Cleveland Aradhana schedule - 2010

CMFAN01 · Post by **CMFAN01** » 29 Jan 2010, 10:45

Any idea when this schedule will be out?

Their website still says,

" The Festival runs from Thursday April 1 to Sunday April 11, 2010. We will be posting a tentative schedule by November. Please check back then."

Abhimanam · Post by **Abhimanam** » 29 Jan 2010, 10:50

I think this may take another week / ten days or so...

mahavishnu · Post by **mahavishnu** » 31 Jan 2010, 01:07

The schedule is up: http://www.aradhana.org/schedule.html

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 31 Jan 2010, 02:48

Cienu - great to see that Aishwarya and your mother are scheduled to perform on Saturday, April 10th...wonderful news. Good Luck!!

Is that Aishu who is performing on Sunday April 4th from 8 to 9:15 AM?

appu · Post by **appu** » 31 Jan 2010, 05:49

rshankar, That may be our violinist from California, Aishwarya Venkataraman.

cacm · Post by **cacm** » 31 Jan 2010, 16:18

Dear Everyone,
This Aishwarya is the daughter of one of our members Cienu, grand daughter of Smt.Radha Viswanathan the only Disciple of M.S.S. in the sense M.S.S. was her Guru, and Great Grand Daughter of the one and only M.S.S. The Aishwarya referred to in post 5 is a different one, also a member of the forum. She will be conducting& performing with a Wesrern Orchestra of 34 musicians on Sunday morning with Her own arrangements& compositions from the great composers of Carnatic music.
I feel this year's Festival is the culmination of 50 years of hard work by many individuals, organisations and Artists. So I intend writing about it in some detail about the many aspects in different posts. I will try to explain the logic & the incomparable foresight & insight of the again one and only Cleveland V.V.Sundaram who along with others have truly put our culture, music, as well as the finer aspects of Fine Arts on the top of the pedestal where they belong. While I am a member of the Aradhana Committee I would request your indulgence if I am not exactly neutral or impartial in my judgements, opinions and statements . VKV

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 31 Jan 2010, 16:45

Nice to hear from you VKV. I trust you are now back! We do expect you to fill in the details here of the Cleveland 2010 with zest as you have been doing. Especially we will be following Radha and Aishu on their debut. Radha must have fond memories of her visit to NA with MS which we also cherish. This tribute is very special occuring again in the NA soil. We all will appreciate Pictures/videos if possible. I guess cienu will also be there though he shuns the lime-light but I am sure he will fill us in.

By the by I was expecting your comments on your personal interactions with the Maestro B Rajam over the years. His demise must have made a personal vacuum for you as it has done for all of us as indded he is an icon of CM History. Do post in a separate thread your musings... Is MKR back?

gobilalitha · Post by **gobilalitha** » 31 Jan 2010, 18:04

Cienu our heartiest congrats to your mother and Aishu on their debut at Cleveland . MayGod bless them with all the best. Balasubramanian (gobilalitha)and smt .Balasubramanian . gobilalitha

suma · Post by **suma** » 31 Jan 2010, 19:32

vkv43034 wrote:Dear Everyone,
This Aishwarya is the daughter of one of our members Cienu, grand daughter of Smt.Radha Viswanathan the only Disciple of M.S.S. in the sense M.S.S. was her Guru, and Great Grand Daughter of the one and only M.S.S.

This is good. I had always wanted to listen to them live, but never got a chance. Thanks to Cleveland aradhana for this opportunity.

arunk · Post by **arunk** » 31 Jan 2010, 21:25

given that i can go only first weekend (work, vacation/holiday etc.), i find the schedule for the first weekend supremely disappointing from what I expect personally for out of the Aradhana. Basically one professional concert on sunday morning by Sudha is all I can hope to catch if I leave on Friday morning and get back by Sunday night. Gas (petrol) + Hotel + Food for family will probably run about $400-$500. I would then say it is a pitiful deal from the point of a rasika hoping to catch just one professional concerts. Nothing against the scheduled programs per say - I am sure sustaining sampradhaya etc. would be great, but at Cleveland I want to hear top professional music or atleast way more than what is in store for that first weekend. I would have preferred a much more balanced schedule for that weekend. Friday used to be a bust. Now Saturday is pretty much a complete bust for me.

