Anuradha Sridhar is the daughter and disciple of the violin maestro Lalgudi Srimathi Brahmanandam, the reputed sister and violin duo partner of violin virtuoso Lalgudi G. Jayaraman. She has performed in several concerts around the world. She started the Trinity Center for Music in 1989 in California that has produced top tier artists for the past two decades. We caught up with Guru Anuradha and here are some excerpts –
We’ve heard that the Thyagaraja concert is a grand visual and aural feast. Can you please elaborate?
We have animated the life and work of Saint Thyagaraja. There is a story line that describes how Thyagaraja’s works can be applied in our everyday lives . My students and I will be performing the carnatic music that will flow seamlessly with the animated feature film. You have combined story telling, animation and live music in a single show.
How did you conceptualize this?
My son was fascinated by the nursery rhymes playing on a CD-ROM. This gave me an idea to create an animated feature to introduce carnatic music to children. Thyagaraja’s compositions are very descriptive with rich content and lyrics. And the best way to learn the song was to visualize it! We have animated Thyagaraja’s compositions and the important incidents in his life. I am very happy to present a show for Aram Sei in San Jose.
A show of this nature must involve a lot of hard work from you, your students and their parents. Isn’t it?
Yes, indeed. We are very passionate about music and we don’t count hours during practice sessions. I have been very lucky to have a dedicated group of students who take music seriously. This is the first time I will be presenting the show with along with my students and I am very excited about it.
Many of your shows have been fundraisers. Can you share your thoughts on charity, and what made you choose Aram Sei this time?
Most of my concerts have been fundraisers for many worthy causes. We live a very comfortable life and we need to give back to the society. I wanted to teach the concept of giving to my students by involving them in the school shows that would be fundraisers.
I was introduced to Aram Sei through their signature event, SPARK. I was the judge for the music segment and was impressed by their vision to support grassroot charities in the field of education & healthcare. Their support for promoting education through the Payir and Snehadhara projects aligns with my passion for teaching. I wanted to support Aram Sei in a small way for the great work that they are doing.