculty at the department of Neuroscience at the Harvard Medical School and a Carnatic musician who is an empanelled artist of All India Radio since 2000, Deepti has now turned into a cultural entrepreneur who through her innovative "Alchemy" project has found new audiences for Carnatic music. She will hold a performance on Feb 22 at the Keefe Technical Auditorium.

Videos:

Teasers for the upcoming concert: A Carnatic Thumri!

Music video of title track 'Ka': 

A Cello-voice duet from 'Ka':

Deepti’s Website:

Music has been a great passion for me as long as I can remember.  I was also skilled academically and always thought of music as a hobby. When I came to the US, I had the unique opportunity in New Mexico, where I did my PhD and in Boston to interact with non-Carnatic musicians. It opened my mind in many ways. It taught me to appreciate the incredible beauty of Carnatic music even more and it also gave me ideas to explore new directions in my rendition of Carnatic music. I got an unique opportunity to become part of a program at the New England Conservatory where musicians from Ethnic traditions come together to explore other traditions, particularly western traditions. After much thought I felt it was a good opportunity to work in this program and really give time to music. I think it has been a fantastic decision and I think it has changed my life forever. 

When I came to New Mexico for my graduate studies, I was one of the first to bring Indian music to the University. People were very interested and I started teaching Carnatic music to the music students at the University.  However this proved to be a big challenge, for the students had absolutely no cultural context and the music was completely alien to them. I started to learn the western music framework and explore ways to use their musical framework to explain Carnatic music. In the process my knowledge of the western musical framework increased tremendously and I became very interested.  In Boston I worked on several collaborative projects with western composers like Shirish Korde and that increased my knowledge and perked my interest a lot.  

First and foremost it made me become even more passionate about Carnatic music. I think it is one of the most amazing systems of music that has a wide range of tools both in terms of rhythm and melody. I can now say it with conviction since I have been exposed to a range of tools from other systems. It also filled me with great desire to share this music form with the world at large. I feel Carnatic music deserves a much larger share of audience and I feel a missionary zeal to make this music accessible to a larger population.  

I have learned so much from the collaborations that allows me to take my music in new directions as well.  The collaborations that have influenced me are not just from non-Indian musicians. When I worked with Bharatanatyam dancer Mesma Belsare, I sang a dance dance Varnam for the first time and had to render the Jathis as well. I loved that combination so much that I began to experiment with the use of Jathis in my Alapanai itself.  It is a kind of “Alchemy”.

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The Carnatic Alchemy Project (CAP) combines  artistic and entrepreneurial activities towards re-presenting South Indian classical music (Carnatic music) for contemporary and mainstream audiences. The goal is to create cultural products that facilitate cross-cultural appreciation - through high-impact concerts featuring musical innovation, creation and documentation of commissioned new works in scores and CDs and engaging diverse communities through ‘Singing Circles’ initiative.

First concert production from Carnatic Alchemy Project  will feature Carnatic vocal music repertoire re-presented with contemporary arrangements including tabla, harmonium, mridangam and Persian oud. An album of Carnatic- inspired contemporary music - 'Ka' will also be released at the concert. 

RSVP at: https://www.facebook.com/events/593771507338026/

Tickets available at Sulekha: http://tinyurl.com/mbzqnfp

 

The goal is to introduce, increase awareness and engagement of traditional Carnatic Raagas and songs to diverse mainstream audiences. I have titled this model for community engagement as 'Singing Circles’. In small and informal groups, participants sing and engage with Carnatic music, text and sound by facilitated participation.

The workshop introduces participants to ancient NadaYoga principles of sound-chakra relationships and elements of South Indian Raaga-based singing. We chant, improvise and learn Raaga-inspired voicework by guided listening and group improvisation exercises. Educational materials and handouts are  provided.  Once people attend these Breitling Replica Watches workshops they get a little foothold into the realm of Carnatic music and become very interested in exploring further. I am really excited to see this. 

I have decided to explore opportunities to work at the intersection of music and Neuroscience. There are many opportunities to explore the use of music for detection of developmental disabilities and for therapy. I hope to continue my research in that space. My knowledge of both spaces positions me uniquely for exploring this further. I have received much encouragement from my mentors in the scientific community. Whatever the future holds, I must say that I am very pleased to live in the moment where I am able to devote my full attention to music. I plan to enjoy this as long as I can. 

 I would love for your readers to come to my concert on Feb 22. Since there is a lot of innovation in my music I welcome their support and their feedback as I tread along new paths.   

Recognized for her 'particularly lovely and bewitching voice’ (Boston Globe, 2010), Deepti Navaratna's music embodies a rare mix of classical wisdom, expressivity and virtuosity. Her long-standing immersion and training in South Indian Classical music under several gurus such as Rohini Manjunath and T.V Gopalakrishnan informs a musical persona that is deeply rooted in the South Indian classical idiom. In her contemporary classical forays, her musical aesthetic speaks of a contemplative yet adventurous search for reinventing the classical in the beauty of a new sound configuration. From South Indian classical repertoire to avant garde contemporary compositions, she displays a unique versatility that is distinctly her own. 

An empaneled artiste of All India Radio since 2000, she topped the All India Radio’s National Music competition twice in the categories of Carnatic and light classical music in 1999 and 2000. She was featured as an Youth Ambassador for the Arts at the prestigious National Youth Festival hosted by the Government of India in 1999 and 2001. After moving to the United States, she has received several distinctions as a traditional musician such as Cambridge Arts Council Grant (2011), Emerging Artist Award from St.Botolph Foundation (2011) and the Traditional & Ethnic Arts Fellowship from the Utah Arts Council (2009). Her music has been featured at premiere performing spaces in the United States such as Asia Society (New York City), Symphony Space (New York City), Jordan Hall (Boston), Harvard Arts Museum (Cambridge), Museum of Fine Arts (Boston), Yale School of music (New Haven, CT), Peabody Essex Museum (Salem) among others. Her debut album ‘Aarohanam’ (2010) has received several national and international reviews and was featured as a top-selling traditional music album on cdbaby.com.

Deepti’s musical journey is studded with many firsts - she is the first South Indian classical musician to be awarded a merit scholarship and cash prize to study World music and Contemporary Improvisation at the prestigious New England Conservatory of Music, Boston, United States. She was the first South Indian classical vocalist to be selected to represent India in a month-long residency at the Music Omi International Music residency for which she was awarded the Rajshekar Parikh Fellowship as well.