Sorry if this harsh - but needless to say I am not happy

Arun

rajeshnat · Post by **rajeshnat** » 31 Jan 2010, 21:49

[quote]
There is a mention about " April 3rd- Sat- 4:00pm - 6:45pm Sustaining Sampradaya ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Â

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 01 Feb 2010, 05:44

Arun
..that does qualify for a legitimate rant

Most folks will choose the weekend to visit Cleveland and would expect a juicy program during that period. It appears that other interesting visiting performers have been slated for the weekdays. Shame to have to miss TNS!

Let us hear from VKV..

true_rasika · Post by **true_rasika** » 01 Feb 2010, 07:05

I completely agree with Arun. Several people like me with children drive hundreds of miles (a thousand in my case) to have them compete in one or more of the competitions - implying that it makes sense to attend the first 3 or 4 days. The expense is typically in the $ 1000 range for me (because of the need to accommodate my aged parents / in-laws) as well , and considering that it is extremely cold for the seniors then, we end up booking rooms at the Comfort Inn...an expensive proposition...

The many perceived 'negatives' really evaporate if we are able to be treated to at least two - ideally three - prime-time concerts from front-line seniors / stalwarts over the course of 3 days...it is a pity that almost all of the big names are featured during the weekdays...therefore the schedule this year is a huge letdown...

appu · Post by **appu** » 01 Feb 2010, 07:10

If I remeber right the schedule does not look very different from last year. Last year we had MSG and party and then on sunday we had Sudha.

This year too we have two big names. Sudha and V Ramachandran. My gripe however would be over the fact that we have Sudha being repeated at the same time slot. Some other senior artist could have been given the slot.

cacm · Post by **cacm** » 01 Feb 2010, 12:25

Dear Rasikas,
I have & will note down every issue that has & will be raised. I will discuss the logic&reason well as the timings of concerts as soon as the commitee has been polled by me. I thank everyone for their interest & promise an answer as soon as possible. As you know EVERYONE is very busy& occupied trying to get visas, plane tickets & other ASSORTED details that VERY FEW VOLUNTEERS are trying to take care of. VKV

vijay · Post by **vijay** » 01 Feb 2010, 13:03

Good to hear about Aishwarya's performance. Wishing her all the best!

cacm · Post by **cacm** » 01 Feb 2010, 14:45

vkv43034 wrote:Dear Everyone,
This Aishwarya is the daughter of one of our members Cienu, grand daughter of Smt.Radha Viswanathan the only Disciple of M.S.S. in the sense M.S.S. was her Guru, and Great Grand Daughter of the one and only M.S.S. The Aishwarya referred to in post 5 is a different one, also a member of the forum. She will be conducting& performing with a Western Orchestra of 34 musicians on Sunday morning with Her own arrangements& compositions from the great composers of Carnatic music.
I feel this year's Festival is the culmination of 50 years of hard work by many individuals, organisations and Artists. So I intend writing about it in some detail about the many aspects in different posts. I will try to explain the logic & the incomparable foresight & insight of the again one and only Cleveland V.V.Sundaram who along with others have truly put our culture, music, as well as the finer aspects of Fine Arts on the top of the pedestal where they belong. While I am a member of the Aradhana Committee I would request your indulgence if I am not exactly neutral or impartial in my judgements, opinions and statements . VKV

Ramasubramanian M.K · Post by **Ramasubramanian M.K** » 01 Feb 2010, 21:04

As one of the Cleveland Aradhana Committee's sycophants,==having personally known the constraints involved in the drawing-up of the schedules,I feel Rasikas have to cut VVS et al lots of slack--this is not to pooh-pooh the concerns of the regular patrons of the Aradhana.
Consider the laudable objectives of not merely bringing leading CM artistes to Cleveland,but also offer a platform for local talent to exhibit their skills,and enlarge their repertoire thro lessons given by leading Acharyas in Chennai.having to serve multiple constituencies--just plain rasikas like myself,rasikas with kids who need to be "showcased" and last but not least giving young upcoming artistes from India---who are not household names yet--a broader canvas to display their skills etc etc --balancing these "seemingly-irreconcilable objectives" is a herculean task which the Committee is doing its best to discharge.

The points about the expenses involved--especially those who have to make long treks from all over in NA- are valid.However no schedule can be made that satisfies the needs of all the constituents. One has to make the best of what is available and make hard choices--example if the schedule does not lend itself to listening to some of your favorite Senior artistes,one has the opportunity to listen to these artistes elsewhere in NA because they are likely to 'hit" your town during the NA tour.
Re; Music is life's comment about "Sustaining Sampradaya"("shortcircuiting Sampradaya) seems to me to be ill-informed at best and a cheap shot at worst."I do not know how much involved you may have been in arranging the logistics and the economics of NA tours in general(personally I have been involved with the East-West org that sponsored the "Violin-Venu-Veena" concert in the early Seventies and having been involved in the start-up of CMANA(Carnatic Music Association of NA )Relatively speaking those tours were a 'breeze" when compared to the Cleveland Aradhana so that as forbidding the costs to individuals that patronise the Aradhana may be,the Committee has to deal with far more stringent financial burdens with so much of the US educational institutions'patronage of such cultural festivals virtually absent because of budgetary constraints(now you can turn around and ask WHY VVS et al are bothering to do this service).I can assure you that this is not for any monetary or ego considerations. There is a passion that is driving VVS and his cohorts (that includes each and every family member) to do this service.

It behoves all of us especially those rasikas in NA to add fillip to the VVS Gang!!!

Hey,Cienu thrilled that your Mom and Aishwarya would be performing in Cleveland.Your Mom called my Mom today(when I was away)--my mind harks back to your Mom and Patti's visit in 1977--hats off to your Mom's spirit and enthusiasm(a true 'ward' of your Thatha--the "never-say-die" spirit !!

CM lover I am still in Chennai--itching to get back to unfinished business of the MS/TS saga,the begining of the SSI narrative and also a wrap-up(belated at that)of the 2009 season(over 35 concerts attended--the most in my entire life within the 2 week period. A nomadic life in Tamil Nadu shuttling between Chennai,Coimbatore and Bangalore and sporadic access to computers has "cramped" my 'digital-urges" but the spirit is wiling and able. Bear with me!!

uday_shankar · Post by **uday_shankar** » 01 Feb 2010, 21:32

Ramasubramanian M.K wrote:There is a passion that is driving VVS and his cohorts (that includes each and every family member) to do this service.

It behoves all of us especially those rasikas in NA to add fillip to the VVS Gang!!!

Hear, hear ! It is a profound labor of love on the part of a very small number of individuals that makes the Cleveland Aradhana happen year after year.

ragam-talam · Post by **ragam-talam** » 01 Feb 2010, 21:49

Here we go again!
Soon we can expect to hear complaints from parents, friends etc.

This time, however, there seems to be another grouse from regular attendees - i.e. senior artistes' concerts are scheduled during weekdays.

On the one hand, we have an organiser such as VKV inviting people to send in their feedback positive&negative, while MKR seems to be defending the decisions of the powers-that-be and providing standard politician's response. If you got it wrong, admit it and move on! You guys are doing a great job, and it's allright if you goofed up somewhere. Just accept the mistakes.

You are dealing with a fairly intelligent bunch of people here who can see thru wishy-washy statements.

Thank you.

appu · Post by **appu** » 01 Feb 2010, 22:10

ragam-talam wrote:

You are dealing with a fairly intelligent bunch of people here who can see thru wishy-washy statements.

Intelligent and fairly short sighted. Not all a few of course. The ones that can only find faults.

cacm · Post by **cacm** » 01 Feb 2010, 23:32

music_is_life wrote:Rajesh,
Torch bearers of Cleveland Aradhana Committee are those who can afford $1500- $2000 to participate in "Sustaining Sampradaya' which should actually be called as 'Short-circuiting' sampradaya! I admire the kids who put in the efforts to perform on stage. The organizers who know what it takes to perform a 3-hour concert in a prime slot should have re-considered why they continue to do this.
I have seen that, after the first 30 minutes or so, the hall is filled only with parents and relatives of the children. For those who spent $500-$600 to be at Cleveland for the first weekend, it is not worth it. I am breaking my 12-year tradition this year by planning to go on Tuesday/Wednesday instead of the first weekend. Let these kids perform during the week day. But, who has the guts to tell this to Mr. Sundaram?

I am not here to defend, condemn or oppose any one's views-right or wrong-. That said I must say that definition of torch bearers is WRONG. Actually many more people apply than are selected; The selection process consists of judges who are EMINENT MUSCIANS LIKE RAMANI, SUGANA VARADHACHARI who examine the candidates who they feel are likely to make the cut thru' Skype& other mechanisms. The organising& Aradhana Committee are NOT INVOLVED in any aspect of the selection process.
The selected students are then taught by eminent MUSICAL EXPERTS like Sowmya, Trissur& Charumathi Ramachandran, Karnatica Brothers, Suguna Varadachari, R.K.Srikantan,Dr.Narmadha and literally the who is who in Carnatic music today on top who is available. Nedanuri Garu , Parasala Ponnammal, Kalpagam Swaminathan among others have taught these students at least one major composition. They use skype and teach in real time to their students in Chennai with an interactive basis to N.American students. The teachers are paid at US RATES. The sessions are videotaped & the notes are available to anyone for FREE. These classes go on for close to 4 months every Friday night, SAT& SUN Mornings& nights and typically last 3 hours. Two months roughly before the festival a bunch of specialist teachers like Jayalakshmi Sekhar-teaches vocal, veena, flute & violin to students at an advanced level-, Vasuda Keshav the promising young vocalist, Flute Thyagarajan etc go to N.A., literally stay at student's home & prepare them for the concert.
I attended classes by Suguna Varadhachari whose perfection & attention to details & padantharam & criticality utterly AMAZED me. Similarly RAGA SUDHA RASA taught by Charumathi made me realize the GENIUS & ORIGINALITY AS WELL AS CREATIVITY OF THE IMMORTAL MLV.The utter genius& originality of MLV IN PRACTICALLY every sangathi& nuances is beyond description!It took me back sixty years at least when MLV literally came into the field like a tornado. Just that one class still sends chills down my spine....EVERY ONE of the teachers evoked similar feelings.....
Sundaram is the most DEMOCRATIC PERSON one will come across; He patiently answers any question addressed to him & will consider ALL SUGGESTIONS tho' implementation depends on the committee. I urge persons to meet him in Cleveland during the festival& talk to him. Regarding the spending of money I am NOT A FINANCIAL PLANNER & every one must do what they consider to be prudent& wise. I can say however that most committee members are spending many times the amounts stated above....
I am NOT A PARENT& I have counted at least 50 others that I KNOW who are NOT PARENTS who stayed for the entire program. This statement is in the category of:HE SAID-SHE SAID in USA DIVORCE courts; I doubt if the gentleman can honestly say he counted these numbers before making a blanket statement. I literally counted myself to find out how these concerts are received by those attending;Incidentally these students-some from last year- were given 6 slots at Tiruvaiyaru; Some were televised & ALL OF THEM got RAVE REVIEWS by PRESS in India. They were a big hit& sensation where ever they performed- This includes several S.Indian Cities, Music Academy etc. As an example Roopa Mahadevan & others were offered slots at Chennai Sabhas. I am writing thes to say that GOOD THINGS also appear to result from these bold initiatives. VKV

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 01 Feb 2010, 23:41

First of all Congratulations to Cleveland for 50 years of notable service to CM at NA. If CM is appreciated in NA it is in no small measure due to the efforts of the dedicated CM enthusiasts therein. In fact there is even a spill-over of appreciation at Chennai even, where the artistes claim that they should be as well received by local Rasikas as they are at NA.

Having said this may we request you to use the Forum for constructive both positive and negative comments. While through the positive we show our appreciations the negatives will help the organizers to correct the deficiencies and ultimately the Rasikas are the beneficiaries.
Please do not vent your personal grousess here since they already have a mechanism to handle complaints. Again let us remind that positively no name citations will be allowed as the Forum has no stomach for legal wrangles!

Finally all of us would welcome good reviews and pictures wherever possible.

MKR
Nice to hear from you! Stay healthy and report to us on return! We are eager to hear the anecdotes on SSI and the continuing saga on TS/MS!

cacm · Post by **cacm** » 01 Feb 2010, 23:48

ragam-talam wrote:Here we go again!
Soon we can expect to hear complaints from parents, friends etc.

This time, however, there seems to be another grouse from regular attendees - i.e. senior artistes' concerts are scheduled during weekdays.

On the one hand, we have an organiser such as VKV inviting people to send in their feedback positive&negative, while MKR seems to be defending the decisions of the powers-that-be and providing standard politician's response. If you got it wrong, admit it and move on! You guys are doing a great job, and it's allright if you goofed up somewhere. Just accept the mistakes.

You are dealing with a fairly intelligent bunch of people here who can see thru wishy-washy statements.

Thank you.

I WOULD REALLY appreciate if you let me know here or by email to [email protected] when you feel I am wishy-washy in my statements. However I can only write the committee's & my personal reactions to any query which may or may not be satisfacrory. VKV

arunk · Post by **arunk** » 02 Feb 2010, 00:12

I guess it was inevitable my comments which talked only what the schedule meant to me (and only me) would open the floodgates that open this time of the year. I actually think I know why the schedule is the way it is - and I can understand (except perhaps for a couple of programs).

I do think the organizers deserve praise, and I am sure the kids will do a phenomenal job. But it does not change the fact that I will get one concert for lugging my behind from Chicago - and from that angle, it is an unappetizing proposition. I may be in the minority or otherwise - that is irrelevant to me at this point.

Last year, this was the reason I skipped the first weekend and attended the following weekeend (Thu-Sun) and caught great concerts. I cannot do that this year.

I am not crying foul - simply saying that this year, I may have to instead me content with an iPod (like the rest of the year). And if that turns out to be the case, it is neither the end of my world, nor is the beginning of the end of the aradhana.

- Peace!

Arun

cacm · Post by **cacm** » 02 Feb 2010, 05:59

appu wrote:If I remeber right the schedule does not look very different from last year. Last year we had MSG and party and then on sunday we had Sudha.

This year too we have two big names. Sudha and V Ramachandran. My gripe however would be over the fact that we have Sudha being repeated at the same time slot. Some other senior artist could have been given the slot.

Let me attempt to briefly address Sudha's repeat invitation as an example. In a way its a suitable example as I am personally NOT a big fan of hers though I admire her in various ways:
This year is GNB'S 100TH & it is logical to honour artists of that school; Sudha is the ONLY MAJOR ARTIST not yet honoured at Cleveland for the top position reg. awards for artists. It might sound surprising to some but its a fact.
She has UNSTINTINTCTLY devoted her talents&energies& encouraged every one to further the goals of the Aradhana for years. Last year she chose to sing for the Dance after an absence of several years & chose to do it at the Cleveland at the festival- at that time the actual dancer was NOT chosen; it happened to be her daughter-; It was both heart warming & inspiring the way she gave a more than a 4 hour concert & sincerely with enthusiasm responded to her fans requests. Not only that, her inspiring appeals to encourage the efforts of the organisers even inturrupting her performance CLEARLY showed me what a great person she is; Obviously judging from audience reaction she is very popular. PLEASE do not start a discussion on technical merits vs popularity etc in this thread. Open a separate one if one has to express views on this subject. I hope this thread will continue to discuss the actions & repurcussions of the various choices that have been made this year by the organisers. VKV

music_is_life · Post by **music_is_life** » 02 Feb 2010, 07:03

VKV sir.. I have nothing against these kids and in fact I love them all. I had spent a lot of time watching these kids discuss advanced level music and Mr. Sundaram should be congratulated for creating such a network of friends across US who otherwise would not have had this level of interaction let alone even find a good teacher in the remote city they live in. My question is: should they always be made to sing at 4PM on the inaugural day of the concert? Can they sustain the audience interest for three hours and do justice to the great GNB style of rendition? Besides the services by dedicated volunteers, , the unknown rasika who travels 1000 miles to be at the Festival year after year has also added to the popularity of the Festival. Please take his/her interest also into consideration.

cacm · Post by **cacm** » 02 Feb 2010, 08:01

Let me assure you that your points are considered & taken very seriously. The BASIC problem with running the Cleveland Festival is:"Money Money Money" as the famous Broadway Musical said & various ATTEMPTS are being made every year to try & see if there is a magic formula. BUT for Cleveland Sundaram's EXTRA-ORDINARY COMMITTMENT OF HIS RESOURCES- Both in terms of economics&time& efforts- THERE WILL BE NO CLEVELAND FESTIVAL AS YOU KNOW IT....It is like the proverb that says" Aaasai Irukku .......Adirstham Irukku Kazudhai Meykka" etc.....
The very nature of the Beast forces one to try NON-IDEAL solutions! Incidentally when I use CAPITALS I am doing it for emphasis & not being angry etc according to some unknown ettiquette that seems to exist......Regs, VKV
Reg your references to GNB : THERE HAS BEEN ONLY ONE GNB SO FAR & all the attempts to do what he did musically for the past more than 60 years have been FAILURES at various levels. As a researcher& scientist I understand why: There has been only one Einstein & one Thyagabrahmam so far....

rrao13 · Post by **rrao13** » 02 Feb 2010, 18:09

vkv43034 wrote: There has been only one Einstein & one Thyagabrahmam so far....

I most vehemently disagree with this quote. Shri Purandara Daasa is the Pitamaha of Karnatik music. Your comment seems to imply that he and other composers are of lesser talent.

While I am not a Physicist, I have heard learned people say that the contributions of Isaac Newton are equally worth to those of Einstein, if not more.

uday_shankar · Post by **uday_shankar** » 02 Feb 2010, 19:24

rrao13 wrote:I most vehemently disagree with this quote. Shri Purandara Daasa is the Pitamaha of Karnatik music. Your comment seems to imply that he and other composers are of lesser talent.

Relax!! Your silly vehemance betrays your own misunderstanding of the spirit of vkv's statement. "Tyagabrahmam" and "Einstein" are just placeholders, eponyms if you will, for a special class of people who come rarely in history. That certainly includes Puradara Daasa too in CM and Newton in physics. So please stop this ridiculous, and at one level, hilarious, competitiveness.

gmsmom · Post by **gmsmom** » 03 Feb 2010, 01:38

Looking at the schedule, I am very disappointed. Why are the same people performing every year ?
Aishu venkartaman and Wesleyan University got an opportunity last year, why should they perform again and again ? There are several talented kids who are as good as these, can they not be invited for a change ?

Also, I see that Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi has a duet concert and accompanying two other concerts. Can someone else from north America not be given an opportunity ?

There are so many other talented musicians in USA and India, why should same set of people be invited every year ?

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 03 Feb 2010, 01:58

You could ask that about any Chennai Sabha, and probably any organisation in the world. We can set our calendars by some of the Season performances.

Yes, there are many talented musicians, but only a few of them fill halls.

If you are talking about giving people chances (which is, I understand, a very real part of the festival) then you would have to give better examples than to pit the lesser-knowns against two giants on the schedule.

Added to which, Aishu is also a poor example, because she is not a "kid" --- she is a first-rate professional musician, and her age is simply not relevant to that.

gmsmom · Post by **gmsmom** » 03 Feb 2010, 02:14

Give me a break !! Aishu is a "first-rate professional musician" ? You are kidding me, She is an upcoming talented kid I agree, nothing more !! I heard her concert in SIFA bay area. She had good bowing techniques, good krithi rendering but needed a lot of work in manodharma. Don't glorify children who are up coming !! Just because parents market the kids aggressively they don't become "first-rate professional" musicians !!

gmsmom · Post by **gmsmom** » 03 Feb 2010, 04:04

BTW, I am not against artists like Vijayalakshmi. She is awesome !! My questions is why is she getting 3 chances during the same Aradhana. Why cannot some other musicians be given a chance to accompany as well ?

cacm · Post by **cacm** » 03 Feb 2010, 04:40

The schedule is not fully updated. Aishu 's concert is not a solo. Those of you who attended last year's festival may remember that at the end of Aishu's concert (in a weekday at 1:00 P.M.), Cleveland Sundaram got on the stage and gave a challenge to Aishu. He asked her that 2010 being the 33rd year of the Cleveland Festival, whether she would take the challenge of bringing 33 kids from north America and give an orchestral performance based on pure carnatic idiom.

The challenge for her was to train 33 young students from all across the U.S., use vocal, western instruments and carnatic instruments and also raise the estimated US $50,000 needed just for meeting the expenses. The kids who would be performing are both ethnic Indian American kids and others.

I am coordinating the logistics of transportation accommodation, getting the instruments like cello, harp etc and I know what is involved.

At the Cleveland Festival, challenges like these are often given to young kids and in my opinion is rarely done in any other conventional sabhas or forums. This is great because it brings out the leadership quality of such young artists. Aishu not only got the trust of 32 other kids, she put in a lot of time structuring and training the kids and also got valuable insight in getting grants for such a large undertaking.

We had to give her the Sunday morning slot given the availability and school constraints of all the participants.

Sri B. Balasubramanian of Wesleyan offered his slot to his students given the tight schedule, and again the committee looked into the logistics and time constraints of the participants and gve the Sunday afternoon slot.

VKV

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 03 Feb 2010, 05:02

Hats off to Aishu for the wonderful organizational efforts!
We all appreciate her energetic propogation of CM in NA...

gmsmom · Post by **gmsmom** » 03 Feb 2010, 05:03

It is a big undertaking. Congratulations to her !!

VK RAMAN · Post by **VK RAMAN** » 03 Feb 2010, 05:32

vkv43034 wrote: The challenge for her was to train 33 young students from all across the U.S., use vocal, western instruments and carnatic instruments and also raise the estimated US $50,000 needed just for meeting the expenses. The kids who would be performing are both ethnic Indian American kids and others.
VKV

Before making unfounded allegations/complaints, better get the facts!

Congrats to Aishu for taking up such a challenge and making it happen. Thanks to the organizers for developing leadership among upcoming young CM artists.

cacm · Post by **cacm** » 03 Feb 2010, 08:39

rrao13 wrote:
vkv43034 wrote: There has been only one Einstein & one Thyagabrahmam so far....
I most vehemently disagree with this quote. Shri Purandara Daasa is the Pitamaha of Karnatik music. Your comment seems to imply that he and other composers are of lesser talent.

While I am not a Physicist, I have heard learned people say that the contributions of Isaac Newton are equally worth to those of Einstein, if not more.

I HAVE COMMENTED ABOUT ONLY E& T.There is no disagreement on my part& views. DO NOT READ UNNECESSARY THINGS INTO WHAT I WROTE.VKV

cacm · Post by **cacm** » 03 Feb 2010, 08:49

gmsmom wrote:BTW, I am not against artists like Vijayalakshmi. She is awesome !! My questions is why is she getting 3 chances during the same Aradhana. Why cannot some other musicians be given a chance to accompany as well ?

MONEY is a CONSIDERATION! I wrote in another thread about this also & the organisers have to make choices on MULTIPLE FACTORS. Typically the violin& mridangam artists esp. from India end up playing in several concerts. In the case of Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi we are GRATEFUL she is willing to help us out in this regard. Incidentally ALL the facts& factors pointed out regarding choice of artists so far are known to the committee members as well. You have the right to criticise the committee members& the choices they have made but please leave the artists out of this discussion. VKV

sadananthan · Post by **sadananthan** » 03 Feb 2010, 09:59

An open letter to Cleveland Powers that be

[mod note..
This open letter is now posted at the new forum
http://rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3
All comments and discussion of the issues may be pursued at the new site]

Rasika911 · Post by **Rasika911** » 03 Feb 2010, 10:23

Stop being so bitter. If they give chances to people from north america you will complain that it's not worth paying money for.
If they dont give chance you complain that they dont.
There are kids getting a chance like toronto surenthar and toronto karthick - i have never heard either of them and so i cant comment on how concert worthy they are.
Sydney bala sankar is also getting a go. Rajna swaminathan has a slot.

The aradhana people cant give every musician in india and america a go, there will be people who miss out.

ramamantra · Post by **ramamantra** » 03 Feb 2010, 10:47

Probably Mr. Sadananthan deserves a better response than a general one given by rasika. Questions coming out of a 30-yr Aradhana follow-up esp pointed ones definitely need better hearing and response.

Does the influence of the American culture prevent youngsters from respecting age and experience, I wonder.....

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 03 Feb 2010, 10:54

We do respect freedom of speech as long as the debates are civilized. It is inevitable that some names do get mentioned. As long as the references are not derogatory we shall allow them. The opinions expressed here are personal and do not in anyway reflect the views of the administration. We do not want money and fiscal compensations discussed here. Our goal is to promote CM globally. Your personal grouses have no place here! If you have personal complaints do take it up with the organizers of the program. We do not mediate. Please do not exploit the anonymity that we provide to throw mud on legitimate promoters of CM. We reserve the right to edit your language for decency, delete if necessary and ban you summarily if there are innuendos or when your posts cross the bounds of decency.

VK RAMAN · Post by **VK RAMAN** » 03 Feb 2010, 11:00

Last year after Aradhana, similar sentiments like # 42 were expressed and vkv sir requested for suggestions to improve the process of organizing. I do not if sadanandan expressed his suggestions at that time.

music_is_life · Post by **music_is_life** » 03 Feb 2010, 19:08

Congrats to Aishu and her team for taking this challenge and I am sure it would be a great success.

bilahari · Post by **bilahari** » 03 Feb 2010, 20:17

Best wishes to Aishu and team, and to the Aradhana organizers as well for a successful event! One should not constantly look a gift horse in its mouth...

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 03 Feb 2010, 21:56

Aishu--shines in her studies, in her music and in taking up a responsibility which many adults may not be willing to shoulder. More power to her, to her team and to CM as the younger generation proves to us that they are able to carry on the good work of the Cleveland pioneers with the same fervor into the future. Aishu is a performer and we know her. Let's not forget several other youngsters who contribute their time and energy at the festival but are not known to many.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 03 Feb 2010, 22:49

...we would like to know them too and individually want to encourage them.
Trust VKV can help us there...

appu · Post by **appu** » 03 Feb 2010, 23:17

Yes, I must agree with Nick and Arasi. Aishu is a performer and excels in her studies too. Wishing Aishu and her team the very best.